EAST LANSING, Mich. (WCMH) -- Michigan State may have had a game plan going into Saturday's game against Ohio State. But the Buckeyes were able to pick it apart quickly, making adjustments and forcing the offense to evolve as the game unfolded. "We're resilient and we can be explosive," quarterback Will Howard said. "We were able to hurt them in a lot of different ways." Different players stepped up and we were reminded once again how talented Jeremiah Smith is at wide receiver as OSU stayed unbeaten with a 38-7 win over the Spartans in its Big Ten opener. The road victory marked the Buckeyes' tenth straight in East Lansing and ninth consecutive in the series. More importantly, Ohio State is off to a 1-0 start in league play. Cincinnati chosen as host city for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Here are three things we learned from OSU's fourth win of the season. Jeremiah Smith lives up to the hype again Ohio State was up by ten and looking to cushion its lead before the halftime break, driving down the field with just 73 seconds to go in the second quarter. And we might look back on this drive years from now and say this is when Smith emerged as one of the great receivers of this era in college football. Twice during this memorable drive, the freshman wideout had our jaws dropped with incredible one-handed grabs. And they were thrown by two different quarterbacks. First, Smith leaped into the air amid double coverage to secure a 27-yard throw from Will Howard with 50 seconds left on the clock. Moments later, with Devin Brown in for Howard, Smith reaches into thin air with his right hand to take a 17-yard throw into the endzone, giving the Buckeyes a 24-7 lead at half. "What an unbelievable catch. I couldn't believe he caught it," head coach Ryan Day said. "Just a tremendous play." Day went on to say that it's his work ethic every day in practice has enabled him to live up to the hype. Smith was not even the leading receiver of the night. But he was the only player to score twice against Michigan State and provided moments that Buckeye fans will be talking about for a long time. Forced to evolve, offense finds new weapons The Buckeyes knew that the Spartans were going to be the toughest test of the season so far. Their first Big Ten game, and on the road no less, meant there were challenges that Ohio State hadn't faced until Saturday night. "When you go on the road, especially in the Big Ten -- this is our first away game of the season -- there's going to be adversity that strikes. It comes in different forms," wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said. And for a quarter and a half, with Michigan State keeping things close, Ohio State knew it had to evolve and rely on different weapons. With the Spartans defense smothering the run game, Howard found tight end Gee Scott Jr. for the first touchdown of the night. Carnell Tate made some key catches to move the chains while running back TreVeyon Henderson did the little things right instead of the big plays we were accustomed to seeing the last two weeks. Then came Brown, who stepped up when the Buckeyes needed him the most after Howard got the wind knocked out of him during their final drive of the first half. Brown's third down throw to Smith showed his ability to answer the call when needed. "I thought Devin did an unbelievable job of being ready when his number was called. That's competitive excellence. We talk about that all the time." Howard said. "I really think that throw and that catch right there those two made, that really sealed the game and it kinda put them out of it. I'm just so proud of Devin for stepping in and being ready." Gutsy play calling delivers Ohio State proved it can be aggressive on offense and willing to take the big risks. On Saturday night, those gambles paid off with the Buckeyes going three-for-four on fourth downs. And two of those conversions were for touchdowns. "The trust that our coaching staff has in us to be able to go for it on fourth down and not kick the field goal says a lot about this team. So we were happy to be able to go out there as an offense and execute on fourth down," Egbuka said. Egbuka was one of the touchdown recipients on fourth down when he caught a 33-yard throw from Howard in the third quarter. And the only failed fourth down attempt came late in the fourth when the game was out of reach for the Spartans. "I think it's just belief man. It really isn't anything else. We just go out there and execute," Howard said. "At the end of the day, I don't think any of us even thought about walking off the field on any of those third downs." The Buckeyes will take that belief and confidence back home when they host a well-rested Iowa team next Saturday.