The Colorado game might not have been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Buckeyes, but it went a long way in calming the nerves of an anxious Ohio State fan base heading into the Big Ten season… at least a little bit.

The game wasn’t perfect, but you have to admit that you feel better about the rest of the season right now than you did just a few days ago.

That is not to say there won’t be some major challenges coming for the Buckeyes, far from it with Michigan State and Nebraska looming the next two Saturdays.

With Braxton Miller at QB, at least there is the hope of victory in tough games moving forward.

That is the main takeaway from Colorado. Hope.

This team isn’t perfect, not even close, but there is a renewed hope that the Buckeyes can beat the Spartans this weekend with Braxton Miller leading the offense.

Kicking off the Big Ten season right with a victory will set up the return of the suspended starters for the trip to Nebraska nicely, adding to the hope surrounding this young Buckeye squad.

Here are my keys to victory against the Spartans.

Defensive Keys

Shut down the run.

Against Notre Dame, the Spartans only managed to gain 54 (net 29) yards on 23 rushing attempts.

I usually try to avoid using the transitive property of football smack talk (Oregon beat Purdue who beat Ohio State in 2009, therefore Oregon will crush the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl!!!), but if Notre Dame can shut down the Spartans on the ground, the Buckeyes can duplicate the effort.

With experienced senior QB Kirk Cousins, the Spartans have been successful throwing the ball so far this season.

If the Buckeyes can successfully shut down the run and make Michigan State one dimensional, the Silver Bullets should be able to dial up some blitzes, disrupt Cousins’ throwing rhythm, and force some turnovers.

Young defenders stepping up.

Young defensive linemen like Darryl Baldwin, J.T. Moore, and Michael Bennett will be a big part of the line rotation on Saturday and for the rest of the season. Most people like to focus on the development of skill position players from one game to the next, but the same process of getting better applies to linemen as well.

There is a lot that young players can learn in four games and a lot more they can improve upon.

Moving into Big Ten play, the competition and intensity is about to go up a notch for the inexperienced players, particularly in the trenches. How well the young Bucks handle that challenge will be a huge story line for the rest of the season.

In addition to the linemen, LB Ryan Shazier, CB Bradley Roby, and S Christian Bryant have all been huge contributors on defense thus far. They need to continue playing well against Big Ten competition.

Offensive Keys

Braxton Miller making big plays.

With a freshman QB, there are going to be some ups and downs on offense, some bad turnovers, some frustration.

The reason you put up with these issues is when a freshman QB brings unmatched playmaking ability to the field.

Braxton Miller clearly does just that for the Buckeyes.

In his first start against Colorado, he showed the ability to make plays on the ground that few other players across the country can match.

His passing can still use some work, but the big play chemistry he is developing with fellow freshman WR Devin Smith is an encouraging early sign for better passing days to come.

To avoid a QB controversy and to win football games, Braxton Miller needs to continue making big plays on the ground and through the air this week.

Braxton Miller limiting turnovers.

Avoiding turnovers is a bit too much to ask. Braxton Miller will make mistakes and he will turn the ball over. It’s best that we just expect that moving forward.

At the same time, we can hope that the turnovers don’t happen too often or at the worst possible times (Penn State 2008).

Let’s also hope that the ratio of big plays to turnovers remains high for the offense and Miller.

This big play to turnover ratio will tell the story of Braxton Miller’s development as the starting QB, and obviously the faster he advances and the higher that number goes the better it will be for Ohio State’s 2011 season.