Tag: Ohio St.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) rushes during the second half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 22, 2024. Ohio State won 42-17.

No. 8 Ohio State seeks redemption vs. No. 1 Oregon in Rose Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

If not for Will Howard’s final-play blunder against Oregon on Oct. 12, Ohio State might be the higher-seeded team entering a much-anticipated rematch in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.

Howard certainly is focused on redemption when the No. 8 seed Buckeyes get another chance against the No. 1 seed Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Pasadena, Calif.

Ohio State trailed 32-31 and was driving toward a possible game-winning field-goal attempt in Eugene, Ore., in October as a scrambling Howard was on the run and intentionally slid at the Oregon 26-yard line.

One big problem — time had expired. There would not be a field-goal try.

“The way that last one ended doesn’t sit right with me. It still doesn’t,” Howard said after Ohio State’s 42-17 home thumping of No. 9 seed Tennessee in a first-round CFP matchup on Dec. 21. “Still bugs me.”

Howard will look for a different result when the Buckeyes (11-2) try to end the perfect season of Oregon (13-0).

Howard, who transferred from Kansas State after last season, has delivered a solid season by passing for 3,171 yards and 29 touchdowns against nine interceptions. But the mental gaffe against Oregon seems to overshadow everything else.

“I’m excited. It’s going to be a heck of an opportunity for all of us,” Howard said. “I think we’ve all been looking forward to this one, and for another crack at these guys.”

The heavyweight matchup will feature two prolific offenses, with Ohio State averaging 36 points per game and the Ducks at 35.9. Former Oregon coach Chip Kelly is the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator.

Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel has completed 73.2 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns against just six interceptions this season. The third-place finisher in Heisman Trophy balloting will make his 63rd career start.

Gabriel transferred from Oklahoma after last season. He has thrown 153 career touchdown passes, two off the FBS record held by Houston’s Case Keenum (2007-11).

“I’ve been really impressed with Dillon’s poise,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “It doesn’t matter if there’s just a couple seconds left in the clock or if it’s fourth-and-9, I feel like he treats those plays the same as first-and-10 at the beginning of the game.”

The quarterback matchup was even in the mid-October game between Oregon and Ohio State. Gabriel passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for one TD, while Howard threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns and also had one score on the ground.

Both teams will dissect the first matchup and see how the opponent has evolved since then while formulating their game plans.

“You look at what worked, you look at what didn’t work, you look at how your teams change, and you try to play again through your strengths,” Lanning said. “You look at how your opponent’s teams change. So there’s going to be some differences in this game from the last game, for sure.”

The Ducks are the lone unbeaten team in the nation and have scored more than 30 points on 11 occasions. Running back Jordan James complements Gabriel, having rushed for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He has six 100-yard outings.

Ohio State lost to Michigan 13-10 in the regular-season finale. The Buckeyes have topped 30 points on 10 occasions.

Howard has two big-time targets in Emeka Egbuka — 65 receptions for 824 yards and nine touchdowns — and Jeremiah Smith (63 for 1,037, 12 scores).

The Buckeyes allow an average of 11.4 points per game compared with Oregon’s 17.8.

Who knows — another close game with a quarterback called on to execute during a final drive could be in play again.

“Will, I know, is excited to have an opportunity to play Oregon again,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said.

Ohio State leads the series 9-2, but the Ducks have won the past two games.

–Field Level Media

Sep 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs the ball against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

No. 3 Ohio State, dominant in second half this season, meets Iowa

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If Iowa hopes to upset No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, it would be wise for the Hawkeyes to get off to a good start.

While the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) have outscored opponents by an average of 42 points (48.8 to 6.8), they have been more vulnerable in the first half before making defensive adjustments.

The Buckeyes have a 91-3 scoring advantage after halftime after a combined 104-24 in the first two quarters.

Their yards allowed are just as dramatic. They gave up 186 in the first half to Marshall on Sept. 21 and 203 last Saturday in a 38-7 victory over Michigan State followed by second-half totals of 61 and 60, respectively.

“We want to get stops. We want to force three-and-outs,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We’re going to deal with the same thing this week. Those guys (Iowa) have made improvements in a lot of areas on offense, and I think they’re playing really well, so it’s another challenge for our defense.”

Iowa (3-1, 1-0) likely won’t be able to match the Buckeyes’ high-powered offense but will try to control the ball and take the crowd out of the game.

One of the keys will be Hamilton, Ohio native Kaleb Johnson. In a 31-14 win against Minnesota on Sept. 21, he rushed for a career-high 206 yards on a 9.8 yards-per-carry average with three touchdowns for his fourth straight 100-plus-yard game.

He is No. 2 nationally with 685 yards.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz knows the Buckeyes will be ready for Johnson.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge,” Ferentz said. “The holes are going to close quick.”

Johnson has 12 runs of 20 or more yards this season, including a 64-yarder, which likely will be of concern to the Buckeyes. But the Hawkeyes will face a stern defense that is second nationally in total defense (196.5 yards per game). The Hawkeyes are 18th (272.8).

Iowa will have to contain a multi-faceted Ohio State offense that features running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson — who have combined for 666 rushing yards and nine touchdowns — and a group of talented receivers led by freshman Jeremiah Smith (19 catches for 364 yards and five TDs).

“They are very balanced and talented at every position,” Ferentz said. “They’ve got really good players in all three phases, and I think are really deserving of their ranking. Certainly, they’ve had great production in all three phases, and they’re really well-coached in all three phases. So it’s kind of what you’d expect of a top-ranked team like that.”

Meanwhile, with so much reliance on the running game, Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara has been efficient. He was 11 for 19 for only 62 yards against Minnesota but did not have a turnover for a second straight game.

McNamara referenced Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, who completed 18 of 18 passes vs. the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.

“There’s always going to be ups and downs in games,” McNamara said. “Other than basically Jared Goff, you can’t play a perfect game.”

–Field Level Media

Sept. 9, 2023; Columbus, Oh., USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) was all smiles after scoring a touchdown during the second half of Saturday's NCAA Division I football game agaisnt the Youngstown State Penguins at Ohio Stadium.

No. 3 Ohio State seeks ‘Indiana sweep’ at Purdue

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Ohio State wants its third trip to the state of Indiana this season to be as successful as the first two when the No. 3 Buckeyes visit West Lafayette to play upset-minded Purdue on Saturday.

In a quirk of the schedule for the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), the matchup against the Boilermakers (2-4, 1-2) means they will have played as many games in their neighboring state as in Columbus so far this season.

Ohio State already owns victories in Bloomington against Indiana and South Bend against Notre Dame.

Logic suggests the Buckeyes will make it a sweep against a Purdue team still trying to find traction under first-year coach Ryan Walters, who replaced Jeff Brohm when he left for his alma mater, Louisville, after six seasons with the Boilermakers.

Purdue is coming off a 20-14 loss at Iowa in which quarterback Hudson Card was sacked six times and threw two interceptions. Walters said he and his staff need to put Card in better positions to succeed.

“We can also help him out in that area and give him better answers and put him in scenarios where the ball is designed to get out quick,” Walters said. “That’s one of the things that we’ve looked at, that we need to adapt and adjust to give our quarterback the best chance to be successful on Saturdays.”

Meanwhile, Ohio State’s once-dynamic offense failed to score a first-half touchdown for the second straight game and needed a pick-six by safety Josh Proctor to rally for a 10-10 halftime score before the Buckeyes prevailed 37-17 against Maryland last Saturday.

The Buckeyes totaled 142 yards in the first half. For the game, they rushed for only 62 yards while averaging 1.9 yards per carry.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the running game is not up to the Buckeyes’ standards.

“This is the expectation. I get it,” he said. “Nobody wants to run the ball more than me. We’ve just got to execute it better. We have to coach it better, and that starts with me.”

Team leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson missed the game due to an undisclosed injury, but Day said Tuesday that he expects him to be available Saturday.

Ohio State is nearly a three-touchdown favorite, but history says don’t count out the Boilermakers.

The last time Ohio State visited, in 2018, the unranked Boilermakers humiliated then-coach Urban Meyer’s second-ranked team 49-20. The lone loss of the season for the Buckeyes kept them out of the College Football Playoff.

Walters is embracing that upset and said it was addressed at a team meeting Tuesday.

“We’ve got some creative ways to just kind of give the history of this game and what it meant the last time they were here,” he said. “So they’ll definitely be aware.”

Proctor, Xavier Johnson and Matthew Jones are the only current Ohio State players who were on the 2018 team.

“It means a lot,” Proctor said of returning to Purdue. “I haven’t been back since, so I’m definitely looking forward to that one.”

The Boilermakers have won five of eight at home against the Buckeyes since 2000.

–Field Level Media

Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord (6) scrambles during the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3.

No. 5 Ohio State to work on ‘clunky’ offense vs. Youngstown State

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The next step in redefining the offense for Ohio State will come Saturday when the No. 5 Buckeyes host Youngstown State in Columbus.

Replacing C.J. Stroud, now the rookie starting quarterback for the Houston Texans, wasn’t going to be easy, and the Buckeyes (1-0) learned how difficult it was in an unimpressive 23-3 win over Indiana last week.

Kyle McCord, who has won the QB battle — for now — over Devin Brown, was 20-for-33 for 239 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception.

“I think we both felt the same way,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “There were some good moments and good throws and some things you’d want back.”

Stroud in the past two seasons threw 85 touchdown passes in 25 games for the Buckeyes.

Day said Tuesday that McCord will start against Youngstown State (1-0) but that Brown, who took six snaps — three on the Buckeyes’ final drive of the game — should get more playing time as the competition continues.

Youngstown State, of the Missouri Valley Conference, had no problem scoring in a 52-10 rout of Valparaiso on Aug. 31.

Penguins coach Doug Phillips, the defensive quality-control coach for Ohio State when Jim Tressel was head coach in 2006, is looking for improvement every game, just like last season. Youngstown State won five of its final six games to finish 7-4, four more wins than in 2021.

“The month of September, we’re trying to figure out who we are, what we can do,” Phillips said. “It’s not last year’s team. It’s a new team.”

Tyshon King rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns against Valparaiso while Mitch Davidson threw for 130 yards and one TD.

The Penguins recovered three fumbles in the third quarter, leading to 28 points.

All that should give them confidence, but Valparaiso isn’t Ohio State, even if Day described the offense against Indiana as “clunky.”

Youngstown State might become a victim of a Marvin Harrison showcase. The All-America candidate receiver was held to two catches for 18 yards and was targeted just eight times against Indiana.

“We will continue to find ways to be creative and get him the ball,” Day said. “Teams are going to take him away, too. When that happens, that’s where other guys have to step up.”

One of them was linebacker-turned-tight end Cade Stover, who had 98 yards on five catches last week.

Youngstown State returns six receivers who combined for 118 receptions last season. Bryce Oliver led the Penguins with five catches for 65 yards against Valparaiso, but the key to staying in the game against the Buckeyes could be how well they can run the ball and control the clock.

The Penguins rushed for 303 yards (7.4 yards per carry) in their opener. Ohio State limited Indiana to 153 total yards, including 71 on the ground (2.2-yard average).

The Ohio State offensive line, with three new starters, will look for redemption after the Buckeyes were stopped three times on third-and 2 or less while going 2-for-12 on third-down conversions.

“I felt like they needed to play better,” Day said. “It was good enough to win in this game, but it won’t be good enough going forward to reach our goals.”

–Field Level Media

Penn State's Kalen King drops Ohio State running back Emeka Egbuka (2) in the backfield for a 2-yard loss in the second quarter at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in State College. Hes Dr 102922 Psuosu

Focused solely on task at hand, No. 2 Ohio St. visits Northwestern

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Ohio State continues its collision course with No. 5 Michigan on Nov. 26, but first the No. 2 Buckeyes must wade through three unranked teams, beginning Saturday at flailing Northwestern in Chicago, Ill.

The Wildcats (1-7, 1-4 Big Ten) are looking for their first win of the season on American soil. Northwestern opened the season with a 31-28 win against Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, but has lost seven in a row since.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said of the Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0). “When you pop on the tape and take a deeper dive, it’s a complete team. Coach (Ryan) Day and his staff have done a phenomenal job in recruiting. They’ve got depth everywhere and explosiveness in all three phases.”

Ohio State earned its spot in the first College Football Playoff ranking Tuesday after a 44-31 win at No. 15 Penn State which was expected to be the Buckeyes’ toughest challenge until hosting Michigan. Following Northwestern, the Buckeyes are home for a meeting with Indiana (3-5, 1-4) before playing at Maryland (6-2, 3-2).

Day said the focus is on his team’s improvement, not the opponent.

“We’ve always said it’s about us, so why does that change this week?” he said. “Last week going into Penn State, it was about us. It was about our preparation. You have to continue to do what you’re doing and get better every week. If you don’t, not only do you show weakness, but you set yourself up for problems down the road.

“(Fitzgerald) does an unbelievable job. I know they don’t have the record that they want to, but we’ve got to go play football, and we want to play at a high level. That’s the goal here, so it really shouldn’t matter who we’re playing against.”

Day takes the same approach to the rankings. Ohio State has reached the playoffs four times, winning the inaugural title for the 2014 season.

“Do I think we deserve to be in the top four? Absolutely,” he said. “Do I think it matters all that much right now? No. What matters is beating Northwestern.”

A player to watch for the Buckeyes is defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who against Penn State had six tackles, two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble, a tipped ball that led to an interception and two picks, including one that he returned for a touchdown as part of a 28-point fourth quarter for the Buckeyes.

“Certainly, one of the most historic games in college football,” Day said. “I guess it’s not an exaggeration to say that given what he did.”

First-year Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, in his 35th year as a college coach, said the performance by Tuimoloau was the best he’s ever seen by a defensive end.

“Just dominating every phase of the game,” Knowles said. “Playing like a linebacker in terms of his ball skills.”

Fitzgerald doesn’t see any areas the Wildcats can exploit. The Buckeyes are second nationally in scoring (48.9 points per game) and 10th in scoring defense (16.9).

“On tape, no, I have not seen anything. But we haven’t cut the grass at Ryan Field since our last home game,” Fitzgerald joked. “So, it will be somewhere between two to four feet high. Maybe sprinkling system will come on at 7, again at 10.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2022; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day calls plays on the sidelines against the Michigan State Spartans in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Memories of 2017 reverberate as No. 2 Ohio State meets Iowa

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Ohio State’s powerful offense might get a stern test from one of the nation’s best defenses on Saturday when the No. 2 Buckeyes host Iowa in a rare matchup of the conference opponents.

The Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) and Hawkeyes (3-3, 1-2) had last weekend off, so they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for their first encounter since Iowa’s 55-24 upset in 2017 and only the teams’ second meeting in 11 years.

Iowa has not played at Columbus since a 34-24 loss in 2013, and the most recent Hawkeyes’ victory in Ohio Stadium was 16-9 in 1991.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day is not unlike the fan base that has been waiting five years for another crack at Iowa. He was an assistant coach for Urban Meyer when the No. 6 Buckeyes were knocked from the one-loss ranks in 2017, allowing the program’s fifth-most points ever.

“It’s a scar that doesn’t go away. I’ve felt it this week, for sure,” Day said Tuesday. “It was a tough day for all of us. We’ve talked a lot about it to our staff, we’ve talked a lot about it to our players.”

Now that he’s in charge, Day has the offense humming. Led by quarterback C.J. Stroud (24 touchdown passes), the Buckeyes lead the country in scoring offense (48.8 points per game) and yards per play (8.07). They are second in total offense (543.7 yards).

They’ve done it mostly without injured top receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba while running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams have missed games because of injuries. Day provided no updates Tuesday.

“I think Ohio State has had great players since I was a little kid,” said Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker, a Lorain, Ohio, native. “They have athletes that they can get the ball to, a dynamic quarterback that can get the ball to them. They have good running backs. They have a good offensive line. I don’t know what they’re averaging, something maybe around 50 points a game. … I think they’re a really good football team. It’s what we’ve seen on the film.”

Iowa will counter with the nation’s third-ranked scoring defense (9.8 points per game) and No. 7 total defense (265 yards per game). The Hawkeyes are third against the pass (154 yards) and have given up just two rushing TDs.

“They’re very good at what they do,” Day said. “There’s a reason they’re ranked so high, and year in and year out they’re one of the best defenses in the country.

“They feel like they know their defense better than you know your offense.”

The problem for Iowa is its offense. It is last among 131 FBS schools in total offense (238.7 yards) and 127th in scoring (14.7). The Hawkeyes have seven points or less in three games this season.

Still, Day said he is wary of Iowa playing keep-away with the Ohio State offense.

“Their style is similar to some of the teams we’ve played. They want to control the game,” he said.

Ohio State has touchdowns on 30 of its past 38 possessions, and for the season, the Buckeyes are 29 of 29 in the red zone (27 touchdowns, two field goals).

— Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) makes the touchdown catch over Arkansas State Red Wolves cornerback Leon Jones (2) during the second half at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Toledo brings offensive firepower into game vs. No. 3 Ohio State

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In this battle of Ohio, one team has one of the top offenses in the country, averaging 46 points through two games.

No, it’s not Ohio State. Instead, it’s Toledo, the No. 3 Buckeyes’ opponent in Columbus on Saturday night.

Granted, Toledo (2-0) hasn’t played teams the caliber of Ohio State (2-0), but 37-0 and 55-10 victories over Long Island University and UMass, respectively, have catapulted the Rockets into a tie for 16th with Oklahoma State in scoring. Plus, the Rockets are tied for second (with Minnesota and Tulane) behind Georgia in scoring defense at 5.0 points.

Given the spate of upsets nationally during the first two weeks of the season, the Rockets can envision being next in line to knock off a Power Five program.

“College football is college football,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said Monday. “There are challenges each and every week that you need to handle. We’re going to do everything we can to put our best foot forward this Saturday.”

The Buckeyes, who led FBS last season with an average of 45.7 points per game, are scoring at a 33-point clip this year following wins over Notre Dame, 21-10, and Arkansas State, 45-12, but that isn’t enough to satisfy the fans or coach Ryan Day.

“I wouldn’t say I’m pleased because we have to have that edge and know where we need to be,” Day said Tuesday. “(Toledo is) not going to come into Ohio Stadium and be intimidated at all.”

An injury to star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has prevented the Buckeyes from operating at full strength. He has not played since the first half of the Notre Dame game after a hamstring injury, but Day said he should be available Saturday.

Smith-Njigba led Ohio State with 1,606 receiving yards in 2021.

“He’s further along than he was at this point last week,” Day said. “We’re a different team when Jaxon’s in there, there’s no question.”

Day said he also expects wide receiver Julian Fleming to play on Saturday. Fleming, who had 12 receptions last season, had an undisclosed injury late in training camp and has not played this season.

Marvin Harrison Jr. stepped up against Arkansas State by catching three of the four touchdown passes thrown by C.J. Stroud.

Toledo will counter with dual-threat QB Dequan Finn, who rushed for 74 yards on seven carries with two touchdowns and passed for 177 yards and a score.

“He can run whenever he wants to,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “Makes a lot of plays with his feet in scrambling situations.”

With all of the offensive firepower on the field Saturday, the defenses will draw attention. Ohio State has allowed one touchdown this season, and the rush defense is 11th nationally, giving up 129 yards. However, the Buckeyes have yet to force a turnover.

“I got a feeling those things are going to happen for us,” Day said.

Toledo is led by former Ohio State linebacker Dallas Gant, who has a team-high 20 tackles. He was in his fourth season for the Buckeyes when he entered the transfer portal last September and eventually returned to his hometown, where his father played for the Rockets and his mother was a cheerleader at the school.

Gant told Eleven Warriors he can use his time with the Buckeyes as an advantage.

“I’ve got endless reps against a lot of the players there, most of the players there, and I think it’s going to translate to the game on Saturday with me being comfortable and seeing a lot of familiar looks and stuff like that,” he said.

— Field Level Media