The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Game Preview: #1 Ohio State Looks to Close Nonconference Play Strong Against Upset-Minded Ohio
By Zachary Anderson on September 12, 2025





Ohio State closes out its nonconference slate Saturday night with a matchup that carries very different stakes for each side. For the Buckeyes, it’s one final opportunity to sharpen the edges before a Week 4 trip to Washington. For Ohio University, it’s a chance to ride the high of last week’s stunning upset of West Virginia into one of the biggest stages the program has ever played on. It is only the fifth meeting all time between the schools, but there is history here: Ohio famously pushed OSU into the fourth quarter in 2008 before the Buckeyes pulled away. And while Ohio State enters as a 31.5-point favorite, the Bobcats arrive in Columbus believing they can make the evening competitive for more than a few series.

Ohio State has been impressive through its first two games, dispatching preseason No. 1 Texas with physicality and control before rolling Grambling State 46–6 behind a near-perfect outing from Julian Sayin and a national-player-of-the-week performance from Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes’ defense has been suffocating, allowing just 199.5 yards and 9.5 points per game. Offensively, Sayin has been poised and efficient, completing 75 percent of his passes for 523 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception. Smith has been unstoppable, Carnell Tate and Max Klare are reliable secondary threats, and the running back rotation, still sorting itself out, has offered enough balance to keep defenses honest. The major question remains the offensive line, particularly at right guard, where Ethan Onianwa replaces the injured Tegra Tshabola. After a clean showing against Grambling State, this week offers a better barometer.

Ohio enters with renewed energy under first-year head coach Brian Smith. After falling at Rutgers in Week 1, the Bobcats stunned West Virginia 44–41 in triple overtime thanks to a heroic effort from quarterback Parker Navarro, who combined for 395 yards and five touchdowns. Navarro is the kind of dual-threat playmaker who can stress any defense, and with running back Sieh Bangura and receiver Chase Hendricks beside him, Ohio has enough perimeter talent to at least challenge Ohio State’s depth. Navarro’s ability to extend plays will determine how long the Bobcats can hang around. Smith acknowledged the enormity of the challenge this week, saying, “We know what we’re walking into. This is the best team in the country. We’ve got to be sharp, disciplined, and aggressive.”

Defensively, Ohio leans on its safety duo of DJ Walker and Jalen Thomeson, who will shoulder the nearly impossible assignment of slowing the Buckeyes’ passing attack. The statistical contrast between the teams is dramatic, Ohio ranks 127th in total defense, while Ohio State ranks third, but rivalry proximity and emotional adrenaline tend to flatten those numbers in the opening quarter of these matchups. The Bobcats also carry a +2 turnover margin into the game, something that could matter early given Ohio State’s slight turnover struggles through two weeks.

Recruiting also casts a shadow over the weekend, with Ohio State hosting a large group of 2027 prospects, including five-star safety Sterling Hodel. With a strong performance, the Buckeyes hope to turn the Horseshoe into a showcase environment before heading into their bye week.

Ryan Day expects a focused, mature team on Saturday. “We know they’re going to come in with confidence,” Day said. “A lot of their guys grew up dreaming of playing in the Horseshoe. They’ll be fired up, and we need to match that intensity early.”

Smith, meanwhile, sees the trip as an opportunity for his players to embrace the moment. “We respect them,” he said. “But we’re not coming here to take pictures. We’re coming to compete.”

Ohio State is 4–0 all time against the Bobcats, winning by an average of 25 points. But as 2008 proved, an in-state opponent rarely plays like an underdog. If Ohio can ride the momentum of last week’s upset and hang in early behind Navarro’s creativity, Saturday could offer more drama than the betting line suggests. For the Buckeyes, the mission is simpler: stay healthy, stay sharp, and enter the bye as the undisputed No. 1 team in the country.

[Captain Canada]

I cant foresee four quarters of abuse in this game

[The JZA]

We know where this is heading...

[ShireNiner]

Go for 70 this time

[Caesar]

This ain't gonna be pretty. Ohio will be lucky to score 17.

[Soapy]

these are the kind of games that Brandon Inniss actually scores in

[James]

No mercy here.

[toysoldier00]

Ohio State 40, Ohio 10: No. 1 Ohio State Overwhelms Ohio Behind Dominant Ground Game and Relentless Defense
By Zachary Anderson on September 13, 2025


Caden Curry's First Quarter Safety set a dominant tone for the Buckeye Defense.



On a warm September evening that felt more like late August than the doorstep of Big Ten play, Ohio State delivered the kind of performance you expect from the No. 1 team in the country hosting an in-state opponent with far fewer resources but no shortage of pride. The Buckeyes overwhelmed Ohio University 40–10 inside Ohio Stadium, closing their nonconference slate with a statement built on physicality, defensive suffocation, and a backfield that asserted itself early and often.

From the moment the ball went in the air, Ohio State looked determined to avoid the slow early stretch they experienced a week earlier against Grambling State. They received the opening kickoff, lined up with purpose, and marched straight down the field in six plays, leaning heavily on the run. On the sixth snap, CJ Donaldson burst off the right side behind Ethan Onianwa and Phillip Daniels, shook a tackle at the second level, and sprinted 32 yards into the end zone. It was the tone-setter Ryan Day wanted.

“We challenged the guys this week to start fast, to come out with urgency,” Day said afterward. “And I thought they responded. We controlled the line of scrimmage from the first drive.”

If the first touchdown established Ohio State’s offensive identity for the night, the next sequence illustrated what kind of evening Ohio University quarterback Parker Navarro was in for. On second down of the Bobcats’ opening possession, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. knifed inside on a twist and swallowed Navarro for a nine-yard loss. On the very next snap, Caden Curry beat the right tackle cleanly, met Navarro in the end zone, and finished the play with a sack for a safety as the stadium erupted. Six minutes into the game, Ohio State led 9–0, and any belief Ohio carried from last week’s upset of West Virginia evaporated quickly.

The Buckeyes immediately made it 16–0 with another efficient touchdown drive capped by true freshman Bo Jackson, who flashed the balance and decisiveness that have earned him more reps each week. Jackson took a handoff out of 12 personnel, bounced outside a collapsing edge, and muscled through a defender for a four-yard score, the second Ohio State touchdown before the first quarter was halfway over.

For Ohio, the challenge in those opening minutes was not simply that Ohio State scored; it was how Ohio State scored. The Buckeyes didn’t ask Julian Sayin to do much early. They didn’t need him to. They were blowing open lanes on the ground, creating chaos on defense, and tilting the field on almost every snap. It quickly became obvious the matchup in the trenches was tilting toward a blowout.

Still, credit the Bobcats for trying to punch back. Already trailing 16–0, Ohio defensive coordinator De’Vonte’ Hines adjusted by sending more pressure on early downs, which helped them survive the remainder of the first quarter without further damage. But early in the second, the dam finally burst again when James Peoples powered in from a yard out to make it 23–0. Peoples, who has steadily carved out a bigger role ahead of Donaldson, ran with a different kind of confidence Saturday night.


Ohio State's ground game carried the day as the Buckeyes scored five rushing touchdowns, including two by James Peoples.

“That whole room is competing, and you can see it,” Day said. “James ran hard. Bo ran hard. CJ did what he always does. We feel like we’re starting to build some real depth there.”

The most deflating sequence for the Bobcats came midway through the second quarter. Trailing 23–0 but finally showing life, Navarro uncorked a pretty deep ball to Rodney Harris II for 43 yards, the Bobcat’s first legitimate spark. But on the very next play, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald exploded through the A-gap, hit Navarro cleanly, and swiped the ball loose. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. dove on it, and Ohio’s best chance to score disappeared instantly.

Two minutes later, Donaldson added his second touchdown of the game, a physical 10-yard run that pushed the lead to 37–0. At that point, the Buckeyes had outgained the Bobcats 311–74, and the only drama left was the final margin.

Ohio head coach Brian Smith still found positives in the first half, especially in the way Navarro handled relentless pressure.

“That’s one of the best defenses in the country, maybe the best,” Smith said. “Parker took some shots and kept standing in there. For our guys, playing in this atmosphere and competing the way they did in the second half, I’m proud of that.”

After halftime, the Buckeyes gave their starters one more full series, resulting in a 45-yard Jayden Fielding field goal. Once the first-team defense forced its final three-and-out, Day began clearing the bench, rotating in young linebackers, a full second-unit offensive line, and eventually backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz for Ohio’s final possessions.

Navarro finally broke through against the reserves late in the third quarter, finding Alfred Jordan Jr. on a three-yard rollout for the Bobcats’ first touchdown. Carpenter then entered and impressed in relief, completing all seven of his passes for 67 yards while navigating quicker reads than Ohio had managed earlier.

But if Ohio’s late surge provided encouragement for the program’s future, it didn’t change how thoroughly Ohio State dominated. The Buckeyes finished with six sacks, 2.5 from Curry, one from Jackson, and another from McDonald, and held Ohio to 10 rushing yards total. Navarro’s mobility gave them some creative options, but not enough protection to generate consistent success.


Caden Curry, who's finally in the spotlight, delivered in a major way with 2.5 sacks against Ohio.

For Ohio State, the defensive front looked like the unit Buckeye fans have been waiting to see: active, violent, disruptive, and swarming. And behind them, Caleb Downs once again played like the nation’s best safety, diagnosing everything and cleaning up anything that leaked through.

Offensively, Sayin had his quietest outing as a Buckeye, but that was by design. He finished 12-for-19 for 181 yards and showed poise while allowing the run game to dictate. Jeremiah Smith produced the game’s only true highlight-reel catch, a spectacular 40-yard diving grab that sent the stadium into a frenzy, but otherwise took a backseat to the ground attack, finishing with three catches for 80 yards.

Carnell Tate led the team with four receptions, and Brandon Inniss added steady work in his rotational snaps, but with the run game operating so cleanly, there was no need for the Buckeyes to test much vertically.

When it was over, the numbers told the story: 40 points, 350 yards of offense, just one penalty, and a defense that smothered anything Ohio attempted between the tackles.

“We wanted to play clean and physical, and I thought we did both,” Day said. “Now we get a week to reset before conference play. There’s a lot we can build on from this stretch.”

Smith echoed that sentiment from the opposite perspective.

“You measure yourself in games like this,” he said. “We learned a lot, especially about our poise and our young guys. We’ll take those lessons and get ready for MAC play.”

Ohio State now heads into its bye week 3–0, outscoring opponents 117–29, and beginning to resemble the balanced, ruthless team that won the national championship eight months ago. A road trip to Washington looms next, and the test will be far greater, but through three weeks, the Buckeyes look every bit like the No. 1 team in America.

Qtr	Time	Team	Result	Play	OHST	OHIO
1st	11:01		TD	CJ Donaldson, 35 Yd run	7	0
1st	9:45		SAF	Caden Curry Sack in End Zone	9	0
1st	6:00		TD	Bo Jackson, 4 Yd run	16	0
2nd	9:26		TD	James Peoples, 1 Yd run	23	0
2nd	7:40		TD	James Peoples, 42 Yd run	30	0
2nd	1:56		TD	CJ Donaldson, 10 Yd run	37	0
3rd	6:50		FG	Jayden Fielding, 44 Yd FG	40	0
3rd	0:49		TD	Alfred Jordan Jr. 3 Yd pass from Parker Navarro	40	7
4th	1:00		FG	David Dellenbach, 23 Yd FG	40	10

[redsox907]

you did the honorable thing not hanging a hundo on them

[YaBoyRobRoy]

dominant effort, you love to see it. The photography is top notch!