The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Buckeyes Shuffle the Right Tackle as Phillip Daniels Sits With Hip Issue
By Zachary Anderson on November 22, 2025


Phillip Daniels was a game time decision and will not be playing against Rutgers.



Minutes before kickoff against Rutgers, Ohio State’s offensive line is getting a late, meaningful rewrite. Right tackle Phillip Daniels is out, sidelined by a hip issue that had lingered just enough through the week to keep it in the “we’ll see” category until it wasn’t.

In his place, sophomore Ian Moore will make the first start of his career, stepping into a spot that has been stable for the first ten games of a season Ohio State has spent controlling from the opening whistle.

Daniels, a Minnesota transfer brought in to add experience and calm, has done exactly that. He started every game to this point, logging 589 snaps and allowing two sacks while helping the Buckeyes keep their offense on schedule and their quarterback upright in a year where Ohio State has won in a lot of different ways. The job at tackle is usually loud only when it goes wrong; Daniels made it quiet.

Now it belongs to Moore, whose résumé is mostly promise. He’s played 60 snaps all season, often in the margins of games Ohio State had already bent to its will. This won’t be that. This is a noon kickoff in the Shoe with the Big Ten race still demanding perfection, and Rutgers is good enough to punish a single misstep if it turns into a chain of them.

Moore was a highly rated recruit, the kind Ohio State stacks for moments like this. But development is one thing; starting is another. Today, on the right edge, the Buckeyes will find out how quickly potential becomes trust.

 

[Soapy]

i thought kenyatta jackson was gonna be a monster coming out of high school, was part of that south florida edge class that had Shemar Stewart, Marvin Jones Jr and Nyjalik Kelly

they all kind of disappointed tbh, even with Stewart being a first round pick

[toysoldier00]

Ohio State 61, Rutgers 3: The Avalanche Came for the Scarlet Knights as Buckeyes Improve to 11-0
By Zachary Anderson on November 22, 2025


Julian Sayin had a career day, posting 405 yards in an onslaught against Rutgers



For a few minutes on Saturday afternoon, it looked like Rutgers had walked into Ohio Stadium with exactly the kind of script that can make even a heavy favorite glance at the scoreboard twice. The Scarlet Knights opened with a crisp 21-yard strike from Athan Kaliakmanis to Ian Strong, converted a pair of third downs, and stole points with a 49-yard field goal from Jai Patel that cut through the cool Columbus air like a statement: Rutgers didn’t come just to survive. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, a mistake by Brandon Inniss pinned Ohio State inside its own 15-yard line, the type of hidden-yardage hiccup that can feed an underdog’s confidence.

And then Ohio State did what it has done all year when something threatens to get awkward. It snapped the moment in half, took the game’s pulse, and sped it up until Rutgers couldn’t breathe.

On the very next play, Julian Sayin found Carnell Tate for 29 yards, a quick, clean connection that immediately reset the field. Two snaps later, Sayin hit Bo Jackson leaking out of the backfield for 22 more, and suddenly the Buckeyes were moving with the kind of tempo and certainty that makes defensive play callers reach for anything labeled “panic.” Ohio State finished the drive with Sayin doing it himself, a 13-yard touchdown scramble with 6:55 left in the first quarter that felt less like a designed run and more like a quarterback recognizing open space and taking the free gift. Just like that, the Buckeyes were up 7-3, and the early Rutgers dream had turned into a reality check.


Julian Sayin scored his first rushing touchdown of the season.

Two plays later, the game flipped from “interesting” to “you’re in trouble” in the most Ohio State way possible: defense, touchdown, and a stadium that could finally exhale. Kaliakmanis tried to fit a throw into a window that wasn’t really there, and Arvell Reese jumped it with the kind of timing that suggests he saw the route before it even developed. Reese didn’t just intercept it, he turned it into points, rumbling 28 yards for a pick-six that made it 14-3 and made Rutgers’ opening field goal feel like a memory from another day.

“That’s what we talk about all the time,” Ryan Day said afterward. “When you can create points on defense, it changes the math of the game. It changes the emotion of the game. And our guys feed off it.”

Rutgers, to its credit, didn’t immediately fold. In fact, the Scarlet Knights produced their one other drive that made the game resemble something competitive. Kaliakmanis hit tight end Colin Weber for 17 yards to get to the Ohio State 1-yard line on the first play of the second quarter, and for a moment, the possibility existed: score here, make it 14-10, and maybe the rest of the afternoon feels a little tighter.

But Rutgers ran into the part of Ohio State that has swallowed opponents whole in 2025. The Buckeyes forced two straight negative runs, then two incompletions, and turned fourth-and-goal into a goal-line stand that felt like a message sent in bold font. Rutgers had driven the length emotionally; Ohio State erased it physically.

“I thought we came out with good energy early,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “But when you get down there, you have to come away with seven. Against a team like that, you don’t get many chances. We didn’t capitalize, and then it snowballed.”

Snowball is the right word, because what followed was a 97-yard Ohio State response that didn’t just erase the stop, it punished it. Twelve plays, composed, efficient, and relentless, ending with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Max Klare with 5:30 left in the second quarter. It was the kind of drive that breaks opponents in quiet ways: not with a single explosive play, but with the repeated realization that the field is too long and the margin for error is too thin.


Max Klare scored his sixth touchdown of the season in the second quarter.

The rest of the half became a blur for Rutgers and a showcase for Ohio State’s ability to stack points in waves. After forcing a punt, the Buckeyes ran a successful two-minute drill and found the end zone again with 1:11 left, this time on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Jeremiah Smith. Smith, already one of the most feared playmakers in the conference, found space, and Sayin put the ball in the only place it could go.

Then Rutgers mismanaged the closing seconds, and Ohio State did what elite teams do with extra possessions: it took the free points. The Buckeyes tacked on a field goal just before halftime to take a 31-3 lead into the break, a scoreline that felt almost cruel considering the game had started with Rutgers landing the first punch.

If there was any lingering hope that the second half might at least provide Rutgers something to build on, Ohio State erased it almost immediately. On the third play after halftime, Sayin hit Inniss on a short crosser, nothing fancy, just a ball delivered on time. The rest was demolition. Jeremiah Smith, already having a monster day as a receiver, turned into a battering ram as a blocker downfield, and Inniss burst free down the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown that made it 38-3 and turned the stadium into a celebration again.


Brandon Inniss' 66-yard third quarter touchdown was his fifth of the season.

From there, it wasn’t just a win. It was a takeover. Ohio State kicked a pair of field goals on its next two drives, and Rutgers unraveled completely with turnovers that kept handing the Buckeyes short fields and quick chances. Sonny Styles grabbed an interception. Caden Curry forced a fumble and recovered it. With 38 seconds left in the third quarter, Bo Jackson punched in a 1-yard touchdown run that made it 51-3, a score that looked like something you’d see in September against a paid opponent, not in late November against a conference foe still chasing bowl eligibility.

The fourth quarter brought the expected rotation, but not much mercy. Lincoln Kienholz, in relief, delivered his second touchdown pass of the season, a 47-yard strike to Jeremiah Smith with 7:41 left, because even Ohio State’s backups understand the assignment: keep the standard, keep the pace, keep the pressure. The Buckeyes added a late field goal for punctuation and walked off with a 61-3 win that will live in the season’s highlight reel as one of the most thorough Big Ten beatdowns anyone has delivered all year.

The numbers looked like something from a video game. Ohio State piled up 626 yards of total offense, its best mark of the season, while Rutgers managed just 184. The Buckeyes finished with 30 first downs to Rutgers’ 10 and averaged 8.9 yards per play on 70 snaps. Rutgers averaged 3.7 yards per play on 50 snaps. Ohio State went 10-for-13 on third down; Rutgers went 4-for-12. The Buckeyes threw for 511 yards, leaning heavily on the passing game with 44 throws to 26 rushes, and it never looked forced, just efficient, repeated success.


Jeremiah Smith got his, going for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions.

Sayin delivered a career-high performance, finishing 29-of-38 for 405 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also added the 13-yard touchdown scramble that set the tone early and, notably, marked the first rushing touchdown of his career. The bigger milestone came quietly inside the chaos: Sayin crossed 3,000 passing yards on the season, leaving the stadium with 3,050 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions.

“He’s growing,” Day said. “You see it every week. He’s making decisions faster, he’s seeing things cleaner, and when he’s decisive, we’re hard to stop.”

Bo Jackson led the ground game with 50 yards on 15 carries and the short touchdown, while James Peoples added 41 yards on eight carries. Jackson also chipped in 39 yards on three receptions, and the passing game spread the damage across the roster like a coordinated attack.

Jeremiah Smith was the centerpiece, posting 170 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions, and his impact wasn’t just statistical, his blocking sprang Inniss for the 66-yard score that broke the game open. Inniss delivered his own huge day with 121 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Klare finished with 57 yards and a touchdown on five receptions, Tate contributed 54 yards on three catches, and Ohio State’s skill group looked like what it has been all season: deep enough to bury you with options.


Arvell Reese had another stand out game, as he builds his All American case, he added a pick-six.

Reese, the man who turned the first quarter into a runaway, finished with six tackles, a tackle for loss, and the interception that he returned for a touchdown.

For Rutgers, Kaliakmanis went 14-of-26 for 136 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions before AJ Surace took the fourth quarter snaps and finished 3-of-5 for 16 yards. Rutgers’ run game never found air; Antwan Raymond had 12 yards on 10 carries, and CJ Campbell Jr. posted 21 yards on six attempts. DT Sheffield led the receivers with 48 yards on four catches, Weber had 33 yards on four grabs, and Strong finished with 36 yards on three receptions. Safety Jett Elad was one of the few Rutgers players who could claim a standout day, recording eight tackles and intercepting Sayin in the third quarter.

Ohio State also got key secondary storylines that mattered heading into the season’s biggest week. With starting right tackle Phillip Daniels out, Ian Moore made his first career start and, by the numbers and the eye test, looked ready for it, allowing zero pressures and zero sacks while earning an 84 grade from PFF. Caleb Downs handled punt return duties instead of Inniss, fair catching all five punts he fielded in a subtle but clear sign that Ohio State is tightening details before the rivalry game. Joshua Mickens, back from injury, returned to the rotation for five snaps.


The Buckeyes defense was smothering, blanking Rutgers in the final 54 minutes of the game.

Schiano acknowledged the avalanche for what it was. “They’re the best team in the country for a reason,” he said. “They can score fast, they can score on defense, and if you let them get rolling, it’s hard to get them off schedule. We didn’t do enough early to keep it close.”

Ohio State did more than get rolling. It started with a shaky field position moment and turned it into a reminder that this 2025 team doesn’t just beat opponents, it overwhelms them when the openings appear. And now the Buckeyes leave this one with exactly what they wanted: an emphatic tune-up, a quarterback playing his best football, and a defense that still treats every possession like a chance to change the game.

Next comes Ann Arbor, the kind of game that doesn’t care what you did last week, only what you can do when everything gets tight. But after watching Ohio State turn a sleepy start into a 58-point win, it’s hard not to feel like the Buckeyes are arriving at that moment with momentum, clarity, and the kind of confidence that only comes from repeatedly turning small cracks into full collapses.

Qtr	Time	Team	Result	Play	OHST	RUT
1st	9:24		FG	Jai Patel, 49 Yd FG	0	3
1st	6:49		TD	Julian Sayin, 13 Yd run	7	3
1st	5:38		TD	Arvell Reese, returned interception 28 Yds	14	3
2nd	5:24		TD	Max Klare, 23 Yd pass from Julian Sayin	21	3
2nd	1:05		TD	Jeremiah Smith, 20 Yd pass from Julian Sayin	28	3
2nd	0:01		FG	Jayden Fielding, 36 Yd FG	31	3
3rd	11:39		TD	Brandon Inniss, 66 Yd pass from Julian Sayin	38	3
3rd	7:24		FG	Jayden Fielding, 25 Yd FG	41	3
3rd	5:11		FG	Jayden Fielding, 32 Yd FG	44	3
3rd	0:35		TD	Bo Jackson, 1 Yd run	51	3
4th	7:33		TD	Jeremiah Smith, 47 Yd pass from Lincoln Kienholz	58	3
4th	0:01		FG	Jayden Fielding, 21 Yd FG	61	3

[Captain Canada]

Brother, they had a family

[Count]

all the stars went off that game. Huge games from Jeremiah and Reese

[Soapy]

they left with 3 points at least

[toysoldier00]

Week 13 Recap: Rivalry Week Looms as Oregon Survives USC, Oklahoma Rolls and Chaos Reappears in the Margin

Marissa Bleday
November 23, 2025


Week 13 didn’t deliver the kind of nationwide shakeup that flips the entire playoff picture upside down, but it did the next best thing: it clarified the contenders who can survive stress, and exposed the ones who can’t. Oregon earned the signature win it had been missing, Oklahoma kept stacking proof that its ceiling is real, and a handful of results elsewhere reminded everyone that late November doesn’t care about your résumé if you can’t protect the football or finish drives.

#12 USC Trojans 34 at #6 Oregon Ducks 37
The headliner came in Eugene, where Oregon and USC turned a marquee Big Ten matchup into a two-overtime grinder that felt like a referendum on both teams. The Ducks escaped 37-34 in double overtime, finally landing the kind of win the committee can point to without squinting. It wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t comfortable, but it was the kind of night that matters in November.

USC arrived as a real underdog and played like one. Trailing 21-14 at halftime, the Trojans kept punching back, leaning on Jayden Maiava’s arm and a passing game that refused to go away. With 5:17 left in regulation, Maiava found Lake McRee on an 8-yard touchdown that gave USC a late lead and, for a moment, the feeling that Lincoln Riley might be about to steal the season’s defining road win. Instead, Oregon steadied itself.

The Ducks drove into field-goal range in the final minute and forced overtime, then survived the exchange of blows long enough to let its young star deliver the last one.

In double overtime, USC had to settle for a field goal. Oregon didn’t. On third-and-goal from the 2, true freshman running back Dierre Hill Jr. slammed in the walk-off touchdown, the kind of finish that gets replayed for weeks and remembered for years if it ends up being the difference between watching Selection Sunday and sweating it.

“It’s November football,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “You’re going to get tested. The question is whether you respond or flinch. Our guys didn’t flinch.”

Dante Moore’s night was equal parts brilliance and chaos: 31-of-46 for 340 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, plus 49 rushing yards as USC forced him to live in uncomfortable downs. Tight end Kenyon Sadiq was his security blanket, hauling in 10 catches for 107 yards and a score, while Matayo Uiagalelei (2.5 sacks) kept Oregon’s defense disruptive even when USC was moving the ball.

On the other side, Maiava threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns on 33-of-42 passing, but two interceptions proved costly in a game where every mistake had a receipt. With the win, Oregon moved one step from locking up a playoff spot, needing just a win over Washington next week to finish the regular season with momentum and substance.

USC, now 8-3, walked off the field effectively eliminated from both the Big Ten title race and the CFP conversation, a harsh but familiar reality in a season defined by “close, but not enough.”

#23 Missouri Tigers 9 at #7 Oklahoma Sooners 41
While Oregon and USC traded haymakers, Oklahoma authored the week’s most decisive statement by turning a ranked opponent into a non-factor. The Sooners hammered Missouri 41-9, and the game was essentially over by halftime. Missouri managed a brief pulse, earning a safety late in the first quarter to trail 14-9 heading into the second, but Oklahoma responded with a 21-point quarter that snapped the Tigers in two. Missouri finished with three turnovers and went 4-of-15 on third down, the kind of numbers that don’t just lose games, they erase any chance of competing.

“We played our brand,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “Physical, disciplined, and we made them earn everything. When you do that, the game starts to tilt.”

John Mateer didn’t need fireworks to control it: 19-of-26 for 222 yards and two touchdowns, efficient and unbothered. The real dagger came on the ground, where Jaydn Ott ripped through Missouri’s front for 117 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns, turning short possessions into long ones and forcing Missouri into a script it didn’t want.

Beau Pribula struggled (17-of-30, 152 yards, two interceptions) before exiting in the third quarter, and backup Sam Horn was swallowed up even worse (5-of-13, 46 yards, interception). Ahmad Hardy’s 73 rushing yards and a touchdown were respectable, but the game state never allowed him to become the engine Missouri needed. For Oklahoma, it was another week of looking like the kind of team no one wants to draw in December.

#13 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 24 at Pitt Panthers 22
The day’s sharpest upset arrived in Pittsburgh, where the Panthers clipped No. 13 Georgia Tech 24-22 and threw a wrench into the ACC race. True freshman Mason Heintschel looked far beyond his years, throwing for 249 yards and a touchdown while managing the game’s biggest moments. Desmond Reid added 71 yards and a rushing score, and Raphael Williams Jr. ripped open Tech’s secondary for 138 yards on nine catches.

But the headline belonged to linebacker Rasheem Biles, whose 3.5 sacks wrecked Georgia Tech’s rhythm and repeatedly stalled drives before they could become points. The Yellow Jackets made it interesting with 10 fourth-quarter points, but couldn’t get into position for a final answer, a damaging loss that hit both the standings and the confidence.

#19 Illinois Fighting Illini 28 at Wisconsin Badgers 42
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Wisconsin delivered the kind of upset that feels impossible until it’s already happened, stunning No. 19 Illinois 42-28. The Badgers, sitting at 3-7 entering the weekend, played their most complete game of the conference season and erupted for 22 points in the third quarter, flipping the game with a burst Illinois never recovered from. Billy Edwards Jr. was in command, throwing for 336 yards and four touchdowns in a performance that will be remembered as one of the strangest “where did that come from?” moments of the year.

#11 BYU Cougars 42 at Cincinnati Bearcats 7
In the Big 12, BYU looked like a team that has figured itself out late, steamrolling Cincinnati 42-7 and setting the stage for a potential rematch with Texas Tech in the conference title game. The Cougars have taken their post-loss season and turned it into something cohesive, dangerous, and increasingly confident.

TCU Horned Frogs 42 at Houston Cougars 17
And in a game that will sting well beyond this weekend, TCU ended Houston’s dreams with a 42-17 win in Houston. The Cougars entered at 8-2 and were still within striking distance, trailing just 21-17 in the fourth quarter, before TCU poured it on late. Josh Hoover threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-47, and Houston’s path narrowed from “control your destiny” to “what could have been.”

North Texas 24 at Rice Owls 23
In the American, North Texas kept its hopes alive the hard way, surviving a 24-23 win at Rice to stay in the hunt, the kind of tight, anxious victory that doesn’t look pretty but counts exactly the same in late November.

Now, with Week 13 in the books, the sport turns its eyes to the next pressure test: rivalry week, when style points are irrelevant and survival is everything. Oregon got the win it needed, Oklahoma kept roaring, and the rest of the country was reminded that the season doesn’t end when you get exposed, it ends when you run out of time to recover.

[toysoldier00]

i thought kenyatta jackson was gonna be a monster coming out of high school, was part of that south florida edge class that had Shemar Stewart, Marvin Jones Jr and Nyjalik Kelly

they all kind of disappointed tbh, even with Stewart being a first round pick

Kenyatta went back for a 5th year, and it wouldn't surprise me if he had a break out season and ended up being a 2nd/3rd round pick tbh

Brother, they had a family

sounds like a them problem

all the stars went off that game. Huge games from Jeremiah and Reese

Yep, team is absolutely rounding into form ahead of the biggest games of the season

they left with 3 points at least

yep, I'm sure they felt great when it was 3-0 lol.

[toysoldier00]

Arvell Reese Repeats as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week After Pick-Six vs. Rutgers
By Zachary Anderson on November 23, 2025


Arvell Reese has played himself into Top 5 overall consideration with his play.



Arvell Reese is stacking hardware the same way Ohio State’s defense has stacked opponents this season: quickly, decisively, and with an edge that makes the whole thing feel inevitable. The Big Ten named Reese its Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday after his latest tone-setting performance in Ohio State’s 61-3 demolition of Rutgers, marking the second straight week the Buckeyes linebacker has earned the conference honor.

Reese finished Saturday’s win with six tackles, one tackle for loss, and the play that effectively ended competitive football before Rutgers had time to settle into the game plan: a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the first quarter. After Rutgers opened with a field goal and briefly looked like it might have something for the No. 1 Buckeyes, Reese turned a routine passing look into a nightmare, stepping in front of Athan Kaliakmanis’ throw and taking it back to the house to make it 14-3.

It was the latest example of what has become Reese’s calling card in 2025, the ability to erase momentum and flip games with one snap. Ohio State has plenty of stars on that side of the ball, but Reese has been the consistent heartbeat, the player who seems to appear wherever the ball is headed and arrive with bad intentions.

“Arvell’s a complete linebacker,” Ryan Day said after the Rutgers win. “He plays with great instincts, he’s physical, he affects the quarterback, and he makes plays on the ball. When you have a guy who can do all of that, it changes what you can call defensively.”

Reese’s season résumé is beginning to read like an awards ballot. Through 11 games, he has 71 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and now a defensive touchdown, all while logging 634 snaps as the centerpiece of the nation’s most suffocating defense.

The weekly awards are nice, but Reese is building something bigger than that. With his combination of range, violence at the point of attack and legitimate coverage production, he’s playing himself into the kind of rarified air Ohio State defenders chase: All-American status and first-round certainty. At this rate, he doesn’t just look like an All-American, he looks like a lock to be one, and a legitimate top-10 pick in next April’s NFL draft.

Two straight Defensive Player of the Week awards won’t be the last line on Reese’s 2025 story. But they’re a pretty good snapshot of what he’s become: Ohio State’s most reliable game-wrecker, and one of college football’s most complete defenders.

[Count]

Reese is just racking up the DPOY awards now