College football has once again returned to the virtual world in EA Sports College Football 26, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game.
The game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our Week 3 sim:
Ohio State 44 – Ohio 0
The simulation took a week off for the Grambling State game, as FCS teams are not in the game, but we are back in Week 3 with the virtual Buckeyes taking on the virtual Bobcats.
It was a slow first quarter for Ohio State, taking them until the 5:02 mark to get on the board. When they did, it was a 2-yard touchdown pass from Julian Sayin to Bryson Rodgers. That touchdown would mark the only points of the opening frame.
It was a much better second quarter for the Buckeyes, as Jeremiah Smith kicked things off with a 27-yard touchdown. A short while later, Jelani Thurman added on with a short touchdown catch of his own, and following a quick three-and-out for Ohio, Ohio State once again found the end zone on a 15-yard scrambling TD for Sayin.
With the home team now leading 28-0, Ryan Day made sure to get his kicker some action ahead of halftime. Jayden Fielding knocked through the 34-yard field goal to end the half, and Ohio State entered the break with a 31-0 lead.
CJ Donaldson opened up the second half with a 1-yard touchdown run to further extend the Buckeyes’ lead, and that was the end of the road for the starters. Ohio State would add only two more field goals the rest of the way, and the Buckeyes’ defense pitched yet another shutout in a 44-0 victory.
Key Contributors
Ohio State (Offense)
- Julian Sayin: 27-of-41, 301 yards, 2 TD (20 yards rushing, 1 TD)
- James Peoples: 81 yards rushing (6.2 YPC)
- CJ Donaldson: 25 yards rushing, 1 TD (2.3 YPC)
- Jeremiah Smith: 7 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD
- Max Klare: 7 catches, 73 yards
- Carnell Tate: 5 catches, 62 yards
Ohio State (Defense)
- Sonny Styles: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
- Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 3 tackles, 2 INTs
- Jaylen McClain: 3 tackles, 1 INT
- Beau Atkinson: 2 tackles, 2 sacks
- Eddrick Houston: 4 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
- Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 6 tackles, 2 PBU
Ohio (Offense)
- Parker Navarro: 9-for-28, 116 yards, 3 INT (30 yards rushing)
- Sieh Bangura: 68 yards rushing (4.5 YPC)
- Chase Hendricks: 3 catches, 59 yards
- Caleb Gossett: 3 catches, 28 yards
Ohio (Defense)
- Cam Hollobaugh: 10 tackles, 1 TFL
- Evan Herrmann: 6 tackles, 1 sack
- Rickey Hyatt Jr.: 7 tackles, 1 PBU
- Anas Luqman: 8 tackles, 1 TFL
Check back to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and see how they fare in our Week 5 simulation against Washington.
