After hitting the road for the first time this season, Ohio State will return home briefly to host Minnesota on Saturday before leaving Columbus for the following two games.
The Buckeyes are coming off a 24-6 win at Washington, where they shook off a slow start to secure an 18-point victory with a dominant second half against the Huskies.
Julian Sayin’s first road start went about as well as Buckeye Nation could have hoped for. Early on the offense wasn’t too imaginative, as it felt like Ryan Day and
Brian Hartline wanted to give the Ohio State quarterback time to get his feet wet in a hostile environment.
As the game went on, the offense opened up, which led to the Buckeyes pulling away from Washington. The combination of Sayin on offense to go along with outstanding performances by defensive linemen Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald was too much for the Huskies to handle.
With Washington behind them, next up for the Buckeyes are the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Ohio State has won 13 straight games over Minnesota, and 29 of their last 30 meetings with the Golden Gophers.
The last time Minnesota was able to defeat the Buckeyes was back in 2000 when they left Columbus with a 29-17 victory. The last time the programs met was towards the end of the 2023 regular season, with Ohio State blowing out the Golden Gophers 37-3 at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State’s offense is improving each week
In his first career road start, Julian Sayin completed 22 of his 28 pass attempts for 208 yards, finding the end zone twice through the air. The redshirt freshman has only missed on 21 of his 99 pass attempts this year, with his 78.8 completion percentage leading the nation.
Sayin looked cool, calm, and collected throughout the game as Ohio State snapped Washington’s 22-game home winning streak. Through four games, Sayin has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Last week’s game saw Bo Jackson receive the majority of the carries in the running game for the first time this season. The freshman was electric in victories over Grambling State and Ohio, rushing for over 100 yards in each of those games.
Even though Jackson didn’t hit the century mark on the ground against Washington, he was still impressive, finishing with 80 yards on 17 carries.
C.J. Donaldson was still a factor in short-yardage situations, rushing for his third touchdown on the season from two yards or less out. The West Virginia transfer now has 33 rushing touchdowns, which is the second-most among active running backs in college football, with only Nick Singleton’s 37 rushing touchdowns for Penn State ranking higher. Donaldson also added a receiving touchdown to cap off the scoring for the Buckeyes in the victory.
Another week, another strong performance from Jeremiah Smith. The sophomore tied Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the fastest Buckeye to 100 career receptions, with both receivers needing just 20 games to reach the mark. Smith finished the win over Washington with eight catches for 81 yards. The touchdown from Smith late in the second quarter got the Buckeyes on the scoreboard, giving them a 7-3 lead.
Smith was the focal point of the passing attack, as Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate each had three catches in the game, with both receivers failing to crack 40 yards receiving. Tate now has caught at least one pass in each of the 32 games he has appeared in during his Ohio State career.
A huge reason Julian Sayin and the Ohio State offense have been able to average over 30 points per game this season is because of the work of the offensive line, which has allowed just two sacks and five tackles for loss. Saturday night’s game will be especially important to starting right tackle Phillip Daniels, who spent two years at Minnesota before transferring to Ohio State during the offseason.
After redshirting in 2023, Daniels appeared in 12 games for the Golden Gophers last season, starting three contests.
The Buckeye defense has been ruthless
The stars of the game last week for Ohio State were undoubtedly defensive linemen Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald. Not only was Curry named Walter Camp Player of the Week, Maxwell Club Bednarik Player of the Week, and Big Ten Player of the Week, both Curry and McDonald were named FWAA Bronko Nagurski Players of the Week.
Curry finished with 11 tackles, five tackles for loss, and three sacks, while McDonald added seven tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. The Buckeyes are now 13-0 in games where Curry records at least one tackle for loss.
As a unit, the Ohio State defense has been the stingiest in the country when it comes to allowing points, giving up just 5.5 points per game. The 22 points the Buckeye defense has allowed through the first four games is their lowest since 1973 when they allowed just 13 points through the first four contests of the season.
The defense is also first in the country when it comes to red zone defense, giving up points just 29 percent of the time when their opponents enter the red zone.
Along with leading the team with eight tackles for loss and five sacks, Caden Curry is also tied for the team lead with 25 tackles. Joining Curry at the mark is linebacker Arvell Reese, who is having a breakout season under the tutelage of linebackers coach James Laurinaitis. Sonny Styles is the other starting linebacker for the Buckeyes, and the senior has recorded 20 tackles through Ohio State’s first four games.
What the pressure Curry, McDonald, and the rest of the defensive line have created has done is not allow opposing quarterbacks time to survey their options downfield when throwing the football, making life a lot easier for the secondary.
So far this season the Buckeyes have just two interceptions, recorded by safety Caleb Downs and cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. The 173 yards Washington passed for on Saturday were the most the Ohio State defense have allowed through their first four games.
Where Minnesota’s football program stands
Minnesota enters Saturday’s game coming off a 31-28 win over Rutgers, erasing an early 14-0 deficit to take the lead for good with just over six minutes left in the game. The 14-point comeback tied for the third-largest in program history.
With the victory, the Golden Gophers pushed their record to 3-1 on the season. Their only setback came on the road against Cal, falling to the Golden Bears 27-14.
Head coach P.J. Fleck is in his ninth season as head coach at Minnesota, marking the fifth-longest tenure in school history. The former Ohio State GA has posted a 61-40 record during his time in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers are coming off an 8-5 season in 2024, capped off by a 24-10 victory over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Along with struggling against Ohio State, Minnesota has also seen limited success against the top-ranked teams in the country. The Golden Gophers are just 3-14 in school history against number one ranked teams, with their last victory coming back in 1977 against Michigan.
This will be the seventh time Minnesota has faced Ohio State with the Buckeyes entering the game as the top-ranked team in college football.
The Golden Gophers love the Drake
Running the offense for the Golden Gophers will be redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey, who was just named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his performance against Rutgers.
Lindsey completed 31 of 41 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. The 31 completions were the fifth-most in program history. Through four games, Lindsey has thrown for 958 yards, seven touchdowns, and just two interceptions.
One issue the Minnesota offense has had is keeping their running backs healthy. After rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, as well as catching 54 passes, expectations were high for Taylor entering the season. Early on Taylor was living up to the hype, rushing for 161 yards before he was injured in the second game of the season, forcing him to miss the next two games.
Following the injury to Taylor, A.J. Turner was lost for the season after he was injured in the loss to Cal.
Last week Cam Davis was the starter at running back for Minnesota. After spending six years at Washington, Davis joined the program in the offseason via the transfer portal. During his time in Seattle, Davis ran for 1,093 yards and 15 touchdowns. Despite Davis starting the game, Fame Ijebol saw the bulk of the action at running back, carrying the football 12 times for 37 yards.
During Fleck’s time at Minnesota, it hasn’t really mattered who has lined up at running back for the Golden Gophers, as the majority of them have found success. Since 2021, eight different running backs have recorded at least one 100-yard game. During that span, those running backs have combined for 34 games in which they have crossed the century mark on the ground.
Hauling in the game-winning touchdown pass for Minnesota last week was Javon Tracy. The transfer from Miami (OH) is the team’s leader in receiving yards, piling up 204 yards through the first four games. Sitting behind Tracy is Le’Meke Brockington, who has 177 yards on a team-high 15 receptions. Jalen Smith has found the end zone twice through the air for the Golden Gophers, while Logan Loya is an experienced receiver after starting his career at UCLA.
When Lindsey looks to his tight ends, there are two names to be aware of. Jameson Geers has caught 10 passes, finding the end zone twice this year. Drew Biber has caught seven passes for 83 yards through four games, and is coming off a 41-yard game in last week’s victory against Rutgers.
Despite having new starters at each position of the offensive line, the group has plenty of experience. The five projected starters have combined to play in 182 games, starting 96 of those contests. Last year Greg Johnson started all 13 games at center, but has shifted to left guard to make way for Ashton Beers, who started six games at right guard last year, and three games at left guard. Left tackle Nathan Ray appeared in a couple games last year before making the first start of his career in the season-opener against Buffalo.
To round out the offensive line, Fleck dipped into the transfer portal. Sixth-year senior Marcellus Marshall came from UCF to start at right guard for the Golden Gophers. Starting next to Marshall at right tackle is Kentucky transfer Dylan Ray. As a group, the Minnesota offensive line has allowed seven sacks through the first four games of the season.
A glance at Minnesota’s defense
Much like Ohio State, Minnesota has also done a great job at harassing opposing quarterbacks this season. Following the victory over Rutgers where they had seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss, which were both high marks under P.J. Fleck, the Golden Gophers have 14 sacks so far this season.
Defensive end Anthony Smith has been the main source of pressure, recording six tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this year. Along with Smith, Jalen Logan-Redding and Deven Eastern will start on the interior of the defensive line, while Jaxon Howard will line up opposite Smith.
To compliment a rabid defensive line is a talented young secondary. Safety Koi Perich made a splash as a freshman last season, intercepting five passes. So far this season, Perich has 21 tackles and a sack. Cornerback Kerry Brown also had a memorable first season as a starter, recording 63 tackles and two interceptions. Safety John Nestor already has two interceptions on the season, and Za’Quan Bryan will man the other cornerback spot.
This week Minnesota is going to need their linebackers to continue their outstanding play. Devon Williams currently leads the team with 31 tackles. Last week Williams notched a career-high 13 tackles in the win over Rutgers. Pairing with Williams is Maverick Baranowski, who ranked second on the team in tackles last season.
This season Baranowski sits six stops behind Williams for the team lead. Ohio State will also have to be aware of where Matt Kingsbury is, as the Chicago native has already forced three fumbles this year.
Prediction
Even with numerous new starters on both sides of the football, Ohio State is still the best team in college football. Julian Sayin has seamlessly stepped in as starting quarterback, Bo Jackson is emerging as starting running back, and the Buckeye defense looks even nastier than last season.
The scary thing about this team is guys in the secondary like Caleb Downs and Davison Igbinosun have pretty much been able to coast through the first four games.
So far this season Ohio State has allowed any of their first four opponents to reach double figures in scoring. Quarterback Drake Lindsey is coming off the best game of his young career, but he is in for a rude awakening on Saturday. Caden Curry, Kayden McDonald, and the rest of the Buckeye defense are playing with loads of confidence.
As if that wasn’t enough, Ohio State will certainly be buzzing with the game being under the lights at Ohio Stadium.
Not to take away anything from P.J. Fleck and what he has built in Minneapolis, his team is just overmatched on Saturday. The Ohio State offensive line isn’t allowing the opposition to get into the backfield, which gives Sayin plenty of time to pick from the plethora of weapons he has at his disposal.
Even if we do see a bit of a slow start like in games against Ohio and Washington, the Buckeyes still have the talent and depth to win this by at least two touchdowns.
