Ohio State have found themselves in an unfamiliar position.
After suffering a 41-28 loss to Oregon last week, the Buckeyes have now lost back-to-back regular season games for first time since the 2011 season.
With the loss to the Ducks, Ohio State will have a hard time making the College Football Playoff.
The state of the Buckeyes
The only hope the Buckeyes have of making the CFP for a third straight season is to win their final three regular season games and then win the Big Ten Championship Game, if they even happen to qualify
for next month’s game in Indianapolis.
Currently Ohio State is one of six teams tied for third with two conference losses, sitting behind UCLA and Indiana in the standings.
The Buckeyes started off last week’s game hot, building a 14-0 lead thanks to two rushing touchdowns from Bo Jackson before Oregon reeled off 38 unanswered points to take control of the game. With Ohio State heading into the locker room at halftime trailing 17-14 and the deficit growing in the second half, Luke Fahey was forced to throw 50 passes in his second consecutive start at quarterback.
Now Ohio State will look to snap their slide on Saturday when they host Northwestern. The Buckeyes are 66-14-1 all-time against the Wildcats, having won 35 of the last 36 games in the series, and 11 straight meetings.
Ryan Day is 4-0 against Northwestern during his tenure as Ohio State’s head coach. One of those wins came in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game. The last time the teams met was in 2024 at Wrigley Field, with the Buckeyes winning 31-7.
With a win on Saturday, Ryan Day’s record in Big Ten games will improve to 60-7. In conference games at home under Day, Ohio State is 30-3.
The Buckeyes are 24-5 in games in November with Day as their head coach, and 14-3 at home in the month. The 48 wins Ohio State have at home since the start of the 2019 season are tied for the most in the country during that span.
Searching for answers on offense
Earlier this week it was announced that Luke Fahey would be starting quarterback for the Buckeyes for a third straight game.
Last week Fahey finished with 360 passing yards in the loss to Oregon, which is the most by an Ohio State true freshman quarterback in a game. The 360 yards through the air are also the most by a true freshman quarterback in the FBS so far this season.
Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, the reason Fahey completed 36 passes and threw for so many yards is because Ohio State was forced to pass the ball after falling behind by multiple scores in the second half.
After rushing the football 43 times for over 200 yards the previous week against USC, the Buckeyes only were able to muster 53 yards on 21 carries last week.
Bo Jackson saw the bulk of the work when the Buckeyes decided to run the football last week, finishing with 48 yards on 11 carries, finding the end zone twice in the first half. Jackson was also used as a safety valve for Lahey in the passing game, hauling in seven passes for 42 yards against Oregon.
For the season, Jackson has rushed for 685 yards and six touchdowns, while adding 20 catches for 145 yards and a score.
Jeremiah Smith continues to be the star of the Ohio State offense. By finishing with 133 yards on seven catches last week, and eclipsing 100 yards for the 16th time in his career, Smith broke a tie with Marvin Harrison Jr. for most 100-yard receiving games as a Buckeye.
The next time Smith reaches 100 yards receiving in a game he’ll tie Purdue’s David Bell and Braylon Edwards of Michigan for the most by a Big Ten receiver.
Another Big Ten record Smith is on the verge of breaking is the career receiving yardage record. The junior enters this week with 3,758 career receiving yards, leaving him 31 yards away for passing Purdue’s John Standeford. Through nine games this season, Smith has hauled in 69 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Despite the massive numbers Smith has put up this year, it’s obvious he was frustrated last week. After looking like a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy this year, it’s now up in the air if Smith will be invited to New York since Ohio State has lost touch with the playoff race after the injury to quarterback Julian Sayin. A strong close to the regular season would help Smith stay in the thick of the race for the prestigious trophy.
One Ohio State receiver who was on the same page with Fahey last week was Devin McCuin. The UTSA transfer finished with nine catches for 84 yards. The nine receptions were a season-high for McCuin, bringing his season total to 29 catches, which are the second-most by a Buckeye receiver this year.
Tight end Nate Roberts had hauled in three passes for 26 yards in the game, scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Roberts’ third touchdown of the year broke a tie with McCuin and Chris Henry Jr. for second-most receiving touchdowns on the team this year behind Smith.
Roberts enters this week with 14 catches for 204 yards in 2026.
A defense that is looking to bounce back
Ohio State’s defense has really struggled over the past two games, giving up a combined 71 points to USC and Oregon. By comparison, through nine games last season the Buckeyes gave up a total of 65 points. This year’s defense is allowing 18.3 points per game and opponents to gain 287 yards per contest.
The strongest area of the Ohio State defense this year has been in their run defense. The Buckeyes currently rank 15th in the nation, allowing 97.1 yards per game on the ground.
The pass defense has been solid, ranking 35th among FBS teams, giving up 189.9 yards per game. The most passing yards Ohio State has given up in a game this year came against Indiana when Josh Hoover finished with 296 yards through the air.
Where the Buckeyes have struggled mightily this year is with their lack of a pass rush. Over the last three games Ohio State has totaled just two sacks. For the season the defense has registered 11 sacks, with the most in a game coming against Illinois when they had three sacks.
The defensive lineman who has generated the most pressure this season has been Kenyatta Jackson Jr., who leads the team with three sacks. Alabama transfer Qua Russaw has started five games at defensive end this season and has 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack in 2026.
Epi Sitanilei is the only other defensive lineman with at least one sack on the season, and that came in the season opener against Ball State.
Clogging up the middle of the defensive line this year have been Eddrick Houston and John Walker, who have seen the majority of the starts on the interior of the line. Also factoring into the rotation throughout the season have been Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr. Houston has 23 tackles and 3.5 TFLs through nine games.
Starting at linebacker throughout the season for Ohio State have been Payton Pierce and Christian Alliegro, with Riley Pettijohn and TJ Alford also seeing plenty of time on the field. Pierce is second on the team with 47 tackles. Pettijohn has been the most dynamic linebacker in the group, registering 4.5 tackles for loss, a couple sacks, an interception, and 28 tackles.
Joining Pierce as a starter is Alliegro, who is a transfer for Wisconsin. This year Alliegro has 31 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss to go along with a fumble recovery. Alford has similar numbers, entering this week’s game with 26 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
Even though the group doesn’t have a superstar, linebackers coach James Laurinaitis has his players ready to play each week.
Ohio State’s secondary has had an up-and-down season.
When Jay Timmons has been on the field the group has been outstanding. While Timmons has been injury the play has been more inconsistent. Timmons returned to the lineup last week after missing the USC game.
When he has been able to play, the true freshman has 20 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Leading the team in tackles this year is safety Earl Little Jr., who has 54 stops. Along with his tackle numbers, Little has two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and five pass breakups. Joining Little at safety is Jaylen McClain, who is in his second full season as starter at the position.
McClain has half of the four interceptions the Buckeyes have grabbed this year to go along with 41 tackles.
While Timmons typically lines up at the nickel position when he is healthy, Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez are the primary cornerbacks for the Ohio State defense.
Sanchez has been picked on by opposing quarterbacks throughout the year and responded with six pass breakups. Mathews also has six PBUs and gets into the backfield at time, registering 3.5 tackles for loss.
Where the Wildcats stand
Northwestern also enters this week’s game riding a two-game losing streak, having lost back-to-back games to Oregon and Iowa.
Prior to the losses, the Wildcats were having a dream season. Not only did they open their new stadium earlier this year, Northwestern was also enjoying one of the best starts to a season in school history. Before their recent slide, the only loss for the Wildcats came at Indiana in late September.
Leading Northwestern is David Braun, who is in his fourth season as head coach after taking over for Pat Fitzgerald after the legendary former Wildcat linebacker was fired following a hazing scandal just prior to the start of the 2023 season.
Braun has amassed a 25-22 record in his role as head coach, including a 2-0 record in bowl games. Last season Northwestern beat Central Michigan 34-7 in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
How Northwestern operates on offense
Conducting the offense for the Wildcats is former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who spent 2024 in Columbus calling the plays for the Buckeyes.
With Kelly’s influence, Ohio State went on to win the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Following the triumph, Kelly accepted the offensive coordinator position with the Las Vegas Raiders before he was fired during the 2025 season.
One of the most entertaining quarterbacks to watch this season has been Aidan Chiles, who is now playing for his third school. After following head coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to Michigan State, Chiles transferred to Northwestern after last season following the firing of Smith.
Last week Chiles missed the game against Iowa, leaving Nicco Marchiol to take the snaps against the Hawkeyes. In the eight games he has started Chiles has thrown for 1,898 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also finding the end zone 10 times on the ground. The 13 touchdown passes tie Chiles’ career high from the 2024 season.
Head coach David Braun has already announced Chiles will miss his second straight start this week. After spending four years at West Virginia, Nicco Marchiol transferred to Northwestern in the offseason.
Prior to last week’s start Marchiol had only thrown one pass for the Wildcats in 2026. In the loss to Iowa, Marchiol completed 24 of his 32 pass attempts for 181 yards and a touchdown. Marchiol led the team with 52 yards rushing against the Hawkeyes.
Northwestern’s leading rusher this season is Caleb Komolafe. The junior running back from Texas has 643 yards and five touchdowns. Komolafe has had two massive performances this year, rushing for a career-high 188 yards against Penn State. A few weeks ago Komolafe churned up 150 yards in the win over Rutgers. Against a tough Iowa defense last week Komolafe only totaled 25 yards on seven carries.
Northwestern’s most versatile running back is Joseph Himon II. Along with rushing for 411 yards on just 49 carries this season, Himon has four touchdown catches. To go along with the 188 yards Kolomafe ran for against Penn State, Himon added 162 yards in the win over the Nittany Lions.
The senior is just 76 yards from topping his career-high season rushing total, which he set last season.
The prime target for Northwestern when they throw the football is Griffin Wilde. After starting his college career at South Dakota State, Wilde transferred to Northwestern after the 2024 season. Wilde immediately had an impact for the Wildcats, catching 71 passes for 880 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Now in his senior season, Wilde enters this week with 49 catches for 813 yards and five scores.
The other wide receiver who is frequently targeted by Northwestern quarterbacks is Drew Wagner. Now in his junior season, Wagner has 32 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Wagner has already bested his reception and yardage totals from last year when he grabbed 22 passes for 172 yards.
Three other Wildcat receivers have at least 10 receptions this year. Tight end Luke Dehnicke has hauled in 19 passes for 303 yards. Fellow tight end Alex Honing is a threat in the red zone, scoring on a fifth of his 15 receptions this season. Wide receiver Hayden Eligon II has added 11 catches.
Breaking down the defense of the Wildcats
Now in his third season as defensive coordinator, Tim McGarigle has done a great job with the Northwestern defense. The loss to Oregon was the first time this season the Wildcats allowed 30 points this season. What makes the group so strong is their ability to create turnovers. Northwestern is +12 in turnover margin on the season.
The leader of the defense is Braydon Brus. The linebacker has 75 tackles, with 13.5 coming behind the line of scrimmage. Brus has recorded four sacks, recovered two fumbles, forced a fumble, and intercepted a pass. The senior is close to eclipsing the 81 tackles he recorded last year.
Joining the linebacker group this year for the Wildcats is Kobe McKinzie, who previously spent three seasons at Oklahoma. McKinzie has 63 tackles and two sacks this year. Brus and McKinzie are the two primary linebackers used by Northwestern.
Quarterback Luke Fahey will have to be aware of where Robert Fitzgerald is at the all times. The defensive back has three interceptions in 2026 to go along with 56 tackles. The output this year follows up a stellar 2025 season when the safety had 114 tackles. Teaming with Fitzgerald at safety is Damon Walters, who has 43 tackles entering this week’s game.
The cornerback spots will be manned by Ore Adeyi and Montae Pate. Adeyi a senior who does a great job getting his hands on passes, breaking up nine passes so far this season. Pate is in his first season at Nirthwestern after spending time at Weber State. The senior transfer has 41 stops and a pick in 2026. Braden Turner and Jon Jon Stevens Jr. will also likely see plenty of time trying to help the secondary slow down Jeremiah Smith.
Michael Kilbane is Northwestern’s most productive defensive end. Kilbane has 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the season, as well as three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. At the other defensive end spot, Jamaal Johnson started his career at UCF before transferring.
Dominic Kirks is a Cleveland native and spent two years at Ohio State before leaving after last season. Brendan Flakes and Tyler Gant are the primary defensive tackles.
Prediction
How will Ohio State respond to back-to-back losses? This marks the first time since the 2011 season the Buckeyes have lost two consecutive regular season games. Can Ohio State keep their very slim hopes of a College Football Playoff spot alive?
Northwestern has their own issues they are dealing with. The Wildcats have also lost two games in a row and will be starting a backup quarterback Aidan Chiles has already been ruled out for a second straight game because of an injury. As if playing without Chiles last week wasn’t a big enough blow, they had to take go up against a nasty Iowa defense.
The key for Ohio State will be to not turn the football over. Northwestern is +12 in turnover margin on the season. The Buckeyes have to value the football on Saturday. If they win the turnover battle they’ll likely win the game.
This feels like the game Ohio State mixes things up a bit. Stop playing so tight. Let their athletic advantage over the Wildcats show. Positive early play should help them get a rhythm and pull away from Northwestern to stop their slide.
