When these teams last met on September 18, 2010, things got pretty heated.
The antics started pre-game, when Rufus the Bobcat decided to set the tone by tackling Brutus Buckeye not once during the playing of the Ohio State fight song, but twice, resulting in an ensuing brawl between the two fuzzy embodiments of the football teams.
Unfortunately for the Bobbies, Rufus’ moxie didn’t make an impact, as the Buckeyes would get their revenge for Brutus immediately with an interception on the third play of the game and score 34 unanswered first-half points before winning by a final score of 43-7.
Ohio State, playfully, made reference to the incident in this week’s game notes, with this week marking the 15th anniversary of the Punch Heard ‘Round Ohio:
“There was mascot mayhem the last time Ohio State and Ohio met… Brutus refrained from commenting, as it always does, but both mascots stayed on the sidelines and did mascot stuff the rest of the game.”
This time around we expect the action to unfold on the field between the players.
Coming off an electric home win over Big 12 visitor West Virginia Mountaineers last week, the Bobcats (1-1) will take a short ride northwest this week from Athens, Ohio to face the No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes under the primetime lights.
It is safe to say nothing will come easy for the ‘Cats in this one, as they tangle with the top team in the land. Yet, any college football player would be psyched about a chance to run out of the tunnel to strap it up on OSU’s legendary field, affectionately known as “The Shoe.”
The Buckeyes look to the contest as building toward another playoff run with a chance to defend their title as 2024 National Champions.
We take a snapshot of where each squad is heading into the contest, starting with the visitors.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday September 13th, 2025 at 7 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Ohio Stadium, also known as “The Shoe”, in Columbus, Ohio
- TV network options: The game is set to be aired exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s all-purpose streaming service. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
- Radio options: The Ohio State call is Paul Keels (play-by-play) and Jim Lachey (analyst) for WBNS-AM 1460 and FM 97.1 The Fan, while Marty Bannister (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (analyst) will provide the Ohio call for WXTQ-FM 105.5 and the Varsity Network.
- Gambling considerations: Ohio State are 32.5 point favorites, with an over/under of 52.5 points, per FanDuel.
- All-Time Series: Ohio State leads the all-time series 6-0, beating Ohio 43-7 in 2010 the last time the two teams met. OSU is 38-1 all-time against the MAC, not having a lost a game to a MAC institution since 1894 to Butchel College (now Akron.)
- Special Event: There will be a combined halftime show featuring The Ohio State University Marching Band and the Bobcats’ Marching 110. These two bands are some of the most famous college bands in the circuit, which should make for an excellent show.
About the Ohio Bobcats
The ‘Cats finished 2024 with 11 wins for the first in program history, ranking 31st in the final Coaches Poll— but an offseason of change of head coach, four new starters on offensive line, and an all-new front six on defense left a question for fans about how well the ‘Cats might fare beginning 2025.
It’s still early, but the team has emphatically answered through its play against Autonomous (or Power) opponents that the program’s culture is as good or better than ever, and the arrow is pointing up in 2025.
Ohio dropped a close one on the road in Week 1 to a resurgent Rutgers squad in a 34-31 loss where they felt like they could have won. Last week, in front of a record home crowd, Ohio defended Frank Solich Field by beating the Big 12’s West Virginia, 17-10, in the process spoiling the honeymoon of re-debutante West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Ohio, under defensive coordinator John Hauser’s guidance, is often capable of playing elite football. Obviously the Buckeyes all-star roster is a different level of competition, but the takeaway here is how well the ‘Cats can play the run without giving up a huge number of explosive pass plays.
Last week, West Virginia, a run-first offense under Rodriguez, gained only 2.6 yards per carry and netted 72 yards rushing. Being off schedule, and with an effective four man rush, the Mountaineers struggled on third-and-fourth down, converting only 2-of-14 attempts on the day.
Unable to run, WVU fared not much better in the passing game, completing only two plays over 20 yards. Ohio looks to build upon a masterful defensive performance, which saw the Bobbies limit WVU to zero points off of three turnovers in the second half.
Some of the notables so far include Youngstown State transfer defensive lineman Nehemiah Dukes. That Dukes earned a seat at the post-game press conference table in only his second game as a ‘Cat tells you all you need to know about how he played versus WVU.
After spending a few years in the program, defensive end Jay Crable has emerged, contributing some explosive plays so far with three QB hits, a sack, TFL, and a PBU.
In only his second game as a starter, linebacker Michael Molnar was recognized as Week 2’s MAC defensive player of the week.
Corners Mike Mack II and Tank Pearson, safeties DJ Walker and Adonis Williams Jr., and nickel Jalen Thomeson are coming together to form what might be the MAC’s best secondaries by season’s end.
As we make plain later in the article, OSU’s elite receiving corps will be the group’s toughest test all year.
Offensively, even when like last week, the group does not punch it in for points on all promising drives, they can make defenses frustrated and tired by dominating the sticks and time of possession, enjoying 40 minutes of time of possession against WVU.
QB Parker Navarro is the engine that makes the pistol/spread operation go, passing for 486 yards in two games with 180 yards rushing and 6.7 yards per rush.
“You watch what he’s done against two Power Five opponents, one Big Ten opponent — he’s done some really good things,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said about Navarro during his weekly press availability. “He’s spread the ball around. He can make plays off-schedule. He’s got good quickness. Competitive player. Ultimately, he’s a winner. He did that last week (against West Virginia). It’s a good challenge for us.”
Joining Navarro in the ground attack are running backs Sieh Bangura and Duncan Brune, who have combined for 201 yards rushing and a score this year. Bangura is a tough, determined runner who has a well-rounded game. He has soft hands, can be an effective run blocker for Navarro, and has made a few nice blitz pick ups. Brune is a load at 220 lbs., has speed, and contributes on special teams making a good showing on kickoff coverage last week.
The ‘Cats have a bunch of options in the passing game including wide receivers Chase Hendricks and Max Rodarte and tight end Mason Williams, among others. Hendricks leads the club in receiving and makes eye-popping grabs routinely.
The offensive line has settled in for the most part featuring all-conference candidates like left tackle Shedrick Rhodes Jr. and left guard Davion Weatherspoon. They don’t have the size of OSU’s line on average but make hay based upon smarts, technique, and physicality.
About the Ohio State Buckeyes
The 2024 national championship Buckeyes not only won the title, but had 14 players drafted in the 2025 NFL draft. Turning the page on that season, Ohio State is looking to write its own chapter in OSU’s storied history book.
Head coach Ryan Day returns after inking a new deal in February 2025 to remain the Buckeye’s leader through 2031, though the Ohio State staff did see some notable coaching changes in 2025, as offensive coordinator Chip Kelly left for the same job with the Las Vegas Raiders while defensive coordinator Jim Knowles took over Penn State’s defense.
Former Buckeyes receiver and long-time OSU position coach Brian Hartline replaces Kelly, while former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia brings Super Bowl rings as a defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots and nearly two decades of NFL coaching experience in replacing Knowles.
For fans remembering the style under Knowles, the takeaway at Media Day from Buckeye’s head coach about the 2025 defense is Patricia isn’t here to reinvent the wheel, just to lend his expertise to the established scheme.
It didn’t take the Buckeyes long to regain the No. 1 AP poll ranking, as OSU bested a great Texas Longhorn team in the season opener 14-7 at The Shoe. The club then drubbed an overmatched Grambling squad 70-0 last week to arrive at Bobcat week.
The roster is a reload around an exceptional returning core, starting with two future top ten NFL draft picks in receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs.
Starting with Smith and the offense, in 2024 the true freshman took college football by storm, beating the best competition in the nation for 76 catches, 1,315 yards, and 15 receiving touchdowns.
Watching the 2025 games, the Ohio State star did not rest on his laurels as the six-foot-three, 223 pounder from Miami, Florida somehow looks even bigger, faster, and stronger than he did last year.
Joining Smith on the outside is experienced Carnell Tate, who enters the contest with 77 career catches for over 1,000 yards.
Ohio state will mix up the personnel groups so we will see a number of wideouts and tight ends.
One such TE Bobcat fans and players remember is Will Kacmarek, who played two years in Athens, Ohio before transferring to the Buckeyes. Kacmarek is a smart player at the position, a plus blocker with soft hands that can be capable of burning defenses in certain spots, as shown when he hauled in a 47-yard touchdown reception last week vs. Grambling.
Throwing to Smith, Tate, Kacmarek, and others is newly-minted starter QB Julian Sayin. The former five-star recruit won the job out of camp and showed poise and protected the ball against the then-No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the season opener, which is always critical in close wins.
I think we might see QB Lincoln Kienholz in the mix too if the game gets out of hand, as having two or more game-tested QBs is the smart play over the long season.
In the backfield with Sayin, the Bobcats will face multiple running backs, including West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson. The six-foot-two, 232 pounder is experienced with over 2,000 career rushing yards and 32 touchdowns.
Finally, offensively, the Cats defensive line length will be tested as the Buckeyes offensive line can tire some folks out at an average of six-foot-five and 322 lbs.
Ohio State’s defense features some of the top units in the nation, including a loaded secondary.
Big players make big plays in big games, and that’s just what the Buckeyes have in safety Caleb Downs, who came up big throughout last season at critical moments. Simply put, he is a gamechanger.
The linebackers feature a local player from Pickerington, Ohio in Sonny Styles who finished second on the team with 100 tackles in 2024 and also projects as a high NFL draft pick when he hangs ‘em up with the Buckeyes.
A couple of dudes who paid their dues and should splash in 2025 include linebacker Arvell Reese and d-lineman Kayden McDonald.
Final Thoughts
The Bobcats are a disciplined, well-coached, tough, physical team and that will not change regardless of venue or opponent. Offensively, even if the ‘Cats do not score a ton of points, possessing the ball, running the clock, shortening the game, and keeping the defense more rested would be helpful in this one.
On the other hand, the Buckeyes will try to wring every game rep they can out of things, as far down the depth chart as the scoreboard allows.
Whatever happens, both teams should come away with some things to build on heading towards conference play.
