There was a lot to love in Ohio State’s 42-3 win over Minnesota on Saturday night. The Buckeyes had no trouble with the Golden Gophers, reeling off 42 unanswered points after Minnesota opened up the scoring
with a field goal. You never know what is going to happen in college football. Just ask Penn State, which suffered an embarrassing defeat at UCLA earlier on Saturday after entering the game as nearly four-touchdown favorites over the Bruins. After coming back from Seattle last week, along with heading on the road the next two weeks, this felt like it could be a spot for a bit of a sleepy effort. Instead, the Buckeyes had that killer instinct. Once they took the lead on the last play of the first quarter, they didn’t look back. Along with blowing out Minnesota, Ohio State came out of the victory relatively healthy heading into next week’s game at Illinois. Before turning our attention to the Fighting Illini, we’ll take a look at what stood out from the win over the Golden Gophers.
Offensive star of the game – Carnell Tate
Calling Carnell Tate a number two receiver isn’t exactly fair, since he would be the top receiver for most teams in college football. Tate just plays on a team that has the best receiver in college football. Jeremiah Smith had a strong game on Saturday night, catching seven passes for 67 yards and two scores.
This week was Tate’s time to shine, though. The junior had the best game of his college career, hauling in nine passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. The reception and yardage totals are career highs for the wide receiver from Chicago. Tate has now caught at least one pass in every game he has appeared in for the Buckeyes.
Julian Sayin established a connection with Tate early on, finding his receiver a couple of times in the first quarter for some big gains. The momentum snowballed from there, culminating in a 44-yard touchdown in the second quarter, extending Ohio State’s lead to 21-3.
Opposing defensive coordinators have a nightmare in trying to decide how to defend the Buckeye offense. Smith demands attention, but committing resources to try to slow the fabulous sophomore means Tate can feast. Opponents haven’t shown they can shut down both.
Defensive star of the game – Arvell Reese
If we’re being honest, the whole defense could have been given this award. As a unit, the defense was amazing from top to bottom on Saturday night, only giving up three points and 162 yards to the Minnesota offense.
Since the Buckeye defense didn’t force any turnovers, linebacker Arvell Reese earns our individual honor because he recorded Ohio State’s only sack of the game. By taking down quarterback Drake Lindsey, Reese pushed his season total to three sacks, placing him behind Caden Curry for the team lead.
Both Reese and Styles popped against the Golden Gophers, as the duo seemed like they were everywhere. Reese also finished with four tackles in the game, while Styles led the team with eight stops. For the season, Reese has 29 tackles, which ties Curry for the team lead, and one more than Styles has recorded.
Moment of the game – Lincoln Kienholz scoring a touchdown
How could you not love backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz getting a touchdown to close out the scoring for Ohio State in the fourth quarter? Kienholz even got to celebrate twice since his initial journey into the end zone was deemed to be just short after a replay review. On the next play, Kienholz officially secured the touchdown, pushing past the goal line from a yard out.
Kienholz could have easily hit the transfer portal during the offseason since the writing was on the wall that Sayin was going to be Ohio State’s starting quarterback this season. Instead, Kienholz did all he could to push Sayin in spring and preseason camp, which has helped to mold the redshirt freshman into what we see now on the field.
For someone who grew up in South Dakota, it’s evident Kienholz bleeds scarlet and gray. The backup has stayed ready since his number could be called at any time. With the length of the college football season now, having a backup quarterback they trust could be massive down the road for the Buckeyes.
Stat of the game – Fifth straight game that Ohio State’s defense has allowed less than 10 points
More than a third of the way into the regular season, Ohio State still hasn’t given up more than 10 points in a game. Minnesota got on the board in the first quarter with a field goal, but that would be all the Golden Gophers would get. The Buckeyes haven’t allowed a touchdown in more than half their games so far this year, as Grambling State, Washington, and Minnesota have all failed to find the end zone against Ohio State.
Some people might have been on the fence with the hiring of Matt Patricia to replace defensive coordinator Jim Knowles at first. Despite his success as defensive coordinator for a number of Super Bowl teams in New England, the college game is a different animal. Just ask Bill Belichick how easy it is to step in and find immediate success in college football.
Who would have actually thought this year’s defense would actually be better than what we saw last year from the Silver Bullets? There was no question that the group had talent; they were just a little green because of the number of starters they lost from last year’s championship team. This year’s defense has shown they are just as good, if not better.
Just to illustrate how good the Ohio State defense is, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck says the Buckeye defense is the best he has seen in 13 years. High praise from a guy who has seen a lot of ball.
Julian of the game – Julian Sayin
You didn’t think we were going to close up shop without highlighting Julian Sayin’s performance? The Buckeye quarterback did sling the rock to Carnell Tate. In just his fifth career start, the redshirt freshman keeps getting better each week.
What has stood out most about Sayin is his accuracy. Ohio State’s quarterback is the most accurate passer in the country, completing 80 percent of his passes. Saturday night’s game showcased Sayin’s accuracy down the field.
If the first five games are any indication of what the rest of his Ohio State career will look like, it’s possible Julian Sayin could be the greatest quarterback in school history. He’s that good. The redshirt freshman is only going to keep getting better, so the rest of college football had better be on notice.
