CJ Donaldson (12) celebrates with teammates after a 1-yard touchdown run during Ohio State’s 42-6 win over Minnesota on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Faith Schneider | Arts & Life Photo Editor
What a season for upsets.
No. 1 Texas lost to Ohio State.
No. 3 Penn State lost to No.6 Oregon.
No. 5 Georgia lost to No. 17 Alabama.
No. 7 Penn State lost to UCLA.
No. 9 Texas lost to Florida.
No. 13 Florida lost to Southern Florida.
No. 14 Iowa State lost to Cincinnati.
But for the past five weeks, one name has stayed atop the college football rankings, and Saturday, Ohio State showed no signs of giving up the top spot.
“We believe that if we train harder than anybody else in the country and prepare harder than anybody else in the country, then it shouldn’t matter who we play,” head coach Ryan Day said.
At home or away, in the daylight or at night, Ohio State has stood tall.
The Buckeyes remained undefeated, steamrolling the Minnesota Golden Gophers 42-3 under the Horseshoe lights in front of a capacity Homecoming crowd of more than 105,000.
Wide receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith racked up 250 of Ohio State’s 341 passing yards.
Quarterback Julian Sayin hit Tate twice in the first quarter for 48 and 49 yards, and then again with 8:04 left in the second quarter for a 44-yard touchdown.
“Carnell has seen Jeremiah do a lot of different things, and now you’re seeing Carnell take the next step,” Day said.
The defense has performed at historically elite levels this season, allowing an average of 5.5 points per game and holding every opponent to nine points or fewer. In five games, it has given up just two touchdowns. The Gophers’ offense was limited to a single field goal.
If the defense has set the tone, Sayin has delivered the spark. The redshirt freshman looked as poised as ever against Minnesota with three touchdowns, completing 85 percent of his passes (23 for 27) for 326 yards–his second highest total after 347 yards against Ohio University.
Sayin credited his on-field success to the coaching staff, specifically Day, for keeping him humble and focused.
“Like Coach Day said, ‘Once you think you got it, you’re going to get it,’” Sayin said. “So you don’t want to say, ‘I’ve got it;’ you want to keep developing and getting better.”
Running back Bo Jackson led the Buckeyes’ run game, carrying for 63 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts. The performance puts the star freshman in the lead for rushing yards for Ohio State with 360.
The Buckeyes don’t need flash. They simply play smart, disciplined football and let the results speak for themselves.
The win leaves the Buckeyes in a familiar position: No. 1. Next Saturday, they will face No. 22 Illinois for their third conference matchup and second road game of the season.
“We just got to continue to get better each week,” Tate said. “We can’t let last week affect us next week, and we’ve always got to find ways to improve. Every game we all go out there and show our full potential.”
