The Buckeyes host the Golden Gophers under the lights next weekend.
Betting Line: Ohio State -22.5 | O/U 46.5
After opening up the Big Ten slate with a win over Washington, Ohio State returns home next Saturday to host Minnesota under the lights, with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Ohio Stadium.
Minnesota moved to 3-1 on the year after a dramatic 31-28 win over Rutgers this weekend.
Quarterback Drake Lindsey threw a touchdown pass to Javon Tracy to put the Golden Gophers on top with 3:19 remaining in the game. The Scarlet Knights drove the ball deep into Minnesota territory on their final possession, but a huge sack by Rushawn Lawrence moved them back, and Rutgers would end up missing the potential game-tying 56-yard field goal.
Lindsey has been solid for Minnesota this season, throwing for 958 yards and seven touchdowns with only two picks through the team’s first four games. The pass-catching group has been led by the Miami (OH) transfer Tracy, who has tallied a team-high 204 yards on 12 catches with two touchdowns. Lemeke Brockington (15 catches for 177 yards, 1 TD) and Jalen Smith (6 catches for 179 yards, 2 TD) have rounded out the receiving core.
The Gophers have had a tough go of things at running back, where star RB Darius Taylor has missed the last two games and Marshall transfer A.J. Turner is out for the season.
It is unclear whether Taylor will be ready for the Ohio State game, but in his place has been redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi and Washington transfer Cam Davis. Ijeboi has run for 173 yards on 35 carries (4.9 YPC) and a touchdown, while Davis has added 77 yards on 24 carries (3.2 YPC) with two TDs.
Defensively, Minnesota has been led by linebacker Devon Williams, who has tallied a team-high 31 tackles with three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Defensive lineman Anthony Smith has been the Gophers’ most disruptive payer up front, leading the team with six TFLs and 4.5 sacks on the year. In the secondary, John Nestor is off to a hot start with three pass breakups and two picks, including a pick-six, while Koi Perich is one of the best safeties in the country, totaling 21 tackles and two TFLs thus far.
Overall, Minnesota has the nation’s 25th-ranked scoring defense, allowing only 16.3 points per game. Those numbers are propped up a bit, however, by a 23-10 win over Buffalo and a 66-0 win over Northwestern State. In the two games the Gophers have played against Power Four competition, they have allowed 27.5 points per game, which would rank 98th nationally.
On the other side, Ohio State’s offense hasn’t quite reached its full potential yet, but the pieces are clearly there to be one of the nation’s premier units.
What they have been is efficient, as Julian Sayin’s 78.8% completion rate is the best in college football. The first-year starter has thrown for 987 yards with 10 touchdowns and three picks. Sayin’s favorite target, of course, has been Jeremiah Smith, who has hauled in 28 catches for 396 yards and four touchdowns. Carnell Tate is not too far behind him with 15 catches for 252 yards and three TDs.
Running back is still a fluid situation, but it does seem like freshman Bo Jackson has rightfully emerged as the Buckeyes’ top tailback. Jackson leads the team with 297 rushing yards on 35 carries (8.5 YPC) despite only playing in three games. CJ Donaldson appears to have carved a role out for himself as the short yardage and goal line back (for now), totaling 190 yards on 42 carries (4.5 YPC) with three touchdowns.
Ohio State’s defense is the best in the country, ranking No. 1 in scoring defense allowing just 5.5 points per game. The Buckeyes have allowed only two touchdowns through four games this season, and have yet to allow a team to reach double-digit points.
It’s hard to pick a leader of Matt Patricia’s elite group, but one of the biggest standouts thus far has been linebacker Arvell Reese. The freaky athlete is tied for the team lead with 25 tackles (alongside Caden Curry) to add to his two TFLs and two sacks. Speaking of Curry, after a dominant performance against Washington, the defensive end now has a team-high eight TFLs and five sacks on the season — both of which lead the Big Ten.
It isn’t going to be easy for the Golden Gophers to rack up the points at Ohio Stadium, especially if Taylor is still out. Ohio State’s defense has been suffocating, and has been downright impenetrable in the red zone, where the Buckeyes have yet to allow a touchdown in seven tries.
Ohio State would love to put on a show under in the lights in what has become a rare opportunity to host a Big Ten team at night.
All lines and odds are presented by FanDuel Sportsbook.
Category: General Sports
