Ohio State football thoroughly dominated the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday night. Here are 5 takeaways from what we saw from the action.
After tonight’s dominant performance against Minnesota, it’s clear Ohio State stands head and shoulders above the rest of the nation. The Buckceyes are the No. 1 team, and everyone else is just trying to keep up. Quarterback Julian Sayin has been nothing short of sensational to start the 2025 season, leading the country in completion percentage. The offense is stacked with playmakers at every position, and Matt Patricia’s new-look defense is already proving to be something special.
Simply put, another dominant performance is starting to make it look like this team is getting better and better from the perch it already sits upon, and we were able to observe some more things as this one played out in the night air for a primetime matchup on national television.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday night’s big win over Minnesota.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Oh Baby!
Another week, another defensive masterclass from Matt Patricia and the Buckeyes defense. The silver bullets made life miserable for Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey, holding him to under 100 yards through the air. The Gophers’ run game never found its footing, and any hint of momentum was quickly shut down. Ohio State held Minnesota to just 3 points and still hasn’t allowed a single opponent to reach double digits this season. Truly insane.
Buckeye receiver Carnell Tate would be WR1 on just about every team in the nation
Carnell Tate had a monster outing against Minnesota, turning in his best performance of the 2025 season with 9 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. He’s quietly been putting together a strong year, finding the end zone in every game except last week in Seattle. Tate is easily one of the top wideouts in the country, and he reminded everyone of that with his dominant showing. On just about any other team, he’d be the clear WR1. But fortunate—and maybe a little unfortunate—for him, he lines up next to Jeremiah Smith every week, making Ohio State’s receiving corps one of the most elite in college football.
Julian Sayin needs to be in the Heisman conversation
Coming into the season, plenty of fans and college football analysts weren’t quite sure what to expect from Julian Sayin as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. I’ll admit it—I figured he’d just need to get the ball out quickly and lean on the run game. And while there’s some truth to that, Sayin has blown past all expectations. He’s been nothing short of elite, currently leading the nation in completion percentage. He’s thrown for over 300 yards in three of the Buckeyes’ five games and has shown poise and command well beyond his years. Sayin hasn’t looked like a freshman; he’s looked like a Heisman contender.
The Ohio State ground game is the only question mark on this offense
This Ohio State offense is electric, stacked with playmakers at every position. But if there’s one area that hasn’t quite hit that elite level yet, it’s the ground game. Last season, with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield, the Buckeyes had two NFL-caliber backs carrying the load. This year, they’re starting to turn to true freshman Bo Jackson as RB1. He’s flashed burst, speed, and vision, and he already has multiple 100-yard games under his belt. Still, in recent weeks, as the official starter, he’s been kept more in check.
It’s nitpicking, no doubt, but if Ohio State wants to go back-to-back and win another national title, it’ll need to take some pressure off Julian Sayin and get the run game firing on all cylinders.
The coaching hires Ohio State made were really, really good
After losing both their offensive and defensive coordinators in the offseason—Chip Kelly to the Raiders and Jim Knowles to rival Penn State—there was plenty of uncertainty surrounding Ohio State. But those concerns didn’t last long. The Buckeyes promoted Brian Hartline to offensive coordinator, and he has been nothing short of impressive. He has made life easy for freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, crafting smart, balanced game plans and keeping the offense rolling with stars like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate leading the way.
On the defensive side, Knowles' departure caught a lot of people off guard. Not only did he leave Columbus, but he also took the job at Penn State and became the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football history. Ohio State responded by hiring Matt Patricia, and that move has paid off massively. Patricia’s defense has been dominant, maybe the best in the country, and possibly the best Buckeye defense we have ever seen.
Oh, and just for the record, the 0 and 4 UCLA Bruins didn’t hang 42 points on Patricia’s defense in a loss. Sorry, not sorry, Jim Knowles.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs. Minnesota: 5 takeaways from a dominant Buckeyes win
Category: General Sports
