SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

Ohio State will host its first night game of the season Saturday when it welcomes in Akron to Ohio Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Ohio State defeated Tulsa, 41-20, last Saturday for its 11th consecutive win after a loss. Ohio State has not lost back-to-back games since the 2013 season.

True freshman RB TreVeyon Henderson powered, skirted, scooted, deked and raced to an Ohio State frosh record 277 yards rushing vs. Tulsa, including touchdown runs of 5, 48 and 52 yards. (He also has a 70-yard TD reception vs. Minnesota). The 277 yards in a single game is topped only by Trey Sermon (331 vs. NU in 2020) and Eddie George (314 vs. Illinois in 1995).

Single game tickets for the Akron game are available. To purchase tickets, click here.

THE BASICS

---

#10 Ohio State vs. Akron • Saturday, Sept. 25 • When: 7:30 p.m. • Where: Ohio Stadium • TV: Big Ten Network • Radio: 97.1 The Fan

---

Game Sponsor

QUICK HITTERS

• It took 49 years for Archie Griffin’s Ohio State freshman rushing record – 239 yards vs. North Carolina in 1972 – to fall when TreV-eyon Henderson when Henderson broke it last week 277. Henderson leads the nation with three plays over 50 yards this season.
• Ohio State is 189-51-15 all-time against other Ohio universities on the gridiron and haven’t lost since the 1921 season. Since that last loss to Oberlin, Ohio State is 49-0-1 against other Ohio schools.
• Ohio State went 57 years, from 1935-91 where it did not play another Ohio school. Since 1992, Ohio State has played eight different Ohio schools a total of 29 times with Cincinnati (six times) and Bowling Green (five) appearing on Ohio State’s schedule the most.

NOTES TO KNOW

WHAT’S ON TAP FOR SATURDAY

• This week is the annual Alumni Band game, and it is also a Buckeyes Care game.
• Buckeyes Care is a program in partnership with AEP, Kroger and the Dispatch Media that highlights the positive spirit and goodwill alive in our community – Buckeyes helping Buckeyes.

THIS AND THAT ON THE BUCKEYES

• WR Garrett Wilson has a reception in 24 consecutive games, good for 15th nationally.
• Noah Ruggles has made all three of his FG attempts as a Buckeye, including two last week vs. Tulsa, and he has made 17 of his last 18 attempts inside of 50 yards dating to his 2019 season at North Carolina.
• True freshman Denzel Burke’s six pass break-ups rank third nationally, trailing only Greg Rubin (Memphis) and Devon Witherspoon (Illinois).

BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK X3

• Ohio State has made the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week after each of its games so far this season.
• C.J. Stroud has been named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week following games vs. Minnesota and Oregon.
• Henderson picked up his first honor this past Monday on the strength of his 277-yard effort against Tulsa.

AND SPEAKING OF BIG PLAYS…

• If it seems like Henderson already has a season’s worth of long touchdowns, it’s because he does.
• Two of his four TD runs have covered 40 or more yards and he also had a 70-yard touchdown catch, which occurred in Week 1 vs. Minnesota.
• Henderson currently leads the Big Ten in yards-per-carry average (9.1).
• He’s tops in the nation in rushes of 30 yards or more (four), 40 yards or more (three) and 50 yards or more (two).

BY THE NUMBERS

100

Years since another Ohio school last defeated Ohio State on the gridiron. Oberlin was the last to do it, winning, 7-6, in front of 9,000 at Ohio Field on Oct. 8, 2021.

13

Total number of freshmen – redshirt and true – who have played in all three games so far, including three-game starters in Stroud and Burke.

7

Difference in number of total pass break-ups in 2020 (31) and so far in 2021 (24) with Burke (six), Cam Brown (five) and Cam Martinez (three) leading.

5/6

Jesse Mirco has had five of his last six punts downed I20: Oregon-1, O-1, O-22, Tulsa-16, T-19, T-18.

40

Since 2018, Ohio State has scored 40 or more points in 61.5 percent of its games (24 of 39), fourth best in the country.

GET TO KNOW THE ZIPS

SERIES HISTORY

• Ohio State holds a 7-1 record all-time vs. Akron, including a 42-0 victory on Sept. 3, 2011, the last meeting between the two schools.

ABOUT AKRON 

• Akron picked up its first win of the 2021 season last week over Bryant, earning a 35- 14 win on the strength a 432-yard effort from quarterback DJ Irons.
• Irons passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing 15 times for 136 yards and another score.
• The Zips started the season with a 60-10 loss at Auburn and then fell in week two at home to Temple, 45-24.
• Head coach Tom Arth came to Akron in 2019 after a two-year stint at Tennessee-Chattanooga. He was the head coach at John Carroll from 2013-16 where he went 40-8 and made the Division III playoffs three times. His 2016 squad advanced to the semifinals and won the OAC title.
• Arth, a 2003 graduate of John Carroll, spent three seasons as a backup quarterback to Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts. He spent part of those years playing in NFL Europe and was on the preseason roster with the Green Bay Packers in 2006.

COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS