The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes host the unbeaten Toledo Rockets in a 7 p.m. game Saturday that will be televised nationally by FOX.
This is the fourth meeting on the gridiron between the Buckeyes and the Rockets. Ohio State leads the series, 3-0.
THE BASICS
Toledo at No. 3 Ohio State • Saturday, Sept. 17 • When: 7 p.m. ET • Where: Ohio Stadium • TV: FOX
• Radio: 97.1 The Fan
QUICK HITTERS
- Both teams are 2-0 on the young season with Ohio State having surrendered just 22 points in wins over Notre Dame and Arkansas State.
- Toledo has allowed just 10 points in routs over Long Island and UMass.
- Ohio State, in this Ohio Stadium 100 celebration year, has never lost to an Ohio team in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes are 46-0-1 in Ohio Stadium vs. other Ohio schools.
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF OHIO STADIUM
The 2022-23 academic/athletic season will feature a celebration of 100 years of Ohio Stadium. Ground was broken in 1921, more than $1 million was pledged toward construction by proud and dedicated Ohio State fans, and Ohio State christened its new home with a 5-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 7, 1922. The iconic venue on the banks of the Olentangy River is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
100 Years of Ohio Stadium Home Page
BY THE NUMBERS
49-0-1
Ohio State has not lost a game to an in-state school since a 7-6 loss to Oberlin in 1921 – 101 years ago – and since that time has gone 49-0-1 against Ohio teams with the tie in 1924 vs. Wooster.
57
Five players made their first start for Ohio State Saturday against Notre Dame: WR Emeka Egbuka, OG Donovan Jackson, TE Cade Stover (his first start at TE), SAF Tanner McCalister and DT Mike Hall.
32-0
Coach Ryan Day’s teams have scored 30-or-more points 32 times in his 40 games as head coach. Ohio State is 32-0 in those games. His teams are 4-4 in games when scoring less than 30 points.
5,009
C.J. Stroud has passed for 5,009 career yards and needs just 388 yards to move past Justin Fields (5,373 yards) and Dwayne Haskins (5,396 yards) and into ninth-place among OSU signal callers.
THE C.J. STROUD + RYAN DAY CONNECTION
- Quarterback C.J. Stroud finished 16-of-24 for 351 yards and four touchdown last Saturday.
- It was the 10th 300-yard game for Stroud in 14 career starts.
- Since 2017, Ryan Day-coached quarterbacks have thrown for 300 or more yards 39 times.
- Only Alabama (40) has more 300-yard games.
- The Buckeyes are 35-4 in those 39 games.
WAIT, HOW MANY STRAIGHT GAMES?
Terrific research by the Big Ten Network has revealed this gem of a stat streak: Ohio State has scored 20-or-more points in 63 consecutive games – current – to rank tied for second in FBS history.
The two longest streaks are not active so a new record is in play. The streaks:
Consecutive Games with 20+ Points:
- 69 – Oklahoma, 2016-21 (16 vs. WVU)
- 63 – Ohio State, 2017-present
- 63 – USC, 2002-06 (9 vs. UCLA)
- 58 – Oklahoma State, 2010-14 (9 vs. TCU)
SCOUTING TOLEDO
QB Dequan Finn
- Quarterback Dequan Finn has been the Rockets’ top passing and rushing threat in the first two weeks. He’s 33-of-54 for 393 yards through the air with three TDs and is also the team’s leading rusher with 138 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
- Finn accounts for over 62 percent of Toledo’s total offensive yardage, as he’s averaging 265.5 yards per game.
- Twenty-one of Finn’s 33 completions have gone to either DeMeer Blankumsee (13 rec., 88 yds.) or Jerjuan Newton (eight receptions, 160 yds., one TD).
On Defense
- On defense, linebacker Dallas Gant, who spent three full seasons with Ohio State and part of a fourth from 2018-21, leads the team with 19 tackles, plus he has 0.5 TFLs, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
- Desjuan Johnson’s 4.5 tackles for loss through two games leads the team.
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
