The Series
- Ohio State and Northwestern last met in the regular season in 2019: a Friday evening contest at Ryan Field won by the Buckeyes, 52-3. Ohio State has outscored Northwestern, 191- 53, in the last four games at Ryan Field.
- The game will be the 80th in the series that began in 1913 with Ohio State holding a 64-14-1 advantage with nine consecutive victories. Ohio State leads the series in games played in Evanston, 29-6-1.
- Two of the last three games in this series were Big Ten Championship games (2018 and 2020) played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
- The Buckeyes and Wildcats met in the 2018 and 2020 Big Ten Championship Games, both won by Ohio State (45-24 in 2018 and
22- 10 in 2020). The 2020 title was Ohio State’s fourth consecutive outright Big Ten championship and set a conference record.
Scouting Northwestern
- Quarterback Ryan Hilinski, a transfer from South Carolina, is 141-of-244 for 1,576 yards with six touchdown against six interceptions. He’s one of two quarterbacks who have seen extensive action this season for Northwestern, along with Brendan Sullivan (52-71, 416 yds., four TD).
- Evan Hull leads the rushing attack with 579 yards on 136 carries and three touchdowns. Hull’s average of 143.3 all-purpose yards per game ranks second in the Big Ten.
- At wide receiver, the duo of Malik Washington and Hull have combined for 88 receptions, 931 yards and three TDs.
- Linebacker Bryce Gallagher leads the team with 79 tackles and is second with 5.0 tackles for loss.
- In his 16th season, Pat Fitzgerald is the second-longest tenured Big Ten coach.
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
