MY THOUGHTS.....Grambling State

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes took care of business, as expected, against overmatched Grambling State.  The snoozefest of a game at least featured the Ohio State Alumni Band, Quadruple Script Ohio and fans were happy to see the Grambling band make a halftime performance.

                Julian Sayin was the offensive star of the game, going 18 for 19 for 306 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to Jeremiah Smith.  The 87-yarder to Smith is the longest pass play in Ohio Stadium history, topping the 85-yard catch-and-run from Art Schichter to Calvin Murray on September 28, 1979 against Washington State.  Sayin started the game with an Ohio State record 16 consecutive completions and made only one bad throw.  Jeremiah Smith led all receivers with five catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns and Carnell Tate also hauled in five catches for 69 yards and a score.  Jelani Thurman and Brandon Innis each caught three passes.  True freshman RB Bo Jackson (no relation to his namesake Heisman winner 40 years ago) made his entrance to the college game with a splash.  He ended up leading the Ohio State ground game with 108 yards, averaging 12 yards per carry and had the longest run from scrimmage thus far in this young season; 51 yards.  Lincoln Keinholz saw his first extensive game action since the Cotton Bowl two seasons ago, and like Sayin, missed only one of his throws, going six for seven for 71 yards and a score.  Freshman five-star recruit Tavien St. Clair saw his first game action on the final two possessions, throwing two incompletions. 

                Anytime a shutout is recorded, it is noteworthy, even against an overmatched opponent.  Backup LB Payton Pierce saw extensive action and responded by leading the team in tackles with six.  Caden Curry, Jaylen McClain, and Arvell Reese each had four.  But, the defensive player of the game has to go to freshman backup linebacker Riley Pettijohn, who was all over the field, making two stops, breaking up a pass, and having a linebacker’s dream: a defensive touchdown off a fumble. 

                Although a game like this doesn’t reveal very much, it is still great to see seldom-used players get a chance to put their hard work to good use in a game and the coaching staff get to experiment with different formations and plays.

                Next week, the competition will improve as the Ohio University Bobcats come to town, fresh off a win over West Virginia, as the Bobcats showed they are not to be taken lightly.