COLUMBUS — Ohio State surprises absolutely no one by playing like Ohio State. The 7-0 Buckeyes defeated Big 10 foe Minnesota (3-3) 30-14 in the 11 a.m. matchup.
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins continued to stack his Heisman resume with a highlight reel worthy pass to receiver K.J. Hill in the second quarter. Haskins took 44 shots downfield, completing 33 of them for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Hill pulled down two of those TDs and racked up 187 yards. Terry McLaurin was on the receiving end of a touchdown pass with only three targets.
This was Haskins’ second consecutive game throwing for over 400 yards.
Ohio State’s downside, if you can call it that, lies in the O-line and the running game. The longest rushing play for the Buckeyes came from Mike Weber for only 12 yards. Ohio State ran for 92 yards, compared to the 178 rushing yards from the Gophers. While Haskins and his nine receivers were clearly efficient, establishing a stronger running game will go a long way as the season continues.
Urban Meyer is aware that his passer stands well above the rest of the team. “We’re going to have to get some things fixed,” OSU’s coach stated.
The scarlet defense contained Minnesota and its freshman QB Zack Annexstad, forcing two interceptions, but struggled against standout running back Mohamed Ibrahim. The Golden Gopher punched in both touchdowns for his team and 157 yards. Jordan Fuller and Pete Werner recorded 12 and 10 tackles respectively for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes will travel to West Lafayette to take on the Purdue Boilermakers while Minnesota will go to Nebraska to take on Scott Frost’s team.
