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Here are 4 things we learned from the Ohio State Buckeyes' 37-9 win over Ohio
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- Here are 4 things we learned from the Ohio State Buckeyes' 37-9 win over Ohio
Here are four things we learned from Ohio State 's 37-9 win over Ohio on Sept. 13:
It's cleanup time in the red zone for Ohio State football
The Buckeyes might have delivered a more convincing win over the Bobcats if not for a series of issues in the red zone.
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It began on their opening drive when quarterback Julian Sayin was sacked on fourth and goal, leaving running back CJ Donaldson open in the flat.
Three other drives resulted in them settling for field goals, including two after they had moved inside Ohio's 5-yard line.
Six trips to the red zone resulted in just 23 points, allowing the Bobcats to hang around into the third quarter and cut the lead to four points after quarterback Parker Navarro threw a 67-yard touchdown to Chase Hendricks on the opening series.
Ohio State had the fifth-best red-zone touchdown percentage in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season, but scoring inside the 20-yard line has been an issue at times in recent years, including over this stretch of the nonconference schedule.
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It was in last week's rout of Grambling State that Sayin was picked off at the 1-yard line when he underthrew a pass to Carnell Tate .
"When we're firing on all cylinders, you can see how explosive we can be," coach Ryan Day sad, "but if we're not going to score touchdowns in the red zone, we put ourselves at risk."
With a thinner margin for error in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes will need to clean up the issues over their idle week. They begin the conference schedule at Washington on Sept. 27.
Day sees several factors as keeping them from maximizing drives.
"We have good ideas down there," Day said. "We have the right packages going in. We can coach it better. We can execute it better."
Ohio State Buckeyes safety Faheem Delane (10) and defensive tackle Tywone Malone Jr. (95) tackle Ohio Bobcats running back Sieh Bangura (5) during the second half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 37-9.
Ohio State defense is still suffocating
An injury to Navarro, sidelining him during the second quarter, kept the Buckeyes from facing one of the MAC's best offenses at full strength.
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But the Bobcats still offered a useful gauge for how Ohio State is adjusting to new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
The latest results were encouraging for the Buckeyes.
Ohio totaled fewer than 200 total yards for the first time since 2016. Outside of Navarro's 67-yard touchdown, it had just 114 total yards.
The Buckeyes swarmed both Navarro and Nick Poulos, the backup who replaced him, finishing with four sacks that marked a season-high, more than the three sacks they combined for against Texas and Grambling State.
Two of the four sacks ended drives. The Bobcats converted just three of 15 attempts on third down.
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Defensive end Caden Curry , who had one of the drive-ending sacks, also batted down a pass on third down.
"Other than a couple explosive plays, I thought our defense played strong," Day said. "They did a nice job against a good offense."
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Bo Jackson (25) runs during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Ohio Bobcats at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 37-9.
Bo Jackson has a growing role for Ohio State
Freshman Bo Jackson broke out when he made his career debut in the Buckeyes' rout of Grambling State, rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown.
The performance earned Jackson a larger role in the running back rotation a week later.
He saw his first carry against Ohio at the beginning of the second quarter and got the start for the second half.
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Jackson has shown a burst as a runner, providing the Buckeyes with some explosiveness out of the backfield.
When he took the handoff from quarterback Julian Sayin to start the third quarter, he slipped between two linebackers and broke loose.
By the time a cornerback shoved him out of bounds at the Bobcats' 11-yard line, he had gained 64 yards.
It was reminiscent of a 51-yard run against Grambling in which he broke away from the defense.
Jackson finished with 109 rushing yards on nine carries as part of the three-man rotation with CJ Donaldson and James Peoples .
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (3) walks up the tunnel before the game against Grambling State Tigers at the Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
There's a package for Lincoln Kienholz
Since the Buckeyes settled their starting quarterback competition last month, Day has left the option open for using Lincoln Kienholz in packages that are designed to take advantage of the backup's mobility.
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It did not turn out to be lip service.
Kienholz rotated for Sayin on third down early in the second quarter. Needing only 2 yards to move the chains, Kienholz took the snap and charged forward to pick up 8 yards and reach Ohio's 19-yard line.
"I thought he did a nice job reading it," Day said, "and he found himself behind a double team and hit it."
A personal foul by right guard Tegra Tshabola following the play set the drive back, but his run at least provided the Buckeyes with a new set of downs.
While with the backups against Grambling State last week, Kienholz showed his dual-threat ability, running for 10 yards on two carries, but his appearance early against Ohio revealed Day's willingness to use him in more high-leverage situations.
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"The whole offense is available when Lincoln is in there," Day said, "so we'll keep looking at that and have some of that available. It's not going to be a surprise. It's not a secret. And we'll have some of that available in the red zone if we're having a hard time."
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky , Instagram and X for more.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football beats Ohio: 4 things we learned from Buckeyes win
