Postgame updates: Ohio State Buckeyes top Tulsa 41-20
The Ohio State football team returns to Ohio Stadium on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff with Tulsa, and the Buckeyes are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
The No.9 Buckeyes (1-1) lost to Oregon in Week 2 and now face the Golden Hurricane (0-2) in Week 3. Ohio State's defense struggled to stop the Ducks last week, leading to a week full of questions about the unit.
- Will Ohio State fire defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs? Ryan Day says no.
- What improvements can OSU make to beat Tulsa? There are some suggestions.
- What is and isn't Ohio State's problem? It's not quarterback C.J. Stroud.
But now the Buckeyes can move on and provide answers against Tulsa, who lost to an FCS school in Week 1 but played Oklahoma State tough in Stillwater last week.
Follow the Buckeyes live with insight from the Columbus Dispatch's team of reporters Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman and editor Lori Schmidt as well as columnist Rob Oller.
Ryan Day provides injury updates
Although there was still no exact timetable given, Buckyes head coach Ryan Day indicated that Thayer Munford and Zach Harrison would not be out long term.
Ohio State's final score: Buckeyes 41-Tulsa 20
Ohio State moved to 2-1. Their next game is Sept. 25 against Akron.
OSU scores a defensive touchdown, Ohio State 41-Tulsa 20
Buckeyes defensive back Cameron Martinez jumped the route, picked off Davis Brin and returned the ball 61 yards for the score. That would seal the deal for OSU.
With 3:07 left, Garret Wilson and the Buckeyes pad their lead, Ohio State 34-Tulsa 20
Tyleik Williams' sack of Golden Hurricane quarterback Davis Brin pushed Tulsa 17 yards back on third down and forced a punt. Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Garrett Wilson would convert that into a 12-yard touchdown.
Davis Brin pulls the Golden Hurricane to within a touchdown again, Ohio State 27-Tulsa 20.
Davis Brin's second touchdown of the season was a 22-yard toss to Josh Johnson. Davis now has 340 yards on the day, and despite the fact that he has attempted 44 passes, he has only been sacked once.
TreVeyon Henderson breaks Archie Griffin's record, Ohio State 27-Tulsa 13
TreVeyon Henderson broke free for a 52-yard touchdown and in the process broke Archie Griffin's school single-game record for rushing yards by a freshman of 239, which he recorded in 1972 against North Carolina. Henderson's total after the score was 243 yards.
C.J. Stroud's fumble sets up a Tulsa touchdown, Ohio State 20-Tulsa 13
C.J. Stroud gave the Golden Hurricane the ball at the Buckeyes' 48-yard line, and Tulsa capitalized. Davis Brin threw his first touchdown of the year, a 21-yard completion to Cannon Montgomery. The quarterback now is 24-for-41 passing for 300 yards on the day.
Defensive turnaround?
While Ohio State allowed a pair of field goals to Tulsa to start the game, it has since gone six consecutive series without giving up a point.
Five times, the Buckeyes have forced a punt. The other time Ronnie Hickman picked off a pass to end a drive by the Golden Hurricane that occurred just before halftime.
— Joey Kaufman
Ohio State attendance today: 76,540
A smallish crowd by OSU standards today. Just 76,540 fans are in the stands. Before the game, OSU athletic director Gene Smith said early indications were that Ohio State avoided the problems getting people into the stadium that they experienced last week against Oregon.
TreVeyon Henderson scores, cracks the century mark, Ohio State 20-Tulsa 6
Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson has 126 yards this afternoon after a darting, 48-yard touchdown run. Nicholas Petite-Frere had a nice block to spring the play free. Meanwhile, left guard Thayer Munford has not returned. 97.1 The Fan had reported he would be evaluated at the half. Matt Jones has been playing in his place.
Ohio State's pass defense: struggling again
The Buckeyes' defense allowed Davis Brin to throw for 204 yards in the first half. They recorded zero sacks. One of the main reasons the Golden Hurricane only scored six first-half points is they were also held to 13 rushing yards.
No Miyan Williams in the first half for Ohio State, Chris Olave quiet
Receiver Chris Olave had a pass just elude him, and unable to make that catch, he went the entire first half without a reception. Meanwhile, running back Miyan Williams hasn't even been on the field for the Buckeyes today. It is something that head coach Ryan Day will certainly be asked about following the contest. Williams had 77 of Ohio State's 128 rushing yards last week in a 35-28 loss to Oregon. He was also one of the players OSU brought out to speak to the media midweek.
Ohio State's Ronnie Hickman effectively ends the half
Ohio State has their first interception of the season. Cameron Martinez tipped the ball. Ronnie Hickman grabbed the pick, and the Buckeyes took possession with :04 remaining in the half.
Noah Ruggles converts again, Ohio State 13-Tulsa 6
Ohio State's Denzel Burke looked to have an interception, but the officials ruled that he took the ball away from a Golden Hurricane receiver who had completed the catch and was down. Coach Ryan Day was clearly upset by the call. Tulsa ended up having to punt, but without the advantage of field position, OSU settled for a 44-yard field goal on the resulting drive.
Ohio State's C.J. Stroud throws a pick
Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud has just thrown his third interception of the season. The freshman has been a little high on quite a few of his tosses today, but Tulsa's Travon Full made a nice play as well. Last season, Justin FIelds threw a total of six picks for OSU.
Thayer Munford has a right ankle injury
Sideline reporter Matt Andrews of 97.1 The Fan says that Ohio State offensive lineman Thayer Munford has a right ankle injury and the medical staff intends to reevaluate the left guard's availability at halftime.
TreVeyon Henderson puts the Buckeyes in front, Ohio State 10-Tulsa 6
C.J. Stroud missed some of this receivers high in the first quarter. But he's started the second quarter by completing three of four attempts to lead OSU's offense down the field. TreVeyon Henderson capped the drive with a 5-yard rushing touchdown to put the Buckeyes in front 10-6.
Zack Long makes another short field goal, Tulsa 6-Ohio State 3
Kicker Zack Long has put the Golden Hurricane back out in front with his 31-yard field goal. Lathan Ransom made the stop that brought up fourth down, and he — along with Cam Brown and Ronnie Hickman — are currently leading the Buckeyes with four tackles apiece.
Run game update
In the aftermath of last week’s loss to Oregon, coach Ryan Day spoke of a desire for Ohio State’s offense to find balance.
That meant getting a boost from its rushing attack, which had only 128 yards against the Buckeyes.
Despite attempts to reinvigorate the ground game, the results were not stellar in the first quarter. Buckeyes running backs TreVeyon Henderson ran for 34 yards on nine carries and Master Teague carried the ball once for a loss of a yard.
— Joey Kaufman
Kicker Noah Ruggles ties things up for the Buckeyes, Ohio State 3-Tulsa 3
Ohio State drove 47 yards in 12 plays before Noah Ruggles' 43-yard field goal tied things up in Columbus, Ohio. That helps bring the first quarter to a close, and in that stanza, Buckeyes quarterback C.J. was a bit off-target. He's just 2-of-6 passing for 25 yards.
OSU offensive lineman Thayer Munford exits the game with an apparent lower leg injury
Ohio State offensive lineman Thayer Munford needed to be helped off the field. Buckeyes athletic trainers were tending to the left guard's lower right leg before helping him to the medical tent.
Ohio State football is down early to the Golden Hurricane, Tulsa 3-Ohio State 0
After a 16-play, 81-yard drive, Tulsa stalled, and the Buckeyes defense was successful in holding an opponent to a red zone field goal for the first time all season. It was a 22-yard kick by Zack Long.
New perch
Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs will be in a press box booth this afternoon.
Coombs has previously been with the team on the sideline, but coach Ryan Day had hinted at the possibility of shaking up the positioning of assistants following last week's upset loss to Oregon.
Day was not definitive on if Coombs would be calling the defense against Tulsa.
When Jeff Hafley coordinated the Buckeyes' defense in Day's first season in 2019, he was up in the box.
— Joey Kaufman
Pregame warmups
Teradja Mitchell, who was listed as a game-time decision on the availability report, warmed up with the rest of the linebackers and is in uniform, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be a significant factor in the rotation.
Mitchell didn’t line up with the first-team defense in the 11-on-11 warmup period. Sophomore Cody Simon stepped in at linebacker with Tommy Eichenberg, who started at the position with Mitchell during the first two games.
In other potential changes to the starting lineup, Javontae Jean-Baptiste was at the defensive end spot opposite Tyreke Smith since Zach Harrison is unavailable.
Bryson Shaw was the single-high safety with the starting defense, replacing Josh Proctor who suffered a season-ending leg fracture last week.
On the offensive side of the ball, running back TreVeyon Henderson took first-team reps.
— Joey Kaufman
Today's officials
- Referee: John O'Neill
- Umpire: Jeff Carr
- Linesman: Kris Van Meter
- Line Judge: Vincent Winters
- Back Judge: Michael Elliott
- Field Judge: Gary Powers
- Side Judge: John Roggeman
- Center Judge: Greg Blum
Expect more from Jaxon Smith-Njigba?
Ohio State has a standout receiving team with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, but Sophomore Jaxon Smith-Nigba caught a touchdown last week and is showing flashes of being the next great receiver from Ohio State.
One NFL scout at Ohio Stadium to watch the Buckeyes face the Golden Hurricane.
After a small army of NFL scouts descended on Columbus to watch Ohio State take on Oregon, a much smaller contingent is here today. In fact, only the New England Patriots are credentialed to be on site.
— Lori Schmidt
Who's playing, who's not for the Buckeyes against Tulsa today?
Defensive end Zach Harrison was among the 13 players who were listed as unavailable on the team’s availability report released three hours ahead of kickoff. The reason for his absence was not immediately known as the Buckeyes do not offer specifics surrounding injuries or illness but the FS1 broadcast said Harrison has "back issues."
Linebacker Teradja Mitchell is considered a game-time decision, while center Harry Miller will miss a third straight game.
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Ohio State vs. Tulsa:Buckeyes hope to put Oregon loss behind them as Tulsa comes to town
Has Ohio Stadium fixed its ticket problems?
Ohio State provided some insight to its digital tickets which caused chaos last week during the Oregon game.
Here are some changes being made:
- Officials said they're adding more engineering support on site from the department's WiFi partner to monitor and manage connections.
- Increased staffing.
- More scanners at the stadium.
Ohio State vs. Tulsa predictions
Here's how our team and Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World picked the game:
- Bill Rabinowitz: Ohio State
- Joey Kaufman: Ohio State
- Rob Oller: Ohio State
- Kelly Hines: Ohio State
Defensive end Zach Harrison out for Tulsa game
As Ohio State looks to rediscover a pass rush on defense in Saturday's game against Tulsa, it will do so without defensive end Zach Harrison.
Harrison was among the 13 players who were listed as unavailable on the team’s availability report released three hours ahead of kickoff. The reason for his absence was not immediately known as the Buckeyes do not offer specifics surrounding injuries or illness.