Ohio State caps 2019 non-conference slate vs. Miami
9/17/2019 10:27:30 AM | Football
The Ohio State Buckeyes, riding the nation’s second-longest winning streak at nine games, closes out its non-conference season with a 3:30 p.m. game Saturday at Ohio Stadium against the Miami Redhawks. This will be the sixth meeting between the two schools, the fourth since 2000 and the first since Urban Meyer’s unbeaten, 2012 Buckeyes defeated Miami, 56-10, to open the season and the Meyer coaching era in Columbus.
The game was announced in April 2017 and came about after Ohio State and TCU modified their home-and-home series in 2018 and 2019 to one, neutral site game in 2018.
THE BASICS
Miami (Ohio) vs. No. 6 Ohio State • Sat., Sept. 21 • When: 3:30 p.m. • Where: Ohio Stadium • TV: BTN • Play by Play: Brandon Gaudin • Analyst: James Laurinaitis • Sidelines: Elise Menaker
- Ohio State ranks in the top 30 nationally in both total offense (28th) and total defense (10th).
- The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 42-3 in the first quarters of its first three games this season.
- Ryan Day is the 25th head coach in school history. He is just the fourth Buckeye head coach to start his career 6-0.
- Since 2012, Ohio State is 49-3 at Ohio Stadium and averaging 44.1 points per game.
OHIO STATE/MIAMI STORYLINES
- Ohio State and Miami are meeting for just the sixth time ever and first since the 2012 season opener.
- The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 5-0 with wins coming in 1904, 1911, 2000, 2005 and 2012.
- Ohio State offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Kevin Wilson spent eight years at Miami as an assistant coach (1990-98) under Randy Walker.
- Another notable Buckeye with Miami coaching tie is Woody Hayes, who went 14-5 in two seasons at Miami before coming to Ohio State in 1951.
The Buckeyes are facing an in-state opponent for the second time in three weeks. It the first time they’ve played two in-state opponents in the same season since 2014.
GROUND ATTACK
- Ohio State’s 271.0 yards-per-game rushing average is No. 16 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes’ 6.0 yards-per-carry average ranks No. 17. Ohio State is one of just two Power 5 teams who has multiple rushers averaging 7.0 yards per carry or better (minimum 25 attempts) over the first three weeks of the season (Master Teague – 7.4 yards/carry, Dobbins – 7.1 yards/carry).
- Junior RB J.K. Dobbins, coming off a 193-yard performance at Indiana, is No. 6 nationally in yards per game (141.7), No. 4 in rushing yards (425) and No. 17 in yards per carry (7.1 – minimum 30 attempts).
- Dobbins and Master Teague were the first duo to run for 100 or more yards in a game for the Buckeyes since Dobbins and Mike Weber did it against Michigan State in 2017.
- The 314 yards rushing against Indiana was the most by Ohio State is a game since putting up 375 vs. Oregon State in the 2018 season opener.
Its 7.7 yards per carry average was the best since running for 335 yards on 42 carries (7.9/carry) vs. Michigan State in 2017.
STOP. THE. RUN.
- Ohio State’s defense has allowed just 171 rushing yards the first three games, a 16-year low and a total that gets even more impressive the further back you go.
- Researching back to 1950, the 171 yards is the fourth-fewest rush yards allowed through the first three games of an Ohio State season.
- The 2003 team allowed just 56 through its first three games (7-Washington; 28-San Diego State; 21-North Carolina State).
- Otherwise, the 1950 team (86) and the 1968 national champion team (169) are the only other teams to allow fewer rush yards through the first three games than the 2019 team.
CHASE-ING VRABEL
- Junior DE Chase Young currently ranks fifth among active FBS players in career sacks (19.0) and has 15.5 since the start of last season.
Young’s 27.0 career tackles-for-loss is 18th amongst active FBS players. - The Upper Marboro, Md. native has at least one sack in four straight games dating back to last season.
- Young is seeking to become just the second player in program history to have multiple seasons of 10 or more sacks.
- Mike Vrabel, current coach of the Tennessee Titans, is the only Buckeye to have multiple 10-sack (or more) seasons.
Vrabel had 12.0 sacks in 1994 and 13.0 in 1995. - Young currently ranks 10th in career sacks with 17.0 (for minus 132 yards).
1&1
Ohio State’s defense has allowed just one TD and one field goal the last eight quarters, and is 10th nationally in scoring defense at 10.1 points/game.
42
Ohio State has won 42 consecutive games against in-state schools and is on a 48-game unbeaten streak (47-0-1) since a 7-6 loss to Oberlin in 1921.
105
Ohio State holds a 105-point differential through the first three quarters so far this season, including a dominant 73-point edge in the first half (86-13).
119
Junior RB J.K. Dobbins is now just 119 yards from becoming the 11th Buckeye to rush for at least 3,000 yards in a career. He’s fourth nationally with 425 yards.
- Miami has started the 2019 season, its sixth under the direction of head coach Chuck Martin, with a 1-2 record entering Saturday’s contest.
- The Redhawks fell at Cincinnati last week, 35-13, despite getting out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead.
- Quarterback Brett Gabbert directs an offense averaging 25 points per game and is completing just shy of 60 percent of his passes this year for 481 yards and two TDs.
- In the backfield, the 1-2 punch of Tyre Shelton and Davion Johnson has split carries almost equally. They have accounted for three of Miami’s six rushing touchdowns so far.
- Johnson is also the team leader in receptions (eight). Jalen Walker leads in receiving yards (113) and yards per catch (28.2).
