It was a very successful senior day for Ohio State football, as it used a dominant third quarter to put away Minnesota, 37-3.
The Buckeyes received plenty of strong play from both sides of the ball. There was also aspects Ohio State could have been much better at.
This week two players reached five-star status, the best of what we saw on Saturday evening. There was also two units that didn’t play at a championship level, which earned them the lower stars.
Find out below who which were the best (five-star) and worst (one-star), performances for Ohio State in its win over Minnesota.
5 ⭐️ - Defensive end Jack Sawyer
BUCKEYES FORCE THE TURNOVER 😮@OhioStateFB gets it right back! pic.twitter.com/a8Ehix3G9w
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 18, 2023
Why
It was easy to label Sawyer as a bust heading into this season. He barely played during his freshman year and was playing out of position in 2022. The former No. 1 prospect coming out of high school played like it tonight. He was getting pressure all game and making plenty of tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 3.5 in fact. The second of two huge plays to start the second half, Sawyer’s sack/fumble almost led to a scoop and score by J.T. Tuimoloau. It was one of the best games of Sawyer’s Buckeye career.
5 ⭐️ - Running back TreVeyon Henderson
TreVeyon Henderson is having himself a game for @OhioStateFB 💪
⬜️ 146 YDS
⬜️ 15 CAR
⬜️ 2 TDS pic.twitter.com/lZHjwCJDXb— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 18, 2023
Why
A healthy TreVeyon Henderson is one of the best players in the country. It’s oddly interesting that many people forget about how special of a talent he is, likely due to his injury history. Anytime he touches the ball, he can take it to the house. Henderson’s speed is just different, and he showed that on his two touchdown scampers.
3 ⭐️ - Quarterback Kyle McCord
It's just too easy for the Buckeyes and Marvin Harrison Jr. 🌰🙌@OhioStateFB adds on another TD pic.twitter.com/sPIR9e8IOF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 18, 2023
Why
His final line will look good, but McCord missed on more than a few easy throws. We saw the highs last week. This wasn’t a low, but he was not nearly as crisp with ball placement this time. At this point, it’s fairly easy to say he’s a game manager, doesn’t make many terrible mistakes, but wins games. He’s Ryan Day’s version of Craig Krenzel, and we all know how that turned out.
2 ⭐️ - Parker Fleming’s special teams unit
3/3 from @jayden_fielding #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/p9xoz4E30w
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 18, 2023
Why
The only saving grace was Jayden Fielding being perfect in all of his field goal attempts. If you aren’t going to return a punt, you better catch it and not risk getting pinned inside the 20-yard line. It seems like a weekly occurrence to complain about this group, but there is so much below-average play on a regular basis.
⭐️ - Ohio State’s offense's inability to finish drives
One half down in Columbus.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/x7MjEZm6jz
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 18, 2023
Why
It wasn’t the the Buckeye offense played bad in the first 30 minutes, its that it missed opportunities to put more points on the board. The offense moved the ball with 232 yards and 14 first downs, but only managed 13 points. Part of it was the starting field position inside the 10-yard line multiple times. Some of it was average play that improved in the second half. The OSU offense has to do a better job as the biggest games of the season are upon us.
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