The week Buckeyes fans have been waiting for

Billy Bruce
3 days ago
3 min read

Welcome to Connor Stalions' Week. Christmas in November. Santa Claus versus The Grinch.

Hopefully, the Buckeyes get more than a lump of coal this year…even though last year’s coal was turned into diamonds.

Last Saturday’s 42-9 thrashing of Rutgers despite being without star wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, both of whom were held back for precautionary reasons, shows the talent Ohio State’s offense has across the board.

Granted, the OSU offense looks vanilla without their two superheroes and the Rutgers defense was no Steel Curtain. But the Buckeyes’ defense is, allowing only 147 total yards.

Led by DE Caden Curry (6 tackles, 2 sacks), who stripped Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis of the ball early in the third quarter at the Rutgers 1-yard-line and nearly scored as he recovered the fumble.

Two plays later, Julian Sayin hit Max Klare to push the lead to 21-3. Klare, incidentally, had 105 yards on seven receptions to pace the Buckeyes receivers.

Bo Jackson, a true freshman, recorded his fifth 100+ yard rushing performance and now has 835 yards on the year. It’s a longshot, but he still has a chance to join Robert Smith,

Maurice Clarett, JK Dobbins, and TreVeyon Henderson as the only true freshmen to eclipse 1,000 yards in a regular season.

With the win, a national best 15th in a row, Ryan Day tied Earl Bruce for fifth place all-time at OSU with his 81st victory. His winning percentage of 89% is best among all active coaches and eclipses Knute Rockne’s all-time .881.

But he’ll need to keep his foot on the gas for three more seasons to knock the Notre Dame icon off his perch.

Back to the Stalions' Game. Following the Buckeyes’ 42-27 loss in The Big Cheaters House in 2021, then maize and blah coach Jim Harbaugh said of Ryan Day, “Some people were born on third base and think they hit a triple,” suggesting Day didn’t earn the right to coach at such a high level.

But 2021 was the first of two seasons we are aware of where Harbaugh’s fanboy paid friends to record opposing teams’ signals.

It certainly wasn’t happening in 2020, when Harbaugh’s 2-4 team was just too sick to travel to Columbus for The Game. Sure. We all believed that, right?

Study the history of Harbaugh’s upbringing. Then study Day’s. Who was really born on third base?

After Stalion’s team received a slap on the wrist by the NCAA, Harbaugh was effectively banished from coaching again at the college level, his final season bookended by two separate cheating scandals.

Day, as noted above, continues to build a juggernaut and the entire country is on notice.

His defense is the best in recent memory. His offense, when everyone is healthy, can score at any moment. He’s attracted top talent, aligned with top coaches, and grasped a national championship trophy high atop the college football world.

What he doesn’t have is a Show-Cause order from the NCAA. He also doesn’t have a win over Stalions' team since 2019.

Anything can happen in this game. With a win, Ohio State will take on Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6.

A loss won’t be a backbreaker, but let’s not consider those options.

All season, I’ve believed the only team that can beat these Buckeyes is themselves. Here’s hoping they refuse to prove me right.

O – H!

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Billy Bruce covers Ohio State Buckeyes football for tristatesportspage.com