clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ohio State football: KYEOYE - How the Bucks' opponents fared, Week 1

The college football season is underway, and Ohio State's future opponents this year had a mixed bag of results in their season openers.

By Brett Ludwiczak
Stephen Lam

Going along with the theme of the first weekend of the season where FCS teams stunned their FBS counterparts, Ohio State's week two opponent was downed by Eastern Illinois in the biggest upset of the weekend among the future foes of the Buckeyes. Northwestern was able to give Ohio State a blueprint in how to beat Cal in Berkeley for when the Buckeyes head to the left coast in the third week of the season. The rest of week 1's results can be found below.

Buffalo (0-1), LOST at #2 Ohio State (40-20), NEXT GAME: at Baylor, Saturday 3:30 PM

As many of us saw on Saturday afternoon (if you missed it, here is our game recap), the Bulls fell into a 23-0 hole after the first quarter and put up a valiant effort in trying to fight their way out of it, but Ohio State was just too much. The bright spot for Buffalo was the player that we had been hearing the most about coming into the season opener. Linebacker Khalil Mack returned a Braxton Miller interception 45 yards in the second quarter to help the Bulls pull within 23-13. For the game, Mack finished with 2.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles. The tackles for loss brings Mack's career total to 58.5, which leaves him 16.5 tackles for loss shy of the NCAA record for a career. Quarterback Joe Licata was able to take advantage of a Buckeye secondary that was missing Bradley Roby and C.J. Barnett, and throw for two touchdown passes. Licata's main target on the day was wide receiver Alex Neutz, who finished with nine receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Buffalo will again hit the road this Saturday for another tough matchup, as they travel down to Waco to square off with the high-powered Baylor offense. In the opening weekend Baylor had no trouble with Wofford, jumping out to a 28-0 lead after the first quarter and cruising to a 69-3 win.

San Diego State (0-1), LOST vs. Eastern Illinois (40-19), NEXT GAME: at #2 Ohio State, Saturday 3:30 PM

In a weekend that saw a number of FCS teams down their FBS counterparts, one of the victims on that list was Ohio State's opponent this week, San Diego State. The Aztecs had no answer for EIU quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who went 31-46 and threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns. The big issue for the Aztecs on Saturday night was turnovers. Quarterback Adam Dingwell completed 27 of 63 passes for 318 yards, but was intercepted four times by the Eastern Illinois' defense. The ground game was non-existent for San Diego State, with returning leading rusher Adam Meuma only gaining 17 yards on 10 carries. The lone notable run (and only touchdown of the night) for the Aztecs came from wide receiver Colin Lockett on a 48 yard scamper. San Diego State wasn't able to capitalize when they got near the end zone, settling for four field goals by kicker Wes Feer, with the longest only being 41 yards.

One silly streak to keep an eye out for on Saturday when the Aztecs come to Columbus is whether San Diego State receives the ball first in the game. Currently San Diego State has received the ball first in 16 straight games, the longest current streak in the NCAA.

California (0-1), LOSS vs. #22 Northwestern (44-30), NEXT GAME: vs. Portland State, Saturday 5:00 PM

The Sonny Dykes era in Berkeley got off to an exciting start when Cal took an early 7-0 lead on the visiting Wildcats when they used a fake field goal to score on a 10 yard touchdown pass. The "Bear Raid" offense showed some flashes of success in Jared Goff's first start at quarterback for the Golden Bears. Goff had a big stat line completing 38 of 63 passes for 445 yards, and two touchdowns. For the game, California ran a total of 99 offensive plays. The difference in the game though is the two interceptions he threw to Northwestern's Collin Ellis, who returned both for touchdowns. Another major point in the game was when Cal defensive end Chris McCain was ejected under the new targeting rules for a hit he delivered to Christian Jones. At the time Northwestern was inside their own 20-yard line, but the Wildcats immediately hit Dan Vitale for a 53-yard reception on the play after the penalty. At the time of the penalty it was a tie game, but Northwestern took full advantage of the mistake by the Golden Bears.

This week Cal will welcome in Portland State to Berkeley, trying to notch the first win under Sonny Dykes before Ohio State comes into town next weekend.

#23 Wisconsin (1-0), WIN vs. Massachusetts (45-0), NEXT GAME: vs. Tennessee Tech, Saturday 12:00 PM

Wisconsin did have any trouble with Massachusetts in the first game for Gary Andersen as head coach after he replaced Bret Bielema. Massachusetts is only in their second season competed in FBS football, and Wisconsin didn't make it look otherwise in Madison on Saturday. The Badgers had three rushers run for over 100 yards, with true freshman Corey Clement receiving the most carries of all the Badgers running backs. Clement had 16 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first Badger true freshman to rush for over 100 yards in his season debut. Melvin Gordon added 144 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown and James White had 143 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown to add to the rout. Badger quarterback Joel Stave struggled in the first half, but found Jared Abbrederis on 65 and 57 yard touchdown passes in the second half.

Wisconsin should have another layup game on Saturday when Tennessee Tech comes into Camp Randall Stadium.

#22 Northwestern (1-0), WIN at California (44-30), NEXT GAME: vs. Syracuse, Saturday 6:00 PM

What could be one of the best seasons in Northwestern history didn't exactly get off to the start the Wildcats were hoping for with quarterback Kain Colter leaving the game on the second play after suffering a concussion. Quarterback Trevor Siemian stepped up and shoulder more of the load after the Colter injury, going 18-29 through the air with 276 yards and a touchdown pass. The difference in the game for Northwestern though was cornerback Collin Ellis, who had two interception returns for touchdowns in the second half. Trayvon Green led the Wildcats in rushing with 129 yards and two touchdowns, as Venric Mark saw limited action in the game due to an injury.

Northwestern won't have long to get Colter and Mark, as well as cornerback Daniel Jones, healthy before hosting Syracuse in their home opener on Saturday. Jones left the game on Saturday night late in the first half with a leg injury.

Iowa (0-1), LOSS vs. Northern Illinois (30-27), NEXT GAME: vs. Missouri State, Saturday 12:00 PM

The beginning of the 2013 season brought heartbreak for the Hawkeyes, as Northern Illinois kicked a 36-yard field goal with only four seconds to go to earn the win in Kinnick Stadium. Iowa allowed the Huskies to score 10 points in the last 5:05 to seal the comeback. A interception thrown by Jake Rudock with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter helped Northern Illinois setup the game-winning field goal. While throwing the late game interception, Rudock threw for 256 yards in the air during the game, with a rushing and passing touchdown. Senior Christian Kirksey also added a 52-yard fumble return for a touchdown earlier in the game for the Hawkeyes.

The loss for Iowa was their seventh straight loss dating back to last year, and the first opener that they lost since 2000. The Hawkeyes will try and end the slide on Saturday when Missouri State visits Iowa City.

Penn State (1-0), WIN vs. Syracuse (23-17), NEXT GAME: vs. Eastern Michigan, Saturday 12:00 PM

Christian Hackenberg had a solid debut for the Nittany Lions, going 22-31 and throwing for 276 yards and two touchdowns in the opener at MetLife Stadium against Syracuse. Hackenberg is only the second freshman to start the opener for Penn State since 1910, and showed glimpses of why he was so highly touted coming out of high school. Last year's leading receiver Allen Robinson didn't see action in the first half, but still pulled in seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Robinson was benched by coach Bill O'Brien for an undisclosed team violation for the first half of the game. The margin of victory probably should have been a little wider for the Nittany Lions, but Hackenberg threw a interception with 6:58 left in a 23-10 game which Syracuse returned to the Penn State 1-yard line. The Orange scored on the next play, cutting the lead to 23-17.

A couple other bright spots for Penn State were kicker Sam Ficken, who hit three field goals, including a 46-yarder, and cornerback Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, who had a interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and sack on Saturday. Penn State will open their home schedule this year on Saturday when they welcome Eastern Michigan to Beaver Stadium.

Purdue (0-1), LOSS at Cincinnati (42-7), NEXT GAME: NEXT GAME: vs. Indiana State, Saturday 12:00 PM

Darrell Hazell's first game as Purdue's head coach probably wasn't the debut he had in mind when he took the job, with the Boilermakers suffering their worst loss in a season opener since losing to Michigan State 52-14 in 1996. There wasn't a lot that went right for Purdue, with Cincinnati running off 35 unanswered points after a Rob Henry touchdown run tied the game at 7-7. Henry finished the game with 161 yards passing and two interceptions, and knew the his performance wasn't good enough after the game.

Hazell will now have to try to earn his first win as head coach for the Boilermakers on Saturday when Indiana State comes to West Lafayette.

Illinois (1-0), WIN vs. Southern Illinois (42-34), NEXT GAME: vs. Cincinnati, Saturday 12:00 PM

Senior Nathan Scheelhaase threw for a career-high 416 yards along with three touchdown as Illinois held off a late charge for Southern Illinois on Saturday. Ryan Lankford was the leading receiver for the Fighting Illini, bringing in six catches for a career-high 115 yards. The passing game seemed to be the only thing that was working for Illinois on Saturday, as they were only able to muster 49 yards on 30 carries on the ground. Illinois did have a little success with their special teams unit, as V'Angelo Bentley tied a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Ahead 42-27 in the fourth quarter, head coach Tim Beckman took Scheelhaase out and replaced him with Reilly O'Toole and it almost proved costly for the Fighting Illini. O'Toole proceed to have a delay of game penalty called, another penalty called, a sack, and then lost a fumble. Southern Illinois went on to make it 42-34, but couldn't get any closer.

Illinois will have a decidedly tougher test on Saturday when Cincinnati will try and make it two wins in two weeks over Big Ten teams to start the season.

Indiana (1-0), WIN vs. Indiana State (73-35), NEXT GAME vs. Navy, Saturday 6:00 PM

The blowout of Indiana State to start the season allowed Indiana to get all three of their quarterbacks time out on the field on Thursday night. Tre Robinson started the game and threw two touchdown passes before giving way to Nate Sudfeld. Sudfeld saw the most time for the Hoosiers, going 12-19 for 219 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Cameron Coffman was on cleanup duty for the Hoosiers and was the only quarterback to play for Indiana that didn't throw a touchdown. Tevin Campbell also added a spark on the ground for the Hoosiers, rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. The 45 points that Indiana scored in the first half is a Indiana school record. That wasn't the only record Indiana set on Thursday, as the 73 points they scored is a Memorial Stadium record, breaking the old mark of 69 set by Nebraska in 1978. The Hoosiers had a shot to break the all-time school record for points at 76, but chose to run out the clock instead.

This week Indiana will step-up in competition when Navy comes to Bloomington on Saturday. The Hoosiers will be aiming to avenge a loss that they suffered last year to the Midshipmen.

Michigan (1-0), WIN vs. Central Michigan (59-9), NEXT GAME: vs. #14 Notre Dame, Saturday 8:00 PM

The thrashing of Central Michigan that Michigan displayed on Saturday was the Wolverines highest scoring season opener since they defeated Ohio Wesleyan 65-0 back in 1905. The Wolverines scored early and often, holding a 35-6 lead at halftime over the Chippewas. Devin Gardner threw for 162 yards and a touchdown, while also running for another. Fitz Toussaint returned to the field for Michigan after breaking his leg against Purdue last year, running for 57 yards and two scores. Toussaint did have some help on the ground, as freshman Derrick Green added 58 yards and a touchdown.

Safety Thomas Gordon was suspended for the game against Central Michigan for a violation of team rules, but he will be eligible to return to the field on Saturday when Michigan welcomes in Notre Dame for the showdown under the lights in Ann Arbor.

More From Land-Grant Holy Land