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After a brief foray into Big Ten play on the road against Indiana, the Buckeyes return to Columbus for their final non-conference game of the regular season as they take on Miami (OH).
If there was any remaining doubt as to the strength of the Ohio State offense, defense or coaching staff, it was quickly squashed as the Buckeyes posted a 51-10 win over the Hoosiers in Bloomington last week. Having beaten Indiana by more than double the 18-point spread, Ohio State seemed to cruise through the game (by the way, all the scoring was done by the start of the fourth quarter).
Quarterback Justin Fields was 14-of-24 passing for 199 yards and three touchdowns (to three different receivers, no less), adding one more on the ground. Running back J.K. Dobbins continued to balance the passing attack, rushing for 193 yards and adding a touchdown of his own. Fellow running back Master Teague got in on the action as well, hitting the century mark in rushing yards and finding the endzone once on the afternoon. And if it needs to be said, Indiana’s high-flying offense was held to just 10 points, the lone touchdown coming from backup quarterback Donavan Hale in the second quarter.
Miami, meanwhile, enters the game with a 1-2 record on the season, with losses to No. 18 Iowa and Cincinnati. Against the Bearcats, a common opponent with the Buckeyes, the Redhawks fell 35-13. For Miami, the player to watch is true freshman quarterback Brett Gabbert, who happens to be the younger brother of Blaine Gabbert. The young passer has thrown for just under 500 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Chuck Martin is in his sixth season as head coach in Oxford, and has amassed a 23-41 record.
The Buckeyes are 38.5-point favorites over the Redhawks. Historically, Ohio State holds a 5-0 advantage over its in-state MAC opponent. After a big win to start the Big Ten season, Ohio State looks to wrap up its non-conference slate with a massive win at home.
When is the game and how can I watch?
Game Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 21, 3:30 p.m.
Location: Columbus, Ohio
TV: BTN
Online: BTN+
Radio: 97.1 FM/1460 AM
Where is GameDay this weekend?
GameDay has a lot to top when it travels to Athens, Georgia ahead of the top-10 matchup of No. 3 Georgia and No. 7 Notre Dame. (ICYMI, last week, an Iowa State fan’s Venmo sign, initially aimed at raising beer money, brought in more than $36,000 $225,000 for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital). This week marks the fourth time GameDay has originated from Athens, but the first since 2013.
What’s the rest of the Big Ten up to today?
For some reason, the top Big Ten matchup of the day, featuring No. 11 Michigan on the road against No. 13 Wisconsin, is scheduled for noon on FOX. Note the Badgers are 3.5-point favorites, and Jim Harbaugh has never won as an underdog at Michigan. Alongside the ranked matchup is a trio of games featuring Michigan State at Northwestern (ABC), Boston College at Rutgers (BTN) and UConn at Indiana (BTN). Rounding out the conference slate for the day is Illinois at home against Nebraska at 8 p.m. on BTN.
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