But to keep that intact, Ryan Day’s team had to take care of business against the Wildcats.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Northwestern dominated the early part of the game
The Wildcats drove into the Ohio State red zone on their first two possessions, though they only came away with seven points because of a fumble forced by Jack Sawyer and recovered by Davison Igbinosun on the opening drive.
Northwestern had 151 yards after two drives but only 100 the rest of the game, including 48 on the final drive against the Buckeyes’ second-team defense.
“Overall I thought we settled down once those first couple of drives hit,” Day said.
2. A couple of Northwestern miscues turned the momentum
The Wildcats’ third drive ended in disaster as a botched snap on a third down forced them to punt for the first time, then the long snap went over punter Hunter Renner’s head on fourth down.
He recovered the ball and tried to get it off, but David Adolph deflected the kick out of bounds at the Northwestern 1, and Ohio State capitalized with a 1-yard touchdown run by Quinshon Judkins.
That gave the Buckeyes a 21-7 lead and all the momentum they would need to take control of the game.
“I thought we did a nice job at the end of the first half going in at the in the third quarter, and that’s very, very important to play that way, but a couple of those turnovers certainly helped us in the first half,” Day said.
This was a wild play 👀
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 16, 2024
In the end, it's a blocked punt and No. 2 @OhioStateFB takes over at the 1-yard line.#B1GFootball on Big Ten Network 📺 pic.twitter.com/E4x0YBYfnT
3. Ohio State got the running game going eventually
The Buckeyes ran for only 55 yards in the first half, but Ohio State was able to get some traction in the second.
They ran for 62 yards in the third quarter and 56 more in the fourth to finish with 173 on 33 attempts.
Judkins ran 15 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns while TreVeyon Henderson had 11 carries for 74 yards.
“We did make some adjustments there, and I thought we finally got that running game going,” Day said. “The run game takes time and certain games we’d love to hit those four, five, six, seven, eight, nine-yard runs maybe more early in the game, but it takes a little time and you gotta make those adjustments.
“I think (offensive coordinator Chip Kelly) did a good job of coming back to some stuff that we did make adjustments on, and so did (offensive line coach Justin Frye) and the guys on the O-line.”
4. Carnell Tate had a special day
The Ohio State sophomore caught four passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns in his first time back in his hometown since his freshman year of high school.
According to Ohio State, Tate got tickets for more than 30 friends and family members, but the homecoming was even more poignant because Tate lost his mother go gun violence in the city in July 2023.
“It was a lot of high emotions and stuff like that, but I had to manage it,” Tate said. “It means a lot to be playing back in my city, especially my first time being back since my freshman year of high school, and especially being able to play in front of all my family and friends.”
5. Bigger challenges await
Next week Ohio State returns home to face undefeated Indiana.
The fifth-ranked Hoosiers were off this weekend but are enjoying a stunning turnaround season under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti.
The winner will be in the driver’s seat for a berth in the Big Ten Championship Game heading into rivalry week.
“We know that we’ve got to be playing our best football in November,” Day said. “We want to be consistent in everything we do because either we are or we aren’t. And everything you do is hard in the Big Ten. You’re not just going to walk in and think you’re just going to from the first snap on roll your helmets out there and run the team out of the stadium. It doesn’t work that way.
“I think (Northwestern coach David) Braun did a good job. I like the way his team plays. They’re physical. They had two weeks to prepare, and it’s the same thing with the team we’re going to play next week. They’ve had two weeks to prepare and to gameplan us like Northwestern did. So we know we were going to get their best shot, and that’s the way we want it. And I thought they did a nice job with some of the things they did early on.
“I think he’s a really good coach and they have a good team. So I think it’s good that’s kind of a business-like win. And now it’s time to move on.”
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