Ohio State football: What you need to know about Saturday’s home opener vs. Oregon

Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

TV/Radio: FOX/1410

Series history: Ohio State leads 9-0, including a 5-0 mark in Ohio Stadium against the Ducks. Three of the matchups between the teams have come in the postseason, including the 1958 and 2010 Rose Bowls. Four of the matchups have come in seasons in which Ohio State won the national championship — 1957, ‘61, ‘68 and 2014.

Last game: The Buckeyes ran away from the Ducks 42-20 to win the first College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2015. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 246 yards as Ohio State topped the Ducks and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

Coaches: Ohio State’s Ryan Day is 24-2 three seasons, including 16–0 in the Big Ten. Oregon’s Mario Cristobal is 26-10 in four seasons leading the Ducks and 53-57 overall as a head coach.

Ohio State notes: Ohio State set a school record with 10.3 yards per play in the opener at Minnesota… All six of Ohio State’s touchdowns in that game covered 30 yards or more, including a 32-yard fumble return by defensive tackle Haskell Garrett… The Buckeyes are 6-0 in games in which Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson both score touchdowns… Saturday marks the beginning of the 100th season of football at Ohio Stadium… Ohio State is 453-112-20 in the Horseshoe… The Buckeyes have won 23 home games in a row… Ohio State’s last home loss was 31-16 to No. 5 Oklahoma on Sept. 9, 2017… Ohio State will induct 12 new members to its athletics hall of fame this weekend: Aaron Brown (football), Eric Brunner (men’s soccer), Karen Dennis (director of track and field and cross country), Amanda Furrer (rifle), Steven Kehoe (men’s volleyball), Daren Lynch (men’s gymnastics), Regis Monahan (football), Lance Palmer (wrestling), Don Perry (men’s gymnastics), Samantha Prahalis (women’s basketball), Amanda Purcell (rowing) and Francis Schmidt (football coach).

Oregon notes: The Ducks are 8-40-1 all-time against opponents ranked in the top five… Oregon’s defense had eight tackles for loss, including four sacks, and forced four fumbles in a season-opening win over Fresno State… Freshman linebacker Justin Flowe led Oregon with 14 tackles against the Bulldogs and forced a fumble… CJ Verdell and Travis Dye have combined for 4,501 rushing yards, the most of any active duo in college football…Oregon lists no senior starters on defense, and only two starters are juniors — nose tackle Pop Aumavae and defensive back Bennett Williams… Senior quarterback Anthony Brown is a graduate transfer from Boston College who threw for 172 yards and a touchdown and ran for 56 yards and a touchdown in his Oregon debut last week.

Quoted: Cristobal on the game kicking off at 9 a.m. Pacific time: “It’s a little bit different in that we’ll leave her on Thursday instead. After we do our Thursday mental sweat day. We’ll land over there at approximately 7 or 8 o’clock and get settled in. We’ll roll out how we need to before getting to bed that night. We’ll then have our Fast Friday preparation over there and roll right into the game. It’s typical of what you see of west coast teams when they travel east. You just go.”

Next game: The Buckeyes will be back home to take on Tulsa next Saturday at 3:30. Oregon will return home to play Stonybrook on the same day at the same time.

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Oregon 17