Game Preview: Ohio State Not Looking Ahead With Last-Place Northwestern Up Next

"We want to play at a high level. That’s the goal here, so it really shouldn’t matter who we’re playing against."

Ohio State's players and coaches often say that championships are won and lost in November, but the first three weekends of the month should offer little to no resistance in the Buckeyes' pursuit of a Big Ten title.

So, with Northwestern, Indiana and Maryland – who are a combined 10-15 on the season – on the docket before the regular-season finale against undefeated Michigan on Nov. 26, how does the team remain focused?

“The first thing is that we’ve always said is it’s about us, so why does that change this week?” head coach Ryan Day said. “Let’s just focus on us and getting better. If you don’t, not only do you show weakness, but you set yourself up for problems down the road.

"When you have a problem or you lose a game, maybe it’s something you did that week, but maybe it’s something you did in the weeks leading up to it. For us, our goals are still our goals. If we don’t maximize every single minute of the day this week, then it doesn’t matter.”

With that said, Day wants the players to view the seven-loss Wildcats as if they're in first place in the Big Ten West and not a 38-point home underdog to the second-ranked team in the country.

“Listen, it’s a Big Ten matchup, it’s on the road,” Day said. “I know maybe they don’t have the record that they want, but we’ve got to go play football and we want to play at a high level. That’s the goal here, so it really shouldn’t matter who we’re playing against."

“I thought we had good practice last week, and that can’t change this week. It doesn’t matter. The focus has to be on us ... There’s a lot of things that happen in college football on a weekly basis and our guys are still 18 to 22 years old, so we need to have a great week of practice and keep building.”

General Info

Date: Nov. 5, 2022
Where: Ryan Field (Evanston, Ill.)
Expected Weather: 62 degrees, rain showers
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET

Current Betting Numbers

Spread: Ohio State (-38)
O/U Total: 55.5
Betting: Check out the new SISportsbook!

How to Watch/Listen

Television: ABC
Streaming: fuboTV (get a 7-day free trial)
Announcers: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline)

Local Radio: Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield IMG College
Flagship: WBNS 97.1 The Fan
Announcers: Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (analyst), Matt Andrews (sideline reporter)

Series History

Ohio State leads Northwestern, 64-14-1
* OSU record on the road: 29-6-1

LAST TIME THEY MET
2020: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10 (Big Ten Championship)

Coaching Matchup

* Ryan Day
* At Ohio State: 4th Season, Record: 42-4
* Overall: Same
* Record vs. Northwestern: 2-0

* Pat Fitzgerald
* At Northwestern: 17th Season, Record: 110-97
* Overall: Same
* Record vs. Ohio State: 0-8

More News From Sports Illustrated: College Football Schedule | College Football Playoff Ranking Reactions | How A 12-Team Playoff Would Look After First Rankings | Tennessee, Georgia Prep For Classic Clash

Ohio State Capsule

Inclement weather is expected on Saturday, including a 57 percent chance for rain showers in the morning and wind gusts in the range of 25-40 miles per hour, which could have an impact on an Ohio State offense that averages 317.8 yards through the air and 48.9 points per game.

“We try not to look at the weather too much too far in advance, but then when we get to about two or three days out, we start to look at it,” Day said. “In the Midwest, for whatever reason, if it shows something early in the week, it’s usually not that by the time you get to Saturday.

“This week, it does look like we’re going to get some weather. We practice in all the elements, so we’re ready for it. We’ve had some really windy days in practice, practice in the rain, so we’ll just do the best we can and understand what we’re up against.”

That said, the Buckeyes have struggled to run the ball in recent weeks, totaling just 66 and 98 yards in wins over Iowa and Penn State after averaging 228.0 yards rushing through the first six games. 

The weather could be a blessing in disguise, though, as Northwestern ranks 110th in the country in rushing defense, allowing 186.4 yards per game. That means the run-game issues could quickly become a thing of the past.

“Sometimes you don’t really have to make many adjustments, you just have to handle it better than your opponent,” Day said. “Other times, if it gets extreme, you have to make some adjustments, so we’ll talk about it as we get closer to the game.”

That said, this marks the third road game of the season for Ohio State and, interestingly, all three venues have featured grass fields. Players might struggle to keep their footing on a wet surface, which Fitzgerald said earlier this week hasn’t been cut since Northwestern’s last home game on Oct. 8.

“It’ll be somewhere between two to four feet high,” Fitzgerald said, referring to the belief that the grass at Ryan Field is grown tall and overwatered to slow down opponents. “I’m just joking by the way. The field’s in unbelievable shape. It’s incredible, the best I think it’s ever been.”

Northwestern Capsule

Northwestern has lost seven straight games after opening the season with a win over Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, meaning the Wildcats have not won a game on American soil in more than a year (21-7 over Rutgers on October 16, 2021).

A big part of that the lack of production at quarterback, as South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski and sophomore Brendan Sullivan have combined to throw for just 1,992 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions on the season.

Hilinski started the first six games of the year, but Sullivan has started the last two after Hilinski suffered a concussion in 42-7 loss to Wisconsin on Oct. 8. Sullivan hasn't fared much better and was sacked seven times in the 33-13 loss at Iowa last weekend.

Running back Evan Hull is the lone bright spot on an offense that averages just 362.6 yards and 17.9 points per game, as he’s rushed for 579 yard and three touchdowns this season. He’s also second in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards, averaging 143.4 yards per contest.

Linebackers Bryce Gallagher (79 tackles, five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks) and Xander Mueller (65 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions) lead the way defensively. However, the unit allows 28.8 points per game, which is the third-worst in the conference.

That said, a lot has changed in the almost two years since Northwestern led Ohio State at halftime of the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game, as the Wildcats are guaranteed back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since they went 5-7 in 2013-14.

“You look at the 'why,' and it starts with turnover ratio,” Fitzgerald said. “Then, obviously our explosive play battle, offensively and defensively. Third, making the plays that need to be made down in crunch time, especially this year that need to be made to win games.”

With a loss on Saturday, Northwestern would also tie its longest losing streak since 1993. The Wildcats then wrap up the season with trips to 5-3 Minnesota and 5-3 Purdue before the annual rivalry game with 7-1 Illinois, putting them on track for a school-record-tying 11th straight defeat.

Major Storylines

• Ohio State enters Saturday’s game with the third-longest winning streak in the country (nine games), trailing only Clemson (14 games) and Georgia (10 games), who came in at No. 4 and No. 3, respectively, in this week's College Football Playoff rankings.
• Penn State marked the seventh consecutive game with at least 40 points for the Buckeyes, which tied the Big Ten record set by Michigan from 1901-02. Ohio State also tied the FBS record with 69 consecutive games with 20 or more points, which was set by Oklahoma from 2016-21.
• After forcing 10 turnovers (six interceptions, four fumble recoveries) in the last two weeks, Ohio State is tied for seventh nationally with a +9 turnover margin. The Buckeyes have forced 16 total turnovers this season, while turning it over seven times themselves (three fumbles and four interceptions).
• Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was Northwestern’s offensive coordinator from 1999-2001. He and late head coach Randy Walker helped the Wildcats to a share of the 2000 Big Ten title, their most recent conference championship.
• The Buckeyes have just one player from Illinois on the roster in freshman wide receiver Kaleb Brown, though 2023 five-star wide receiver commit Carnell Tate is also from Chicago despite playing his high school ball at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.
• Northwestern has eight Ohioans on its roster, meanwhile, including running back Cam Porter (Cincinnati); wide receiver Jack Kennedy (Cleveland); tight end Marshall Lang (Cincinnati); offensive lineman Ben Wrather (Powell); defensive linemen Jaiden Cameron (Clayton), Aidan Hubbard (Cleveland) and Najee Story (Solon); and defensive back Garner Wallace (Pickerington).
• Fitzgerald is 0-8 against the Buckeyes as a coach, but also went 0-2 as a player (1993 and 1994). The two teams did not play in 1995 or 1996 when Northwestern won at least a share of the Big Ten in consecutive seasons, however.
• Now in the midst of his 17th season in Evanston, Fitzgerald – who replaced Walker in 2006 – is the second-longest tenured coach in the Big Ten and fourth-longest tenured coach in the country, trailing only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (24th season), Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy (18th) and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham (18th).

-----

Get your Ohio State football tickets from SI Tickets. Also, be sure to check out our new message boards, Buckeye Forums. We'd love to have you part of the conversation during the season.

-----

You may also like:

Former Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson Named NFL Rookie Of The Week

Ryan Day Shares Final Thoughts On Northwestern During Radio Show

Ohio State LS Mason Arnold Loses Black Stripe After First Career Start

Consistency Key To More Playing Time For Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams

CB Jordan Hancock's Role Increasing After Return From Hamstring Injury

Emeka Egbuka, Paris Johnson, Denzel Burke Preview Northwestern

-----

Be sure to stay locked into BuckeyesNow all the time!

Join the BuckeyesNow community!
Subscribe to the BuckeyesNow YouTube channel
Follow Andrew Lind on Twitter: @AndrewMLind
Follow BuckeyesNow on Twitter: @BuckeyesNow_FN
Follow BuckeyesNow on Instagram: @BuckeyesNow_FN

Like and follow BuckeyesNow on Facebook!