What They’re Saying About Ohio State’s Win At Northwestern

Local and national pundits react to the Buckeyes’ 21-7 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday.

Dealing with inclement weather, including heavy rain and 40-mile-per-hour winds, Ohio State struggled to do much offensively in a 21-7 win at Northwestern on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 10-of-26 passes for just 76 yards and failed to throw a touchdown passes for the first time on his career, but rushed for a career-high 79 yards, including a 44-yarder that helped the Buckeyes go up by two scores late.

Running back Miyan Williams, who got the start with TreVeyon Henderson sidelined by a foot injury, rushed for 111 yards and two scores on 26 carries, including a 27-yard score in the third quarter and 2-yard score with 4:21 remaining in the fourth.

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Defensively, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg once again led the Buckeyes with 13 tackles and one tackle for loss, while linebacker Steele Chambers and defensive ends Zach Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau each added one tackle for loss, as well.

With that said, local and national college football analysts shared some of their thoughts on the game, and BuckeyesNow has compiled some of the best reactions below:

Richard Johnson, Sports Illustrated

"Terrible weather and terrible turf combined for Ohio State to gut this game out. After the contest, coach Ryan Day said 'I’m glad this game is over with,' as the Buckeyes struggled mightily in the elements during this one.

"As Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to be held out with an injury, Ohio State awaits his return to see if he can give it the extra gear the offense is missing and bring sunnier days to the unit."

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

"Windy and wet conditions at Northwestern might have wiped out Stroud's Heisman Trophy chances, as the quarterback had by far his worst game as the Buckeyes' starter, completing only 10-of-26 passes for 76 yards. But Ohio State's perfect season remained intact after an ugly win in uglier conditions.

"Stroud recorded career-lows for completion percentage and passing yards, but contributed a career-high 79 rushing yards as Ohio State's run game provided all three touchdowns. The Buckeyes' 283 yards marked their low under Day, but their defense held Northwestern scoreless for the final 3½ quarters."

David M. Hale, ESPN

"Ohio State slumbered through a miserable day in Evanston, as Northwestern held Stroud to just 76 passing yards. The Buckeyes prevailed 21-7, but it was the 'Star Wars' prequels – part of the canon, but no one wants to watch it ever again."

Bill Bender, The Sporting News

"Stroud and the rest of the Buckeyes' offense suffered through their worst performance of the season in a 21-7 win at Northwestern. In windy and sometimes rainy conditions, Stroud did more damage with his legs than his arms, which is not his M.O. You can win the Heisman with one bad game. For Stroud, this was it."

Zac Al-Khateeb, The Sporting News

"The Buckeyes only beat Northwestern 21-7 in windy conditions in Evanston, Ill. But the fact remains the Wildcats have only one win on the season, and an outcome like that could be detrimental to the Buckeyes' rankings. At least, it would have been if it weren't for several lackluster performances behind them."

Barrett Sallee, CBS Sports

"The weather in Evanston was horrible, which certainly played into Ohio State's sluggish 21-7 win over Northwestern, but the Buckeyes seemed disinterested from the jump. They found a way to get the win, but the product on the field wasn't as crisp as it should have been, horrible weather notwithstanding."

Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

"Go stand in a wind tunnel and throw a football. See how well it works out for you. Stroud would tell you it doesn't go well after he completed only 10-of-26 passes for 76 yards. While there were a few drops, Stroud's accuracy was off all day as the wind wreaked havoc on any throw meant to go more than five yards.

"The Buckeyes, who were without Henderson, began to lean more on the run game in the second half. Even Stroud, who has never been known as a scrambler, finished with more rushing yards (79) than passing. Williams led the Buckeyes with 111 yards and two touchdowns, including a 27-yard scoring run to give the Buckeyes the lead in the second half.

"While a win is a win, what remains unknown is how the College Football Playoff will view the performance. Will the Buckeyes be punished for not dominating a Northwestern team that is now 1-8, or will it show an understanding of the conditions in which the game was played? We'll get answers to that question Tuesday. Ohio State's just happy to remain undefeated for now, though."

Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic

"OK, we have a problem with the rushing attack. Ohio State ran for 207 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. On paper that looks great, but take into account that Stroud had 79 of those yards on six carries. When it comes to lining up and running the ball, Ohio State has struggled the last three weeks. Since the bye week, Ohio State has run for 371 yards on a 4.1-yard average. That’s down from a 6.0-yard average in the first six weeks of the season.

"Williams returned Saturday after leaving last week’s game with an injury and ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts. Henderson didn’t play, missing his first game since Rutgers on Oct. 1. It would help to get both running backs healthy, but the problem isn’t the backs.

"The Buckeyes simply aren’t winning the one-on-one battles. You can justify an inconsistent passing attack on the rain and wind, but not getting one yard against the No. 109 rushing defense in the country is concerning.

"At times this season you’ve been able to attribute a loss of yards to Williams or Henderson dancing in the backfield too much. Not Saturday. The Wildcats defensive line too often dominated at the point of attack. If Ohio State wants to reach its goals – and we know what those are – it has to get its run game sorted out. And fast."

Mike Wachsman, NBC4

"Much as it had to do in the season opener against Notre Dame, Ohio State’s defense stood up and was able to help change the momentum of the football game.

"Northwestern took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on an 87-yard, nine-play drive, gashing the Buckeyes with outside zone runs and a sprinkling of quarterback option and designed quarterback runs. The Wildcats averaged 8.7 yards per carry on the drive and pushed Ohio State around decisively.

"OSU allowed only 200 yards of offense the rest of the way against Northwestern and limited NU to less just 37 percent on third-down conversions after that scoring drive.

"One thing that Ohio State couldn’t do was turn the Wildcats over. Northwestern entered the game ranked 126th at minus-9 in turnovers and had lost the football in every game this season. Ohio State came in plus-nine with (10 forced turnovers against Iowa and Penn State)."

Phil Harrison, BuckeyesWire

"There’s no way around it. When you are looking for style points in the College Football Playoff era, there are no days off. Despite the extreme weather conditions, all the naysayers and opinion makers will see this game as a black mark on Ohio State’s résumé.

"Never mind the fact that OSU has dismantled teams that have dismantled Northwestern, it’s all about what you’ve done for me lately and the narrative that fans and the media want to put out there to help their cause.

"There were some issues that need to be addressed for sure, but this was a unique game with some pretty crazy conditions that had a big impact on the game."

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