Ohio State Blasts No. 1 Oakland in Season Opener, 41-7

Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State Club Football team opened its season with a bang on Sunday, September 22, upsetting top-ranked Oakland University 41-7 in the season opener.

Oakland, which was coming off of a 28-3 win over Wright State in its season opener the week prior, opened the scoring against the Buckeyes midway through the first quarter on a short touchdown run, giving the Golden Grizzlies a 7-0 lead.

It was the last time Oakland would score.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Ohio State junior running back Madu Eneli took a handoff from sophomore quarterback Kellyn Gerenstein and scampered 75 yards for the score, which tied the game following the extra point.

Oakland would threaten to retake the lead early in the second quarter, but a field goal attempt inside the red zone was blocked by Ohio State sophomore safety Corey Lackey and returned 88 yards for a touchdown by junior cornerback De’Shawn White.

Two field goals by senior kicker Alex Strohm and an 8-yard touchdown pass from Gerenstein to sophomore running back Ryan Scianna gave the Buckeyes a 27-7 lead heading into halftime.

The second half featured a shutout by the Ohio State defense while the Buckeye offense added two more scores, a 3-yard touchdown pass from Gerenstein to senior Geoff Green in the third quarter and a 14-yard scoring run by Gerenstein late in the fourth.

Gerenstein finished 12-of-19 passing for 166 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added 44 yards on eight carries on the ground. Green finished with a game-high six catches for 77 yards while freshman receiver Casey Scroggins hauled in four passes for 55 yards. Senior tight end Adam Bardak also contributed a pair of receptions for 41 yards.

Defensively, Lackey added a forced fumble to his stat sheet while free safety Sam Frank deflected three passes and pulled in a fourth quarter interception off of Oakland quarterback Ben Hajciar.

Ohio State is set to return to action on Saturday, September 28 against RMU-Peoria in Peoria, Ill. The Buckeyes have played the Eagles once before in program history, collecting a 19-12 win over RMU-Peoria in 2013, the only loss suffered by the Eagles that season.