The first home club football game at Lincoln Tower Field in nearly two years was a thriller, as the Buckeyes used a late 34-yard field goal from kicker David Rive to defeat George Mason, 29-28, on Sunday, October 10.
Rive’s kick came with under 1:30 left to play in the fourth quarter, after a pair of passes from Kellyn Gerenstein set the Buckeyes up in range to win the game, the 50th in program history.
The Patriots got the ball back with less than 90 seconds to play, and briefly crossed into Ohio State territory before safety Casey Scroggins stepped in front of a pass from former Div. 1 quarterback Chase Soper and picked the ball off to seal the victory.
Scroggins also made his presence known on the offensive end, getting Ohio State on the board midway through the second quarter with a 27-yard catch from Gerenstein. The play effectively tied the game at 7-7, before the Patriots put together another scoring drive to take a 14-7 lead.
The Buckeyes would once again answer, this time on a 23-yard touchdown run from Gerenstein. On the ensuing kickoff, the George Mason return man muffed the kick around the 5-yard line and into the end zone, where he took a knee, resulting in a safety and the ball back to OSU.
Ohio State took advantage as Gerenstein found the end zone on the ground once more, this time from 13-yards out to give the Buckeyes a 23-14 lead at halftime.
George Mason opened the second half with the ball, only to throw an interception to Ohio State cornerback Jeremiah Croom. The turnover led to just three Buckeye points though as Rive connected on a 32-yard field goal to push the lead to 26-14.
The Patriots roared back in the third quarter however, scoring 14 unanswered points to take a 28-26 lead into the fourth quarter. The final frame would figure to be a defining defensive performance from both teams.
Ohio State and George Mason both traded punts and turnovers in the fourth before the Buckeyes finally put together a drive. Down two with under four minutes to play, Gerenstein connected on passes of 19 and 31 to get his team within striking distance. The Patriot defense stiffened, however, forcing the Buckeyes to attempt a 34-yard field goal from Rive to win the game.
The game-winner from Rive was just his second attempt of the season, the first of which came in the third quarter. He is perfect on the season in both field goals (2) and extra points (10).
Offensively, Ohio State was paced by Gerenstein and running back Jalen Haley. Gerenstein finished 10-of-22 passing for 129 yards and one touchdown to one interception, but also added 90 yards and two scores on 14 carries. Haley rushed for an even 100 yards on 20 carries. Overall, the Buckeyes rushed for 212 yards on the afternoon.
Scroggins finished with three catches for 58 yards and the score on offense while adding seven tackles and the interception on defense. Other notable performances included wide receiver Anthony Novak’s three catches for 52 yards, 31 of which came on the final drive to set up the game-winning field goal, and linebacker Hunter St. Andre who led the Buckeyes with nine total tackles.
With the win, Ohio State moves to 2-2 on the season and 2-0 in NCFA league play. George Mason falls to 2-2 and 0-1 in NCFA league play. The Buckeyes also move to 5-0 all-time against the Patriots, with three of those wins being decided by one possession.
The Buckeyes are set for an off week before retuning to action against Miami (OH) on October 23 to open conference play. The Patriots will next host the University of Pittsburgh on October 16.
Record Setters:
Casey Scroggins is currently on pace to break the majority of Ohio State’s single-season receiving records. Through four games, he leads the NCFA in receptions (21), receiving yards (465) and receiving yards per game (116.25). Geoff Green II (2019) holds the current team record in receptions (36) and receiving yards (713) in a single season, while Chris Booker (2018) holds the record for receiving yards per game (92.75).
Kellyn Gerenstein is currently on pace to break his own program records for passing yards in a single season. Through four games, he is averaging 195 yards per game through the air, despite a lower completion percentage than his first two years in the program. He has completed 44-of-94 passes for 780 yards, which is already the fifth-most passing yards in team history. The 780 yards also currently leads the NCFA. His previous records for passing yards in a single season (2019) are 1,401 total passing yards and 175.12 per game.
Speaking of leading the NCFA, running back Jalen Haley has dominated the ground game for Ohio State the last three weeks. Since taking over the starting running back role in Week 2, Haley is averaging 109 rushing yards per game. Overall, he leads the NCFA in rushing attempts (54), rushing yards (338) and rushing yards per game (84.5).
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