For the second time in as many seasons, the Ohio State Club Football team has captured the NCFA National Championship crown.
The Buckeyes defeated George Mason, 42-27, on December 4 in a rematch of of an October 10, regular season matchup. Ohio State joins Coppin State (2012-2013) as the only two programs to repeat as national champions after the Buckeyes ran the table in 2019 with an undefeated 9-0 record (no NCFA games played in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic).
After trading punts to open the game, Ohio State got on the board first. Facing 3rd-and-18, quarterback Kellyn Gerenstein scampered for a 28-yard touchdown run with 8:45 left in the first quarter to give the Buckeyes an early 7-0 lead.
Following another stop by the Ohio State defense, the Buckeyes were able to find the end zone again. A 41-yard completion from Gerenstein to running back Jalen Haley set up a 1-yard touchdown run for Gerenstein, doubling the OSU advantage.
That lead would hold serve until midway through the second quarter when safety Sam Frank picked off George Mason quarterback Chase Soper and scampered 25 yards for a touchdown, making it 21-0 in favor of the top-ranked Buckeyes.
After yet another defensive stop, Ohio State found the end zone late in the second quarter when Gerenstein connected with wide receiver Casey Scroggins on 3rd-and-12 for another 28-yard score, pushing the Buckeye lead to 28-0.
George Mason would get on the board just before the half with a 35-yard scoring strike from Soper to wide receiver Adam Abu-Jamous, which was followed by a two-point conversion to send the game to halftime with a 28-8 score in favor of Ohio State.
The Patriot offense would twice threaten inside the red zone to open the second half, and both times were turned away by the Buckeye defense. George Mason’s opening second-half drive, which started inside Ohio State’s 25-yard-line following a long kick return, was thwarted after a fourth-down pass attempt from Soper fell short of his receiver. The Patriots ensuing drive ended after Scroggins picked off Soper in the end zone on yet another fourth-down attempt.
Ohio State would intercept Soper three times on the day in addition to forcing three turnovers on downs and two three-and-outs. Soper, who played for Div. I FCS James Madison in 2020, threw seven interceptions in eight games this season, five of which came against Ohio State and Dylan Barron‘s defense.
After Ohio State was unable to get anything going offensively on its first two possessions of the second half, George Mason was finally able to find the end zone as Soper plunged in from three yards out to pull the Patriots to within 13.
On the ensuing drive, facing a 3rd-and-7 from his own 46-yard-line, Gerenstein connected with Scroggins for a 39-yard completion that would set up yet another 1-yard scoring run from the OSU signal caller, giving Ohio State a 35-15 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The NCFA’s two most explosive offenses would then trade touchdown passes, as Soper found Curtis Brooks for a long touchdown up the George Mason sideline to pull the Patriots within 14 after a two-point conversion attempt failed. Ohio State answered right back, marching 70 yards on seven plays, capped by a 32-yard touchdown pass from Gerenstein to tight end Spencer Moore with 10:55 to play in the game. The Patriots would add a late touchdown, but Ohio State was able to run out the clock to seal the championship.
Offensively, Ohio State finished with 421 total yards. Gerenstein was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for his performance, throwing for 208 yards and adding another 82 on the ground. All told, he accounted for five touchdowns on the day. His favorite target – as he was all season – was Scroggins, who finished the day with five receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown, adding nine tackles, four pass deflections and an INT on defense.
In addition to Scroggins, the Buckeye defense had a number of outstanding performances. Defensive end Chris Karras finished the game with 10 total tackles and 2.5 sacks to lead all players. Frank, playing in his lone game of 2021, finished with a team-high 12 tackles and two interceptions, matching his entire 2019 output for INTs. As a team, Ohio State tallied a whopping seven sacks and 15 hits on the quarterback.
Other notable performances would include Matt Thiede‘s entire offensive line, who paved the way for the Buckeyes to rush for 213 yards. The Buckeye offense eclipsed 200 rush yards or more in four games this season, a program record. In addition to Gerenstein’s yards, Ohio State running backs Haley and Johnathan Thiele chipped in with 58 and 56 rushing yards respectively. Wide receiver Anthony Novak also added a 16-yard scamper.
With the win, Ohio State is now in a three-way tie with Coppin State and Oakland University for most NCFA national championships all time, all currently sitting with two. The Buckeyes also improved their record against George Mason to 6-0 all-time.
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