TOLEDO – Ohio State Club Football’s 13th season kicked off in impressive fashion on Sunday, as the Buckeyes knocked off Toledo in the historic Glass Bowl, 51-20.
The visitors got off to a hot start, scoring points on their first five possessions, jumping out to a 31-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Quarterback Kellyn Gerenstein connected with wide receiver Casey Scroggins for three first-half touchdowns on throws of 3, 28, and 14 respectively. Gerenstein also dominated the ground in the first half, rushing 11 times for 113 yards and another score before being sidelined for the second half due to a minor injury. He finished 8-of-17 passing for 81 yards and three scores through the air and did not turn the ball over. Scroggins finished the day with five receptions for 81 yards and the three scores offensively.
After not picking up a first down in the first quarter, Toledo got on the board midway through the second quarter, but missed the extra point to bring the score to 31-6. The Rockets doubled their output on the ensuing kickoff, recovering an Ohio State fumble and running it back for a touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion, Ohio State took a 31-12 lead into the locker room. The Rocket offense was stymied for the majority of the first half, thanks to three interceptions by Scroggins, who added five tackles to his impressive output.
With Gerenstein out, the Buckeyes turned to Spencer Moore, their offensive line and running backs to put the game away. Ohio State churned out nearly 300 rushing yards against the Rockets, as running back Johnathan Thiele finished the day with 132 yards on 19 carries. Jalen Haley also chipped in 57 yards on 13 carries. Haley needs just 102 yards to become the third 1,000-yard career rusher in team history after rushing for 841 yards a year ago.
After an interception on the first play from scrimmage of the second half by Ohio State safety Christian Allen, the Buckeyes marched down the field and scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Moore. The graduate student from Lakota East added a passing touchdown to his stat-sheet, connecting with junior Abdou Keita on a 67-yard strike up the Ohio State sideline in the fourth quarter. Moore finished 4-of-6 passing for 107 yards in the second half of action. In his first game as a Buckeye, Keita finished with five receptions for an even 100 yards and the long score. As a team, Ohio State accumulated 466 yards of offense against the Rockets.
Defensively, the Buckeyes forced a whopping seven turnovers. In addition to four interceptions, linebacker Jackson Rittman forced a third quarter fumble which was recovered by Allen. Later in the third, linebacker Eric Hooper fell on a dropped snap by Toledo signal caller Brandon Motter in the end zone for an Ohio State touchdown. The seventh turnover came on a punt in which the Toledo punter was forced to pull the ball down to avoid a blocked kick, resulting in a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Linebacker Lance Wickham led the Buckeyes in tackles with 11.
Toledo’s lone second-half score came on a touchdown pass from Motter to Westerville South alum Daniel Mensah.
The Buckeyes are set to return to action on September 25 when they will host Michigan State. Kickoff is set for Noon. Toledo is scheduled for a bye week before hosting Wright State on October 1.
Game Notes
- Despite playing only one half of football, Gerenstein accounted for 198 yards of offense against Toledo, giving him more than 5,000 total offensive yards for his career.
- Kicker David Rive connected on 6-of-7 extra points and made his first field goal attempt of the year, a 25-yarder in the first quarter.
- Casey Scroggins now holds the all-time interceptions record at Ohio State, now with nine in his career.
- Johnathan Thiele’s 132 yards on 19 carries both set career highs.
- Ohio State’s 51 points match last year’s output against the Rockets, tying for the fifth most points scored in a game in team history. It was also the most points scored by an NCFA team thus far in 2022.
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