For the first and only time this season, Ohio State Club Football is scheduled to step out of NCFA play.
The Buckeyes are set to take on Denison University’s JV squad for the fourth time in program history on Sunday, with every game in series history having been played on campus at Denison at Deeds-Piper Stadium.
The Big Red won the first matchup in 2012 by a final of 23-14. The Buckeyes evened the series a year later with a 31-14 victory. The two programs did not meet again until last season, when Denison won the closest game in series history, 28-20.
Ohio State has not lost a game since that matchup in September of 2021, rattling off 12 straight victories (one by forfeit). Denison’s varsity squad has posted an impressive 6-2 record thus far in 2022 and is on a bye week, leaving its JV matchup against the Buckeyes as the Big Red’s only game this weekend.
So far this season, Ohio State has boasted one of the top offenses is the NCFA. The Buckeyes are averaging a whopping 52.5 points per game in 2022 and became the first team in league history to score 50+ points in four straight games. Quarterback Kellyn Gerenstein, despite missing 2.5 games due to injury and the forfeit from Loyola, leads the NCFA in touchdown passes with 12 and has accounted for six total touchdowns in each of his last two outings. Wide receivers Abdou Keita (419) and Casey Scroggins (283) rank third and fourth respectively in the NCFA in receiving yards, while Scroggins leads the league in touchdown receptions with seven, just one shy of tying the Ohio State single-season record. Keita, meanwhile, is second in the NCFA with five touchdown receptions.
Ohio State has also proven to be a force on the ground, as the Buckeyes are the only team in the NCFA with three rushers over 200 yards on the season. Running backs Johnathan Thiele (291) and Jalen Haley (242) join Gerenstein (217) in that company, while Haley and Gerenstein are tied for second in the league in rushing touchdowns with four apiece.
Defensively, the Buckeyes are coming off of their best performance of the season, having held Oakland’s offense to just three points in a 54-10 victory last week, with the Grizzlies lone touchdown coming on a kick return for a score.
Linebacker Colby Stahl leads the team in tackles with 26 while Lance Wickham and Christian Allen each have 23 stops. Scroggins leads the NCFA in interceptions with five, while the Buckeye defense has forced 13 turnovers this season, also blocking four kicks.
Kickoff against the Big Red is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 30 at Deeds-Piper Stadium on the campus of Denison University. Admission is free.
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