A spot in the Great Lakes Conference Championship Game is on the line Sunday for Ohio State Club Football, which is set to host Wright State at Noon in Columbus.
Following a 42-0 win over Toledo last week, the Buckeyes need a win against the Raiders to secure their sixth straight appearance in the NCFA postseason. Ohio State has qualified for its conference championship game every year since 2018 and has won its last four conference crowns dating back to 2019 when it won its first, 35-0, against Coppin State.
The Buckeyes have played Wright State more than any other team in program history. Ohio State holds a 12-1 advantage in the series dating back to 2012, with the lone Raider win coming in 2014.
Ohio State (3-0) is the only team in the NCFA with three wins to its name this season, while the Raiders (1-1) come in fresh off their first win of the season, a 37-15 drubbing of Oakland University. In the win over the Grizzlies, Wright State was led by quarterback Chad Swanson, who accounted for four touchdowns and nearly 300 yards of offense on his own. The former Youngstown State wide receiver turned Raider signal caller was named the NCFA’s Week 3 Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
The game is set to mark the first matchup between the two schools in Columbus since 2021 and the first regular season meeting in Columbus since 2019. In 2021, Ohio State hosted the Great American Conference Championship Game, coming away with a 55-12 victory in a blizzard. In 2019, Ohio State came away with a 46-2 win in a game that was called off at halftime due to significant Wright State injuries.
The last two meetings have taken place on the campus of Wright State, with Ohio State taking both contests by significant margins. The Buckeyes won 53-12 in 2022 and 48-0 last season.
Ohio State has been led offensively this season by quarterback Niko Pappas, who was the Week 2 NCFA Offensive Player of the Week. Through three weeks, Pappas leads the NCFA in passing yards (297), rushing yards (265) and total touchdowns (7) despite not playing the second half in Week 2 after the win over Ohio Northern JV was called at halftime due to severe weather. Also helping pace the Buckeye offense is a stable of running backs. Junior JR Burton, senior Johnathan Thiele and sophomores Ethan Young and Lucas Fenstermaker have combined for 311 rushing yards through 10 quarters of football, averaging nearly six yards per carry.
Seven different receivers have caught a pass through three weeks for the Buckeyes, with Jalen Haley leading the way with nine receptions for 116 yards and three scores. He posted a three score game against Toledo last week, catching two touchdown passes and adding a third via kick return. It was his first three-touchdown game since his freshman season in 2021 when he scored three times against Wright State in the conference title game.
Defensively, the Buckeyes have been paced the last two weeks by freshman linebacker Ryan Keenan. The Massachusetts native leads Ohio State in tackles with 28 total stops through three games as he has filled in more than admirably with veteran linebackers Tyler Beckman and Christian Allen out due to injury. Defensive lineman Matt Humphreys has caused havoc in opposing backfields with three sacks so far this season to lead the team, adding 17 total tackles to his stat sheet. In the secondary, cornerback Joshua Clemons is coming off of a six tackle, five pass-deflection performance while graduate safety Marcellas McLellan currently leads the NCFA in interceptions with two through three weeks.
The Buckeyes and Raiders are scheduled to kick off Sunday, Oct. 6 at Noon with the game set to be streamed live on Campus Nation. Admission is free and fans in attendance will have the opportunity to purchase concessions as well as enjoy in-game entertainment from The Ohio State University Athletic Band.
Ohio State Club Football 