Ohio State started fast and never looked back in a dominating 52-0 victory over Coppin State in the NCFA Semifinals on Saturday in Toledo, Ohio.
Playing in the Glass Bowl for the second time this season, senior Jalen Haley started the game the same way he did nearly two months ago against the Rockets, returning the opening kickoff 85-yards for a touchdown.
Coppin State responded with two drives advancing into the Ohio State red zone, but were turned away both times. The Buckeyes answered with a pair of touchdown drives as running backs Johnathan Thiele and Ethan Young both found the end zone in the first half. A short touchdown pass from freshman Chris Atkins to Haley in the second quarter sent the Buckeyes into halftime with a comfortable 28-0 advantage.
The second half saw the Buckeyes go to the air as Atkins tossed two more touchdown passes to JP Naylor and Charlie Harlow while sophomore running back Lucas Fenstermaker also found the end zone in the fourth quarter. Sporting a 45-0 lead entering the fourth quarter, the teams agreed to a running clock in the final frame of the contest.
Starting just his second game for Ohio State at quarterback, Atkins completed 17-of-23 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns to zero interceptions. Seven different players caught a pass for Ohio State in the victory, while three players – Haley, Naylor and Charles Civilleto – had four or more receptions. Haley finished with five receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown, Naylor collected four passes for a game-high 54 yards, and Civilleto added four catches for 48 yards.
Ohio State’s stable of running backs combined for 140 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns while the Buckeyes also added a 35-yard field goal from veteran kicker David Rive.
Ohio State lined up to punt just twice and missed one field goal.
Defensively, the Buckeyes posted their third shutout of the season, for the second straight year. Ohio State posted shutout wins against Toledo (42-0) and UW-Milwaukee (91-0) this season prior to the win over Coppin State. In his career as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator (2019-21, 2023-24), Dylan Barron has coached 10 shutouts in 34 games.
The Ohio State defense collected a whopping eight sacks, as junior Trey Jones led the way with three. Elijah Lowden, Elijah Askew, Ryan Globokar and Christian Allen each posted a sack while Jake Velazquez and Colm Damron each posted a half sack each. The eight sacks ties a program record for a single game, matching a 2012 win over Wright State and a 2017 win over Pittsburgh.
The Buckeyes will now play in the NCFA National Championship Game for the fifth straight season and will take on the Clayton State Lakers, who defeated George Mason University, 66-20, in the second semifinal game. The Lakers are led by head coach Kevin Adkins, who defeated Ohio State in the 2022 NCFA National Championship Game as the head coach of Gordon State.
Kickoff between the Buckeyes and Lakers is set to take place Dec. 7 at John F. Wiley Stadium on the campus of Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, PA. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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