After an unexpected off week, the top-ranked Ohio State Club Football team is set to play its first non-league game of the season as the Buckeyes travel 30 minutes north to take on Ohio Wesleyan University’s JV squad.
The Buckeyes are tied for the best record in the NCFA at a perfect 3-0, with wins over George Mason and Michigan State and a forfeit victory after last week’s canceled game against Denison’s JV team. Ohio State is 7-5 all-time against NCAA JV opponents, including last week’s forfeit win.
Ohio State and Ohio Wesleyan’s JV met for the first time last season, a 17-14 thriller in which the Buckeyes needed to rely on their backup quarterback and timely defense to escape with the win. This year, quarterback Niko Pappas returns to where his season-ending injury occurred last year and looks to build on what has been a stellar start to the year.
Pappas leads the NCFA in total touchdowns (10), passing yards (351), pass completions (25) and rushing touchdowns (7) through the first three weeks of the NCFA season. He is second in the NCFA in rushing yards (195) and third in the NCFA in completion percentage amongst players with more than 10 pass attempts.
The Ohio State signal caller has an impressive cast of weapons around him as seven different Buckeyes have caught a pass this season, five of which have hauled in four or more passes through two games played. Bluffton transfer Desean Bonte leads the team in receiving yards with 118 while Ohio Dominican transfer Ricardo Washington leads the team in receptions with seven for 104 yards and a pair of scores.
In the running game, Pappas leads the team in rushing but the Buckeyes also feature a stable of explosive running backs. Junior Ethan Young returns to his former home at OWU for the second time on Sunday. As a freshman in 2022, Young rushed for 100 yards for the Battling Bishops varsity squad before transferring to Ohio State. In his return to Selby Stadium a year ago, Young rushed for 49 yards and a fourth quarter touchdown that helped propel the Buckeyes to the win. In two games this season, Young has rushed for 96 yards and a pair of scores.
Lucas Fenstermaker has also played an important role in Ohio State’s offense, and is coming off of a seven carry, 63-yard performance against Michigan State. Against OWU last season, Fenstermaker carried nine times for 39 yards.
Defensively, Ohio State is holding teams to just five points per game through two games, but is expected to receive a much stiffer test from the Battling Bishops. Ohio Wesleyan’s JV squad won its only matchup of the season to date, a 46-21 victory over Heidelberg’s JV team.
Through two weeks, Ohio State’s defense has been led by freshman linebacker Tyler Siegel, who leads the team in total tackles with 19. Up front, senior Trey Jones is inching closer to the program’s career sack record. Jones has 21 career sacks, just 1.5 behind the all-time record set by Mike Fenstermaker (2016-19). This season, Jones has posted 3.0 sacks, 13 total tackles and a pair of forced fumbles. Joining him up front is sophomore Elijah Lowden who has 10 total stops and 2.0 sacks to his name so far in 2025.
In the secondary, Ohio State has corralled three interceptions this season with two coming from junior safety Keegan Lynch. Lynch, who also contributes as a receiver offensively, has a pair of solo tackles to his name.
In last year’s matchup, the Buckeye defense surrendered just more than 100 yards of total offense to the Bishops, although Ohio Wesleyan figures to be more explosive on offense this season after scoring 46 points against Heidelberg.
Kickoff from Selby Stadium is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12. The game is set to be live-streamed on Campus Nation and admission at Selby Stadium is free.
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