An ominous start to the 2026 home opener was followed by a dominating performance from the Ohio State Club Football team on Sunday afternoon against George Mason University.
The Buckeyes were called for roughing the kicker on their first defensive possession and went three-and-out on their first offensive possession. From there, Ohio State scored 38 unanswered points en route to a comfortable 52-6 win over the Patriots in front of a stellar crowd.
Ohio State starting quarterback Corbyn Aleshire accounted for four total touchdowns, two through the air and another two on the ground. Overall, the Buckeyes rushed for 178 yards on the ground as a team, averaging nearly seven yards per carry.
Aleshire connected with Ricardo Washington on a 14-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring, before a quarterback sneak from Aleshire early in the second quarter pushed the lead to 14-0.
Following a George Mason interception of Aleshire at the goal line, Ohio State’s defense got on the board as a mishandled snap by Patriot quarterback Demetrio Hernandez resulted in a fumble recovery by Buckeye defensive end Elijah Lowden for an Ohio State touchdown.
The Ohio State offense would score again thanks to a short field provided by the Buckeye defense as running back Ethan Young plunged in from two yards out to extend the lead to 28-0. From there, a 26-yard field goal from Raj Venkatesh and a pick-6 from cornerback Reagan Little gave the home team a 38-0 lead before a late touchdown pass from Patriots backup quarterback Nate Green Jr. gave the visitors their only points of the game.
Brendan McNeill‘s defense forced George Mason to pull their starting signal caller after forcing three interceptions in the second quarter alone. Corners Stosh Niezgoda and Oleksandr Kulyk joined Little with interceptions, as Ohio State forced five total turnovers on the day.
The second half featured two more Buckeye touchdowns as Aleshire ran in a second touchdown from eight yards out while also connecting with wide receiver Jake Thompson for a 19-yard score through the air. Aleshire finished the day 9-of-17 passing for 111 yards and two touchdowns to one interception and added 71 yards rushing on nine carries to lead the team.
Following Ohio State’s first touchdown of the second half, the game moved to a running clock early in the third quarter. The final 4:21 of the game was forfeited by George Mason after sustaining multiple injuries.
Ohio State moves to 9-0 all-time against George Mason and is now 3-0 on the season, while the Patriots fall to 1-1. The Buckeyes have now won 15 straight games dating back to 2024 and have won 22 straight at home (forfeits included) dating back to 2018.
The Buckeyes are set to return to action on Sunday, Oct. 11 against Wilmington College’s JV squad. The two teams have never met in their history.
