Following an off week, the Ohio State Club Football team is set to return to action on Saturday, Oct. 24 against the Wright State Raiders, a familiar conference foe.
The Buckeyes and Raiders have met every season dating back to 2010, with Ohio State going 15-2 in those matchups losing only in 2010 and 2014. The two teams met twice in the same season in both 2017 and 2021.
The two familiar programs are currently on opposite ends of the standings. The Buckeyes are 4-0 and riding a 16-game win streak that dates back to the end of the 2024 season. Meanwhile, the Raiders are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak dating back to last season, although a forfeit victory following a cancellation from the West Virginia Club Football program last week technically gives them a 1-3 record through five weeks of the 2026 campaign.
The matchup between the two conference rivals, which is set to kick off at 5 p.m., will mark the first home night game at Lincoln Tower Park for Ohio State since a 37-8 victory over Miami (OH) in 2019.
Ohio State is led offensively by an explosive trio of QB Corbyn Aleshire, RB Milan Jackson and WR Ricardo Washington. Aleshire currently sits third in the NCFA in passing yards (602), second in pass completions (49) and second in touchdown passes (7). Add in three rushing touchdowns and Aleshire is second behind only Oakland quarterback Jayden McCarthy (15) in total touchdowns accounted for halfway through the season.
Jackson has rushed 30 times for 369 yards and seven touchdowns through four games and leads the NCFA in yards per carry, averaging a whopping 12.3 yards. He has ripped off a pair of 69-yard touchdown runs against both Pittsburgh and Wilmington (JV), both of which happened on the opening drives of each game. His seven rushing touchdowns are currently tied for the league lead. Not to be outdone, fellow running back Ethan Young has scored a touchdown in each of his last three games and needs just one more to move into the top-five all-time in program history.
Washington is second in most major receiving categories, but leads the NCFA in receptions with 21. He has posted 340 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns this season and needs just 63 yards to eclipse 1,000 career receiving yards, which would make him just the third player in program history to hit such a milestone. Casey Scroggins (2019-22) recorded 1,921 yards in his stellar career while Abdou Keita posted 1,414 in two seasons (2022-23).
Defensively, the Buckeyes are led by a stout defensive front that held Wilmington (JV) to negative net rushing in their last outing. Ohio State’s defensive line of Elijah Lowden, Matthew Humphreys and Nick Brown has accumulated seven sacks between them while freshmen linebackers Evan Riggs and Dane Barcalow have posted two sacks each. The secondary has improved tremendously from its Week 1 performance against Michigan State and has pulled in an NCFA-best 10 interceptions through its first four games, including three against Wilmington (JV). Reagan Little, Vann Riordan, Anthony Tulli and Stosh Niezgoda have all hauled in a pair of picks this season while Oleksandr Kulyk and Barcalow have each contributed one.
Not to be outdone, the Buckeye special teams unit has been unquestionably the best in the NCFA this season. Kicker Raj Venkatesh is a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, including a 43-yarder with no time remaining in the first half of a 47-13 win over Wilmington (JV). The kick was the longest conversion in team history. Venkatesh is also 23-of-24 on extra points this season.
Punter Damian Hanf leads the NCFA in all major punting categories, including yards per punt and punts downed inside the 20 yard line. Hanf has booted punts of 58 and 57 yards this season, giving him the two longest punts in team history. He is averaging just more than 40 yards per punt and five of his 11 punts have been downed inside the 20 yard line.
The Raiders enter the matchup having scored just 26 points in their first three contests. Wright State dropped its season opener 28-7 to Michigan State before losing a heartbreaker to Loyola Chicago, 15-13, in double overtime on the road. They then hit the road again to take on the Oakland Grizzlies, where they fell 46-6. Following an off week of their own, the Raiders are set to play in Columbus for just the fifth time in the last 12 matchups between the programs. Wright State dropped a 58-7 contest in their last trip to Columbus, just one of two losses suffered by the Raiders that season.
Wright State is led by first-year head coach Corey Owens, who took over the program in the summer. Owens previously coached as an assistant at the NCAA Div. II level, including stops at Tiffin, Findlay and Central State.
Kickoff between the Buckeyes and Raiders is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Lincoln Tower Park. Admission is free, and fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for the adjacent hill as bleacher seating is at field level and is extremely limited.
