Ohio State sent its seniors out with a win on Sunday in Columbus, dominating Cincinnati United Prep in a 66-0 win.
It was the second straight shutout by the Buckeye defense, following a historic 105-0 win over Wright State. Ohio State hauled in four interceptions against the Bulls, with freshman cornerback Lukas Alexander hauling in a pair in just his second game with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has scored 197 unanswered points in its last three games since leading Wilmington (JV) 21-13 in the first half on Oct. 11.
The Buckeye offense accounted for seven touchdowns, including four passing and three rushing. Quarterback Corbyn Aleshire missed on his first three pass attempts, but completed his last 10 attempts to finish 10-of-13 for 202 yards and four scores. The highlight of the day was an 81-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Washington, which put Washington over 1,000 career receiving yards, making him just the third player in team history to reach that milestone, joining Casey Scroggins (2019-22) and Abdou Keita (2022-23).
Aleshire also connected on touchdown passes to Jake Thompson and Desean Bonte, adding a second to Washington, giving him more than 100 yards receiving on the day. Ohio State running backs accounted for three scores as Milan Jackson toted the ball eight times for 64 yards and a score while Ethan Young plunged in for two short scores on the day.
Defensively, Stosh Niezgoda and Vann Riordan added to their NCFA-leading interception totals, as each now have four on the season. Alexander returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown, returning the other into Cincinnati United territory.
Ohio State’s defensive front had a stellar day as well. After not recording any sacks against Wright State, the Buckeyes posted seven against the Bulls, including three from Matt Humphreys, who passed Chase Gasser (2017-19) for third all-time in program history for career sacks. Humphreys now has 20 for his career and trails only Mike Fenstermaker (22.5 sacks) and Trey Jones (25.0 sacks) on the all-time team leaderboard.
Humphreys was tied for the game-lead in total tackles, as he collected a whopping 11 stops, tying linebacker Evan Riggs who also posted 11 tackles, to go along with a blocked punt which he also recovered for a touchdown in the first quarter. It is the second straight game the Buckeyes have scored a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams. Defensive ends Elijah Lowden and Matt Naumann also posted multi-sack performances, with Naumann also forcing a fumble.
The game was mutually called with 4:33 left in the fourth quarter following a severe injury by a Cincinnati United player.
Ohio State is set to return to action against Toledo, with the top spot in the Great Lakes East on the line. Both teams have solidified their spot in the Great Lakes Conference Playoffs, however the seeding is undermined. If the Buckeyes win, they would host Oakland University on Nov. 15 in the Great Lakes Conference semifinals. However, if the Rockets are able to knock off Ohio State, the Buckeyes would play the No. 1 team in the Great Lakes West, Michigan State, on the road for the second time this season. Ohio State narrowly defeated the Spartans, 17-16, in the season opener.
Kickoff against Toledo is set for Sunday, Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m. at the Glass Bowl.
