The Ohio State Buckeyes only edged out a 21-7 victory over one-win Northwestern and college football media was critical of Ryan Day’s team.
The Ohio State Buckeyes entered Week 10 ranked second overall in the very first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. Their opponents for the week were against the Northwestern Wildcats, who have only won a game this season, and were on a seven-game losing streak.
Ohio State had to battle tumultuous winds at Ryan Field, where they posted just seven points and 118 yards of total offense. The Buckeyes were able to bounce back in the second half, preventing the Wildcats from reaching the end zone again, and picking up the 21-7 victory.
College football media were surprised by how bad of a time Ohio State was having in the first half against Northwestern.
Ohio State struggles in win over Northwestern: College football media reactions
Northwestern got on the board first when Evan Hull ran for a 16-yard touchdown. Ohio State would not reach the end zone until there were a little more than two minutes remaining in the first half when wide receiver Emeka Egbuka ran for a 15-yard touchdown.
Ohio State’s next two touchdowns of the game came from running back Miyan Williams. His first was a 27-yard run over six minutes into the third quarter. Then, with a little over four minutes remaining in regulation, Williams secured the victory with a two-yard touchdown run.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t put up extravagant numbers this week, completing 10-of-26 pass attempts for just 76 yards. The running game picked up the slack, gaining 207 yards on 35 carries.
Ohio State’s offense was 4-for-15 on third-down conversion attempts, but 2-for-4 on fourth down. Northwestern, meanwhile, was 9-for-20 on third down, but 0-for-4 on fourth down.
The college football world will wait and see how the CFP selection committee will view their performance in Week 10, and if they will drop them down the rankings. That will certainly be a story to follow during the reveal on Tuesday.
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