Before each Ohio State game, we take a look back at the Buckeyes’ history of playing on that date.
Trivia Time
Ohio State is undefeated on Sept. 2. How many days in September have the Buckeyes never suffered a loss?
Scroll down to item #1 in Five Fun Facts for the answer.
Playing before Labor Day is a relatively new tradition for Ohio State football. Because the Buckeyes have played only 17 times before the early September national holiday, the season's first edition of Ohio State on This Date will be a tad leaner than what you have come to expect from this series. The Buckeyes have played four times on Sept. 2 and all of those games have been this century.
Ohio State’s last game against Sept. 2 came with many similarities as today’s matchup. Much like Kyle McCord will begin his tenure as Ohio State’s starting quarterback in a Big Ten road game against Indiana on Saturday, C.J. Stroud did the same on a Thursday night two years ago at Minnesota.
Stroud struggled at the beginning of the game as he completed only eight of his first 14 passes for 58 yards, and the Buckeyes found themselves down 14-10 at the half. Miyan Williams' 71-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and several key defensive stops kept Ohio State within one score at the break.
| YEAR | MATCHUP | LOCATION | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #3 Ohio State at Indiana | Bloomington, Indiana | TBD |
| 2021 | #4 Ohio State at Minneapolis | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 45–31 |
| 2010 | #2 Ohio State vs. Marshall | Columbus, Ohio | 45–7 |
| 2006 | #1 Ohio State vs. Northern Illinois | Columbus, Ohio | 35–12 |
| 2000 | #16 Ohio State vs. Fresno State | Columbus, Ohio | 43–10 |
| Overall Record on Sep. 2: 4-0 | |||
Stroud shook off the jitters and capped off Ohio State's first drive of the second half with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave, the signal-caller's first career touchdown pass with the Buckeyes. Stroud's second touchdown strike was a 56-yard bomb to a streaking Garrett Wilson across the middle of the field. In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Zach Harrison strip-sacked Tanner Morgan and Haskell Garrett scooped and scored from 32 yards out to cap off a 21-point third quarter for the Buckeyes.
TreVeyon Henderson, in his first game as a Buckeye, showed the world his speed in the fourth quarter as he took a Stroud swing pass 70 yards to give the Buckeyes a 38-24 lead over the Gophers with less than 10 minutes to play. However, P.J. Fleck's team fought back with a 75-yard touchdown drive and pulled within a score.
Less than a minute after Minnesota's touchdown, Stroud connected with a wide-open Olave for a 61-yard touchdown. It was Stroud's fourth passing touchdown of the game and put the Buckeyes up for good, 45-31.
In his first start as Ohio State's quarterback, Stroud completed 13 of 22 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns. Olave had a game-high 117 receiving yards and Williams had a team-high 125 rushing yards.
Stat Superlatives
| Stat | Number | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Points Scored | 45 |
Minnesota, 2021 Marshall, 2010 |
| Passing Yards | 315 | Northern Illinois, 2006 |
| Completions | 20 | Northern Illinois, 2006 |
| Rushing Yards | 280 | Marshall, 2010 |
| Total Yards | 529 | Marshall, 2010 |
| Fewest Yards Allowed | 199 | Marshall, 2010 |
| Fewest Points Allowed | 7 | Marshall, 2010 |
| Stat | Player | Number | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Troy Smith | 297 | Northern Illinois, 2006 |
| Passing Touchdowns | C.J. Stroud | 4 | Minnesota, 2021 |
| Rushing Yards | Miyan Williams | 125 | Minnesota, 2021 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Brandon Saine | 2 | Marshall, 2010 |
| Receptions |
Garrett Wilson Ken-Yon Rambo |
5 |
Minnesota, 2021 Fresno State, 2000 |
| Receiving Yards | Ted Ginn Jr. | 123 | Northern Illinois, 2006 |
| Receiving Touchdowns |
Chris Olave DeVier Posey Ted Ginn Jr. |
2 |
Minnesota, 2021 Marshall, 2010 Northern Illinois, 2006 |
| Total Touchdowns | C.J. Stroud | 4 | Minnesota, 2021 |
| Touchdowns Scored |
Chris Olave DeVier Posey Brandon Saine Ted Ginn Jr. |
3 |
Minnesota, 2021 Marshall, 2010 Marshall, 2010 Northern Illinois, 2006 |
| Yards from Scrimmage | Ted Ginn Jr. | 123 | Northern Illinois, 2006 |
Five Fun Facts
- Ohio State is undefeated on 14 of September's 30 days. The Buckeyes have a tie on Sept. 26 but have not lost on that date.
- September is the month that the Buckeyes have the most days without a loss.
- Fresno State played in Ohio Stadium for the first time, and so far the only time, on this date in 2000.
- Ohio State played Northern Illinois for the first time on Sept. 2, 2006.
- Ohio State has surrendered only seven first-quarter points in games played on this date. Marshall recorded a first-quarter touchdown in 2010.
