Note: Due to workload and life, this is the first draft that has yet to be edited. There might be a typo (or 14) or a factual mistake. If you spot something, put it in the comments. However, once the typo or mistake is corrected, your appreciated helpful comment will be deleted. Cool? Cool.

THE PERTINENT INFO

When: Saturday, November 18, 2023
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV: 4:00 // BTN
Announcers: Cory Provus, Jake Butt and Brooke Fletcher

This is the 55th time Ohio State and Minnesota have faced each other on the football field. The Buckeyes hold a 47–7* advantage in the all-time series and are 24–3 when playing in Columbus. 

P.J. Fleck's team is currently unranked, has lost consecutive games and currently has a 5–5 record. 

Under Fleck, Minnesota has an overall record of 49–31 and is 29–29 in Big Ten play. The Gophers have made a bowl game in consecutive years and four of the six years with Fleck as head coach. Minnesota needs to beat Ohio State or Wisconsin to become bowl-eligible this year.  

Below, you will find some interesting facts about the teams, coach information, and team stats.

THE LAST TIME...

• Ohio State played Minnesota in Ohio Stadium was 2018, the Buckeyes won 30-14. 
• The Buckeyes played on Nov. 18th was 2017. Ohio State gave Illinois a 52-14 beatdown in Ohio Stadium.
• The Scarlet and Gray played an away game on Nov. 18th was 1978, a 21-18 win at Indiana.
• Ohio State lost the 11th game of the season was to Michigan State in 2015. The Buckeyes have won the 11th game of the season six straight times and nine of the last ten.
• An Ohio State player returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown was Ted Ginn against Minnesota in 2005.
• The Buckeyes had a 4:00 kickoff in November was...never.

ON THE HORIZON

• Ohio State has a 10-game winning streak. If the Buckeyes defeat Minnesota it will officially be the program's 17th 11-game winning streak. *18 if you count the games in 2010.
• Cade Stover (990) needs 10 yards to become the sixth Ohio State TE with 1,000 career receiving yards.
• Emeka Egbuka has 1,686 career receiving yards and is currently ranked 23rd on the all-time career list. He is 22 yards away from surpassing Cedric Anderson (1,707) and 64 yards from Corey Brown for 22nd and 21st.
• Egbuka has 110 receptions and is within striking distance of Chris Olave (111) and Michael Thomas (113) for 19th and 18th.
• Saturday will be Ryan Day's 62nd as Ohio State's head coach.
• With a win, the Buckeyes will have 480* victories when playing in Ohio Stadium.

*NCAA sanctions be damned

ON THE HORIZON HARRISON EDITION

• Marvin Harrison Jr. is one yard away from passing Parris Campbell (1,063) for sole possession of the eighth-best single season in receiving yards in program history. Harrison can also pass Michael Jenkins (1,076), Cris Carter (1,127) and Emeka Egbuka (1,151) for seventh, sixth and fifth on Saturday.
• Harrison's next touchdown catch will be his 30th, tying him with Devin Smith for third on the career receiving touchdowns list. 
• Harrison has 2,465 receiving yards and is currently ranked seventh on Ohio State's career receiving yards list. He needs 39 yards to pass Devin Smith (2,503) for sixth on the all-time list.
• Harrison currently has 12 touchdown catches this season. He is one TD reception away from tying David Boston and Chris Olave for third for the most touchdown catches in a season. Harrison needs five to tie Terry Glenn (17). 
• With 147 career receptions, Harrison is eight catches away from passing Gary Williams (154) for sixth on Ohio State's all-time career receptions list.

Let's go streaking

• The Buckeyes have won 11 straight games against Minnesota, 12 if you include 2010.
• Ohio State has defeated the Gophers six consecutive times in Columbus.
• Harrison has caught a touchdown pass in six straight games.
• Harrison has caught two touchdown passes in three consecutive games.
• Ryan Day has won 37 consecutive games against unranked teams.

GET TO KNOW MINNESOTA

• UM is located in Minneapolis, MN.
• The university was established in 1851. 
• The Gophers are beginning their 140th season of playing football. 
• Goldy Gopher made its first appearance in 1952.
• The Gophers played their first football game in 1882.
• Notable alumni are Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati), Laura Coates (CNN), Erica, Jaclyn and Nicole Dahm (Playboy triplets) Tony Dungy (Super Bowl-winning coach) Boby Dylan (mumbler who did not graduate), Ric Flair (Wrassler) Henry Fonda (actor, Jane's dad), Hubert H. Humphrey (vice president), Garrison Keillor (author, satirist) Jessica Lange (Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award winner), Walter Mondale (vice president), Dale Snodgrass (bad-ass fighter pilot) and Dave Winfield (MLB Hall of Fame and basketbrawler)

​TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTIONS

1. Marvin Harrison Jr. has caught two touchdown passes in three consecutive games. Two other Buckeyes have accomplished this feat. Terry Glenn is one, who is the other?
2. Ohio State is currently 10-0, how many times has the program started a season with 10 consecutive wins?
   A) 12, B) 13, C) 14, D) 15
3. Including the 2010 game, the Buckeyes currently have a 12-game winning streak against Minnesota. How many different times has Ohio State had a 12-game winning streak against the Golden Gophers?
   A) 1, B) 2, C) 3, D) 4 

Answers at the bottom of today's article.

2023 Player Comparison

OFFENSIVE LEADERS
KYLE McCORD	2,687 YDS // 20 TD // 4 INT	PASSING	ATHAN KALIAKMANIS	1,582 YDS // 13 TD // 7 INT
TREVEYON HENDERSON	648 YDS // 6.3 YPC // 8 TD	RUSHING	DARIUS TAYLOR	591 YDS //  5.7 YPC // 4 TD
MARVIN HARRISON JR.	1,063 YDS // 12 TD	RECEIVING	DANIEL JACKSON	681 YDS // 7 TD
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
TOMMY EICHENBERG	73	TACKLES	MAVERICK BARANOWSKI	52
JT TUIMOLOAU	4.0	SACKS	AARON BRULE	6.0
JORDAN HANCOCK 5 OTHERS	1	INTERCEPTIONS	TYLER NUBIN	4
SPECIAL TEAMS
JAYDEN BALLARD	5.9 YPR	PUNT RETURNER	QUENTIN REDDING	12.0 YPR
XAVIER JOHNSON	23.1	KICKOFF RETURN	QUENTIN REDDING	14.1
JESSE MIRCO	43.0	PUNTING	MARK CRAWFORD	42.9
6		EDGE	3

CLIFF CLAVEN'S LITTLE KNOWN FACTS CORNER

• 0.......rushing touchdowns allowed by Ohio State's defense in the last five games.
• 1.......Jim Knowles' defense leads the nation in pass-efficiency defense.
• 2.......games this season in which the Buckeyes have eclipsed 500 yards of total offense.
• 3.......number of Ohio State players to catch 2 TD passes in three straight games.
• 4.......Three receiving touchdown games for Marvin Harrison Jr., a program record.
• 5.......games the Buckeyes eclipsed 500 yards of total offense last year.
• 6.......times Marvin Harrison has finished a game with 160+ receiving yards, an Ohio State record.
• 7......wins for Ryan Day over Top 10 teams.
• 8.......teams have started the same five offensive linemen all season, Ohio State is one of the eight.
• 9.......times an Ohio State player has finished a season with 1,000 yards receiving.
• 10.....times the Buckeyes have hosted Big Noon Kickoff.
• 12.....number of OSU players with 2,000 career receiving yards.
• 13.....Big Noon Kickoff wins for the Buckeyes.
• 14.....100-yard receiving games for Marvin Harrison Jr.
• 16.....number of returning starters for Ohio State. 
• 19.....times Ohio State has scored 50+ points since 2019.
• 20.....times Ohio State has finished a season with at least 11 wins.
• 21.....times Ohio State has finished a season with at least 11 wins, including the 2010 season.
• 21.....number of letter winners lost from last season.
• 23.....times Ohio State has hosted GameDay.
• 24.....home night games* won by the Buckeyes.
• 24.....consecutive season-opening victories for Ohio State.
• 26.....the Buckeyes' average margin of victory against B1G opponents with Day as head coach. 
• 27.....bowl wins for Ohio State*.
• 32.....times Ohio State has had at least 10 wins in a season*.
• 34.....games of 500+ yards of total offense with Day as head coach. 
• 34.....times Ohio State has worn an alternate jersey.
• 36.....straight seasons ranked in the AP preseason Top 25. 
• 37.....consecutive wins for Ryan Day against unranked opponents.
• 40.....conference wins for Ryan Day, includes two Big Ten title games.
• 40.....GameDay wins* for the Buckeyes.
• 46.....returning letter winners for Ohio State.
• 52.....games over 400 yards of total offense with Ryan Day as head coach.
• 56.....out of 56 weeks the Buckeyes have been ranked in the CFP.
• 57.....times Ohio State has played when GameDay has been on site.
• 75.....home victories for Ohio State since 2012.
• 82.....night games* won by the Buckeyes.
• 90.....Consensus and unanimous All-Americans to play for the Buckeyes.
• 100...homecoming games for Ohio State.
• 102...this is the 102nd season the Scarlet and Gray have played in Ohio Stadium.
• 119...times Ohio State has scored 50+ points, undefeated in those games.
• 134....number of years for Buckeye football.
• 154...the number of years The Ohio State University has been in the education business.
• 215...All-Americans in program history.
• 220...times a Buckeye player has gone for 100+ receiving yards.
• 270...number of passing touchdowns since 2017 (Ryan Day's arrival).
• 335...passing yards for Kyle McCord against MSU, a career-high.
• 353...rushing yards for TreVeyon Henderson in the last three games.
• 471...official victories for the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium.
• 479...Ohio Stadium victories for the Buckeyes, including the 2010 season.
• 546...number of Big Ten wins for Ohio State (we know it's actually 552).
• 963...number of official wins for the program (we know it's actually 975).
• 977...times Ohio State has been ranked in the AP poll, the most for any school.

*NCAA sanctions be damned.

2023 Statistical Comparison

OFFENSE
33.3	29th	POINTS FOR	22.5	100th
138.6	88th	RUSHING OFFENSE	160.4	63rd
290.2	19th	PASSING OFFENSE	158.2	121st
428.8	35th	TOTAL OFFENSE	318.6	111th
.444	28th	3rd DOWNS	.353	98th
.833	71st	RED ZONE	.938	10th
DEFENSE
9.9	2nd	POINTS ALLOWED	25.8	61st
112.4	21st	RUSH DEFENSE	137.4	45th
149.8	2nd	PASS DEFENSE	226.6	67th
93.1	1st	PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE	138.7	79th
262.2	4th	TOTAL DEFENSE	364.0	52nd
.295	14th	3rd DOWNS	.450	115th
.727	9th	RED ZONE	.967	128th
SPECIAL TEAMS
4.6	111th	PUNT RETURN	9.3	55th
19.7	68th	KICKOFF RETURN	11.0	130th
38.7	67th	NET PUNTING	40.6	27th
MISCELLANEOUS
-0.1	75th	TURNOVER MARGIN	+0.6	21st
6.0	68th	PENALTIES	3.2	3rd
12		EDGE	6

TODAY'S TRIVIA ANSWERS

Marvin Harrison Jr. has caught two touchdown passes in three consecutive games. Two other Buckeyes have accomplished this feat. Terry Glenn is one, who is the other?

Answer: David Boston in 1998.

Ohio State is currently 10-0, how many times has the program started a season with 10 consecutive wins?
A) 11, B) 12, C) 13, D) 14

Answer: By defeating Michigan State last week, Ohio State has now started a season with a 10-0 record 15 times. The season: 2023, 2022, 2019, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2007, 2006, 2002, 1996, 1995, 1979, 1975, 1968 and 1954.

Including the 2010 game, the Buckeyes currently have a 12-game winning streak against Minnesota. How many different times has Ohio State had a 12-game winning streak against the Golden Gophers?
A) 1, B) 2, C) 3, D) 4 

Answer: Ohio State has three 12-game winning streaks against Minnesota. The most against any opponent. Indiana is second with two. The other teams the Buckeyes have a 12-game winning streak against: Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan, Northwestern and Wisconsin.