Ohio State vs. Minnesota Preview: Buckeyes Looking for Fast Start, Special Teams Tune Up in Rare Nighttime Atmosphere at the Horseshoe

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Minnesota

golden Gophers

3-1

roster  |  schedule

Oct. 4, 2025 - 7:30 PM ET

Ohio Stadium

Columbus, OH

NBCOSU -23.5

The Buckeyes will make every effort to ensure they enjoy their first Big Ten game in Ohio Stadium.

Their opponent for Saturday’s clash in the Shoe is Minnesota, a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten foe who is going up against an Ohio State squad that looks like a juggernaut. Ryan Day would say (as he has this season and throughout his career), “it’s always about us,” so his team is going to approach this game with the same seriousness and intensity it approaches every matchup. But there are certainly tougher challenges left on the schedule.

Not that the Golden Gophers are bad. They lost to Cal 27-14 a few weeks ago, but are fresh off an emotional 31-28 bounceback win over Rutgers. P.J. Fleck’s squad has a surging passing game with redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey and a top-30 scoring, top-10 total defense. But it’s meeting a Buckeye outfit that’s been a buzzsaw thus far.

“They're well-coached and play really, really hard and have good players,” Day said on Tuesday. “I respect P.J. Fleck as much as anybody in the country and their coaching staff and how hard they play. And so it'll be a challenge. You don't play Minnesota and think you're just going to run the ball without a lot of hard work. And so we're working hard this week to put a good game plan together.”

The Headlines

Start Fast

Ohio State’s offense had a good day at Washington all told, even if the Buckeyes only scored 24 points. They played ball control against a very good Husky offense, with more than 20 minutes of time of possession in the second half. They scored on four of their six possessions, excluding their drive that ran out the clock at the end of the game.

“The number one goal is to win the game, and as we start to acquire different ways to play the game, we're gonna try to identify what gives us the best chance to do that,” Day said on Buckeye Roundtable on Monday. “We lost the possession in the first half with the fumble on special teams. But I thought we did a good job in the second half. We were in the middle eight, and then we held the ball. They only had three possessions in the second half. We held the ball for over 20 minutes. And so when you can do that, when your defense is playing the way it is, you're in control of the game.”

That being said, it took until 68 seconds were remaining in the first half for Ohio State to get on the scoreboard. Running back CJ Donaldson was stuffed on a 4th-and-1 run at Washington’s 5-yard line on the Buckeyes’ opening drive, wide receiver Brandon Inniss fumbled away a punt return that would have set them up in fantastic field position and the offense stalled out after one first down on its second drive.

Nothing is wrong with a methodical approach when executed with the efficiency the Buckeyes executed it with on their final possession of the first half and each of their second-half possessions. An early stalled drive or two probably won’t kill them against Minnesota, but it might later down the line. The goal should be to let quarterback Julian Sayin sling the rock downfield early and put the Gophers in the ground before halftime.

Tune Up Special Teams

It’s hard to point out holes to fix in the defense when it dominated a potent Washington attack the way the Silver Bullets did last weekend, though surely Ohio State’s coaches found nits to pick on film. But alongside starting faster offensively, one area the Buckeyes could use some continued tweaking is on special teams.

Inniss will remain on punt returns. As rocky as his season has been in that role – before the fumble in Seattle, he cost Ohio State 47 lost yards by failing to field a few punts against Grambling State in Week 2 – he’s shown great flashes. The return he fumbled was dynamic before he lost the ball. He had another crafty 28-yard return against Ohio. He’s been much, much better at fielding the ball. He’s averaging 16.5 yards per return on his four runbacks this year.

But ball security is a must. He and Day both know that.

"We're going to count on him getting that fixed, making sure that the ball is not on the ground," Day said on Tuesday. "He needs to bolt it in high-contact areas. And we believe in him. He's a guy that – we see it every day. And nobody hurt more than he did when he put the ball on the ground, because we all know what a big point in the game that was."

Punter Joe McGuire also needs to return to his 2024 consistency after a couple of shanks this season, including a 35-yard mishit boot against Washington, though he probably won’t get many opportunities while facing Minnesota. Ohio State also required a touchdown-saving tackle from kicker Jayden Fielding on one of the Huskies’ kick returns. Ideally, cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. lays some more big hits in kick coverage this week.

The Shoe At Night

Enjoy the home game Saturday if you’re going, because it’s the only home game Ohio State plays in October. The Buckeyes travel to Illinois on Oct. 11, Wisconsin on Oct. 18 and then have an off week before returning to Columbus to play Penn State on Nov. 1.

It’s also the likely last home night game of the season for Ohio State, with Penn State seemingly destined to kick off at noon and the Buckeyes’ preference not to play home night games in mid-to-late-November (when they play UCLA and Rutgers at home). The atmosphere changes to the Shoe have brought up the noise level. Expect the Shoe to be rockin’ if the Buckeyes are rollin’ at night.

“Good to be back home. Can't wait for a night game,” Day said on Buckeye Roundtable. “It doesn't take long to be away before you miss being at home. And it's gonna be great to get a game back with everybody here. I know we had great fans out in Washington and could just feel the support being out there, and there's a lot of excitement around this team right now. So expecting an electric atmosphere Saturday night.”

Watch Out for These Guys

Minnesota S Koi Perich

One of the most talented players Minnesota has signed on the recruiting trail in recent memory, Perich was first-team All-Big Ten as a freshman in 2024. Ohio State pursued him heavily as a prospect as well, and he even took an official visit to Columbus weeks before signing with the Gophers. He has 21 tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack this year and has seen action as both a wide receiver and punt returner, too.

Minnesota QB Drake Lindsey

Matt Krohn – Imagn Images

Lindsey began blossoming vs. the Scarlet Knights last week, going 31-of-41 (75.6%) for 324 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning toss to wide receiver Javon Tracy. For the year, he’s completed 65.8% of his throws for 958 yards and seven scores with two interceptions.

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith

Smith had eight receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown against Washington last week, but with Julian Sayin’s first big-game test and first road test behind him, now seems like it’s really the time for Ohio State to get more aggressive throwing the ball. Smith is off to a great start to the year, with 28 receptions for 396 yards and four touchdowns plus a rushing score, but if he’s to make a move toward the Heisman Trophy, he’s going to need some truly explosive outings.

Game Week Talk

“Up front, they're really good. Both their D-ends are really good, both their D-tackles are really good. They play hard, they play physical, it's going to be a good challenge for us up front to see where we're at.”– Ohio State left tackle Austin Siereveld on Minnesota's defensive line

On top of Perich, Minnesota's defense has some talented defenders in its front four, especially defensive end Anthony Smith, who has 11 tackles, six tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025. Deven Eastern (6-6, 320 pounds) and Jalen Logan-Redding (6-4, 295) give them good size at defensive tackle.

“I have a ton of respect for Coach Day. A ton. He's an incredible man, first of all, and then just a fabulous coach. But I know he has a lot of confidence in this football team that he's coaching. And I think statistically, when you look at them under Ryan Day, statistically, in the first four games, could be his best team he's ever coached.”– P.J. Fleck on Ryan Day and Ohio State

Day expressed a great respect for Fleck this week in his press conference and Fleck returned the favor in his. But for a man who's coached against multiple Day teams to say it could be his best team ever, especially coming off a national championship, speaks to just how many eyes are viewing the Buckeyes as a real threat to repeat.

“Matt Patricia is a guy I've always seen on TV, and I always remembered him as the guy with the pencil in his ear. ... They're the best team in the country right now, and I think it's an awesome opportunity to go up there and shock the World. ... But they do so many different things on defense and they're really challenging.”– Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey on Ohio State's defense

Quarterbacks have had their hands full with the Buckeyes' level of disguise and mix of coverage in the back seven, with a ferocious pass rush spearheaded by Caden Curry, Kayden McDonald and Arvell Reese getting home. Though he's confident in his team, Lindsey is keen to Patricia's reputation and how difficult things will be to diagnose.

Get Smart

• Ohio State has a 48-7 all-time record against Minnesota with 13 straight wins dating back to 2001.
• Buckeyes right tackle Phillip Daniels transferred to Ohio State last offseason after two years at Minnesota.
• Minnesota’s roster includes four players from Ohio: Starting linebacker Devon Williams (Dublin), reserve running back Grant Washington (Avon), reserve defensive lineman Jay’Quan Stubbs (Cleveland) and reserve offensive lineman Jaden Ball (Carroll).
• Ohio State’s roster includes zero players from Minnesota.
• With a 7:30 p.m. kickoff time, this will be Ohio State’s second straight night game at home following its Sept. 13 win over Ohio. It will be Ohio State’s first appearance on NBC this season.
• The game will be part of Ohio State’s 113th Homecoming weekend.
• Ohio State’s 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame class will be honored during halftime. Former Buckeye center Billy Price headlines a class that also includes athletes from nine other Ohio State sports teams: Bianca Alvarez (diving), Katarzyna Dabrowa (fencing), Veronica Jatsek (track and field), Myles Martin (wrestling), Mary Olsen (gymnastics), Kim Reeder (softball), Blaz Rola (tennis), Jack Varga (rifle) and Alex Wimmers (baseball).
• Ohio State will also honor its 1975 Big Ten championship team as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
• The 13th Eleven Dubgate will be held before Saturday’s game, starting at 4 p.m., behind the Varsity Club on Tuttle Park Place and Norwich Avenue. All proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Olentangy, which provides year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for area children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

How It Plays Out

Line: Ohio State -23.5, O/U 43.5

While there are good players on the Minnesota roster, especially on the defensive side of the football, Ohio State should have the upper hand in every position group in this game. The Buckeyes' defense still hasn't allowed an opponent to score double digits this season, and if the Silver Bullets play to the level of anything resembling their outing at Washington, Minnesota will be fortunate to score at all.

All but one member of the Eleven Warriors staff took Ohio State to cover its 23.5-point spread. The only one who didn't, our wonderful associate producer Jack Emerson, is also the only staffer to have the Gophers being the first team to reach double digits against the Buckeyes this year.

Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction
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