The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Farrell scores first touchdown as a Buckeye
Perry graduate and his teammates are confident and improving as they prepare for Week 3 when they face TCU
COLUMBUS » As Ohio State’s starting tight end, Luke Farrell didn’t have much time this week to go shopping for his parents’ anniversary on Sept. 8.
Going out to dinner wasn’t much of an option, either, because the Buckeyes were hosting Rutgers in their Big Ten opener.
But Farrell came up with a pretty nifty — not to mention priceless — present for his parents to celebrate their special day.
He scored his first collegiate touchdown. Farrell hauled in an out-pattern from quarterback Dwayne Haskins early in the second quarter, then took it across the goal line from 9 yards out. The touchdown as part of Ohio State’s 52-3 annihilation of Rutgers in front of 93,057 fans.
But it’s safe to say two of those 93,057 were happier than the rest. Matt and Kelly Farrell. “They were pretty ecstatic,” Farrell said. “They’ve seen everything since I first started playing, including the last few years here at Ohio State. So that was pretty special they saw my first one.”
Farrell finished with two catches for 19 yards against Rutgers, having caught a 10-yard pass earlier in the game. Coincidentally, that was his exact productivity last year as a sparingly used redshirt freshmen — two catches for 19 yards as a backup for veteran Marcus Baugh.
They’ve seen everything since I first started playing, including the last few years here at Ohio State. So that was pretty special they saw my first one. ”
– Luke Farrell, on his parents being at the game
“It was so awesome,” he said of his first college score. “There’s nothing that compares to how that felt. It’s been a long time coming. I’m really happy with it.”
Farrell lined up tight on the right, appeared to be blocking for a run play, then pivoted toward to Rutgers sideline. He said his job on the play is to sell the block as if it’s a running play, then get separation for a possible reception.
“Going up to the line, I had a pretty good idea I was going to be the first read based on their alignment,” Farrell said. “The first thing I thought when I caught it was to turn upfield and get as much as I can. Then I saw no one was close to me. I lowered my shoulder, but I knew I was going to get in. It was awesome.”
The difference between last year and this year has been vast, the former AllOhioan at Perry said. He said he and redshirt junior Rashod Berry, a Lorain product who caught a touchdown pass last week, have worked together and supported each other to nail down the tight end position.
Farrell has started both games at tight end heading into a Week 3 game against TCU.
“I have a lot of room for improvement, but it’s all really good so far,” Farrell said. “I’d say (blocking) is my biggest improvement. I’ve made big improvement in that area this year.”
Ohio State’s quarterbacks Haskins and Tate Martel combined to complete 30 of 33 passes for 354 yards and five touchdowns against Rutgers. Through two games, eight Buckeyes have scored via the passing game.
“That’s the amazing part about it, I get just excited if not more excited when someone else scores, like when Rashod did last week when we were both in there in 12 personnel,” Farrell said of Ohio State’s two-tight formation. “Dwayne’s ability to throw downfield is amazing. There’s not a ton of weight on any one person’s shoulders because we’re all reliable to make plays.”
Acting head coach Ryan Day agreed.
“I think we have a great group of guys here,” Day said. “We have a lot of talent on offense. And I think that combined with the tempo has been great.”
With two home games under their belts, the fourth-ranked team in the nation sets its sights on a nationally televised game next weekend against TCU. The game is in Arlington, Texas, which is a virtual home game for the Fort Worth-based Horned Frogs.
Farrell said he is confident, and so are his teammates.
“We’ve got to keep doing work like we have since camp started,” he said. “I think when we’re really clicking and putting things together, there’s nothing we cant accomplish. We were there (last season) for the Cotton Bowl, so we’ll be confident.
“But it all starts tomorrow. We’ve got work to do this week.”