Ohio State drops in top-25 polls
Ohio State's loss to Oregon dropped the Buckeyes six spots to No. 9 in the Associated Press poll and eight spots to No. 11 in the coaches poll.
It is the first time the Buckeyes have been ranked outside of the top-10 in either of the major polls since 2018 when they suffered a 49-20 loss at Purdue on Oct. 20, then dropped to No. 11 in the AP poll.
The Ducks, who handed Ohio State a 35-28 defeat Saturday, got a boost from the victory, moving up to No. 4 in both polls. Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma are the consensus top-ranked teams.
Iowa is now the highest-ranked Big Ten team.
The Hawkeyes rose five spots to No. 5 in the AP poll and to No. 7 in the coaches poll after beating in-state rival Iowa State.
No sacks on Saturday
The host of issues on defense for Ohio State in its loss to
Oregon included placing minimal pressure on Anthony Brown, the Ducks quarterback.
The Buckeyes did not sack Brown, marking the first time since 2018 that they failed to record at least one sack in a game.
Defensive tackle Haskell Garrett attributed the issue to Brown's awareness as he anticipated the rush throughout the game.
“They were just getting the ball out of their hands fast,” Garrett said. “There's really nothing you can do, you just got to close the pocket. We're known as the 'Rushmen,' so everybody's on notice that they have to get the ball out of their hands fast.”
Brown was under pressure at times. The Buckeyes were credited with five quarterback hurries. But he stayed upright and was never brought down to the turf.
Shortened running back rotation
After distributing carries to four running backs at Minnesota, the Buckeyes used only Treveyon Henderson and Miyan Williams against Oregon.
Starting for the second straight week, Williams saw the first nine carries in the first quarter before Henderson would spell him.
Williams finished with 14 carries for 77 yards, while Hendeson had 12 carries for 54 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Neither Master Teague nor Marcus Crowley carried the ball.
Cameron Brown starts in the secondary
After being sidelined for the season opener, Cameron Brown returned for the Buckeyes and started at the outside cornerback spot opposite Denzel Burke.
Burke, a true freshman, made his second consecutive start.
Transfer linebacker debuts
Linebacker Palaie Gaoteote made his debut for Ohio State in the second quarter.
It was only one day after the NCAA determined Gaoteote was eligible to play for the Buckeyes this season after transferring from USC in June.
Punting precision
Punter Jesse Mirco twice pinned Oregon at its 1-yard line during the first and second quarters.
It was only the Australian freshman's second appearance for the Buckeyes since joining the program earlier this year and taking over punting duties from current NFL free agent Drue Chrisman.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.