The Ohio State football team returns to Ohio Stadium on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff with Tulsa, and the Buckeyes are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
The No.9 Buckeyes (1-1) lost to Oregon in Week 2 and now face the Golden Hurricane (0-2) in Week 3. Ohio State's defense struggled to stop the Ducks last week, leading to a week full of questions about the unit.
But now the Buckeyes can move on and provide answers against Tulsa, who lost to an FCS school in Week 1 but played Oklahoma State tough in Stillwater last week.
Follow the Buckeyes live with insight from the Columbus Dispatch's team of reporters Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman and editor Lori Schmidt as well as columnist Rob Oller.
New perch
Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs will be in a press box booth this afternoon.
Coombs has previously been with the team on the sideline, but coach Ryan Day had hinted at the possibility of shaking up the positioning of assistants following last week's upset loss to Oregon.
Day was not definitive on if Coombs would be calling the defense against Tulsa.
When Jeff Hafley coordinated the Buckeyes' defense in Day's first season in 2019, he was up in the box.
— Joey Kaufman
Pregame warmups
Teradja Mitchell, who was listed as a game-time decision on the availability report, warmed up with the rest of the linebackers and is in uniform, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be a significant factor in the rotation.
Mitchell didn’t line up with the first-team defense in the 11-on-11 warmup period. Sophomore Cody Simon stepped in at linebacker with Tommy Eichenberg, who started at the position with Mitchell during the first two games.
In other potential changes to the starting lineup, Javontae Jean-Baptiste was at the defensive end spot opposite Tyreke Smith since Zach Harrison is unavailable.
Bryson Shaw was the single-high safety with the starting defense, replacing Josh Proctor who suffered a season-ending leg fracture last week.
On the offensive side of the ball, running back TreVeyon Henderson took first-team reps.
— Joey Kaufman
Today's officials
- Referee: John O'Neill
- Umpire: Jeff Carr
- Linesman: Kris Van Meter
- Line Judge: Vincent Winters
- Back Judge: Michael Elliott
- Field Judge: Gary Powers
- Side Judge: John Roggeman
- Center Judge: Greg Blum
Expect more from Jaxon Smith-Njigba?
Ohio State has a standout receiving team with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, but Sophomore Jaxon Smith-Nigba caught a touchdown last week and is showing flashes of being the next great receiver from Ohio State.
One NFL scout at Ohio Stadium to watch the Buckeyes face the Golden Hurricane.
After a small army of NFL scouts descended on Columbus to watch Ohio State take on Oregon, a much smaller contingent is here today. In fact, only the New England Patriots are credentialed to be on site.
— Lori Schmidt
Who's playing, who's not for the Buckeyes against Tulsa today?
Defensive end Zach Harrison was among the 13 players who were listed as unavailable on the team’s availability report released three hours ahead of kickoff. The reason for his absence was not immediately known as the Buckeyes do not offer specifics surrounding injuries or illness.
Linebacker Teradja Mitchell is considered a game-time decision, while center Harry Miller will miss a third straight game.
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Buckeyes:Still smarting from Oregon loss, 'hungry' Ohio State vows to improve, detail by detail
Ohio State vs. Tulsa:Buckeyes hope to put Oregon loss behind them as Tulsa comes to town
Has Ohio Stadium fixed its ticket problems?
Ohio State provided some insight to its digital tickets which caused chaos last week during the Oregon game.
Here are some changes being made:
- Officials said they're adding more engineering support on site from the department's WiFi partner to monitor and manage connections.
- Increased staffing.
- More scanners at the stadium.
Ohio State vs. Tulsa predictions
Here's how our team and Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World picked the game:
- Bill Rabinowitz: Ohio State
- Joey Kaufman: Ohio State
- Rob Oller: Ohio State
- Kelly Hines: Ohio State
Defensive end Zach Harrison out for Tulsa game
As Ohio State looks to rediscover a pass rush on defense in Saturday's game against Tulsa, it will do so without defensive end Zach Harrison.
Harrison was among the 13 players who were listed as unavailable on the team’s availability report released three hours ahead of kickoff. The reason for his absence was not immediately known as the Buckeyes do not offer specifics surrounding injuries or illness.
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