Game Preview: Ohio State Aware Of Toledo's Upset Potential

The Buckeyes haven't lost to an in-state opponent since 1921 but aren't overlooking the Rockets.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Sep 16, 2022 7:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Four ranked teams lost to unranked opponents last weekend, including No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 19 Wisconsin and No. 25 Houston, serving as a reminder to third-ranked Ohio State that anyone can be upset on any given Saturday.

So while many outside the program are looking forward to seeing the Buckeyes dive deep into the depth chart against Toledo – which enters the game as a 32-point underdog – head coach Ryan Day was quick to point out how that mindset can lead to an unexpected loss.

“If we’re even thinking about that, then we’re asking for trouble,” Day said on Thursday. “We’ve got to win the game, and if we have any expectations other than that, we’re setting ourselves up. You need to look no further than what happened last weekend around the country.”

The Rockets aren’t new to knocking off Power Five foes this century, either, including wins over Penn State in 2000, Minnesota in 2001, Pittsburgh in 2003, Kansas in 2006, Iowa State in 2007, Michigan in 2008, Colorado in 2009, Purdue in 2010 and Arkansas and Iowa State in 2015.

They also took a 29-24 lead with 1:35 remaining in the fourth quarter of last year’s game at Notre Dame, but ultimately fell by three points when they gave up an 18-yard touchdown pass just 26 seconds later. It marked their fourth straight loss to a Power Five opponent, including Miami (Fla.) in 2017 and 2018 and Kentucky in 2019.

“We have to bring it every week,” Day said. “We have to continue to do that again this week.”

General Info

Date: Sept. 17, 2022
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH)
Expected Weather: 79 degrees, mostly sunny
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET

Current Betting Numbers

Spread: Ohio State (-32)
O/U Total: 62
Betting: Check out the new SISportsbook!

How to Watch/Listen

Television: FOX
Streaming: fuboTV (get a 7-day free trial)
Announcers: Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Local Radio: Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield IMG College
Flagship: WBNS 97.1 The Fan
Announcers: Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (analyst), Matt Andrews (sideline reporter), Skip Mosic (pregame/halftime/postgame host and producer)

Series History

Ohio State leads Toledo, 3-0
* OSU record at home: 2-0

LAST TIME THEY MET
2011: Ohio State 27, Toledo 22

Coaching Matchup

* Ryan Day
* At Ohio State: 4th Season, Record: 36-4
* Overall: Same

* Jason Candle
* At Toledo: 7th Season, Record: 47-27
* Overall: Same

Ohio State Capsule

Ohio State has been flagged 16 times for 160 yards through the first two games of the season, including a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and another for leaping over the punt shield that wiped out a 78-yard return for a touchdown in the 45-12 win over Arkansas State.

“That’s ridiculous, so we’ve got to get that fixed,” Day said. “There are things that happen that are part of the game, but the other things are inexcusable. We have to play with emotion, we can’t let emotion play with us. We have to be disciplined in that area.”

Day noted how penalties, especially those that take points off the board, can be the difference between winning and losing a close game. With that, much of the focus this week has been on cleaning up that phase of the game.

“One of the things that we’ve talked about is it really doesn’t have anything to do with the team we’re playing,” Day said. “It doesn’t. It has everything to do with Ohio State. We’re Ohio State. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It’s about the process and it’s about the way we play.

“I tried to explain the other day that if you listen to the best pianist in America, you wouldn’t go to a bar and expect them to be terrible or taking the night off. Or if they’re playing at Madison Square Garden, it all of a sudden changes. It’s the same way with us. It doesn’t matter what the stage is. It doesn’t matter what’s going on. We only have 12 regular-season games.”

Toledo Capsule

While Toledo opened the season against FCS Long Island and FBS bottom dweller UMass, the Rockets were dominant in both contests, giving up a combined 10 points defensively, good for second in the country behind defending national champion Georgia.

Their pass defense has been especially strong, surrendering 58.0 yards per game compared 125.5 yards on the ground. Former Ohio State linebacker Dallas Gant has been a big part of that success, recording a team-high 19 tackles, one forced fumble and one pass break up.

“This is a very good team,” Day said. “They certainly gave Notre Dame all they could handle last year, so we’ve got to do a great job making sure that we’re preparing just like any other week. We have to make sure that we’re building every week and getting stronger every week, but this is a good team.”

Offensively, Toledo is led by quarterback Dequan Finn, who has completed 33-of-54 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns on the season. He’s also the team’s leading rusher with 138 yards and three more scores, marking the third straight game the Buckeyes will face a dual-threat signal-caller.

“Jason (Candle) does an unbelievable job and Toledo has a very proud program,” Day said. “They’re well-coached, good players, good skill. They’ve upgraded a couple areas with the transfer portal, and they’re a team that will come in here and play really hard.

“They’re not going to come into Ohio Stadium and be intimidated at all. When you combine all of those things, you’ve got a really good opponent.”

Major Storylines

Ohio State has never lost to an in-state team in Ohio Stadium, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Buckeyes are 46-0-1 in the historic venue against other Ohio schools.
Along those same lines, Ohio State is 192-50-1 all time against in-state teams, including 44 straight wins. The last loss was to Oberlin in 1921, while the only tie was against Wooster in 1924.
The Buckeyes went 57 seasons (1935-91) without playing an in-state school. Since then, they’ve played eight Ohio schools a total of 29 times.
Ohio State has played Toledo three times in its history, including a regular-season matchup in the 2009 FirstMerit Patriot Bowl at Cleveland Browns Stadium (now FirstEnergy Stadium). The Buckeyes won, 38-0.
Ohio State is 32-0 under Day when it scores 30 or more points. The Buckeyes are 4-4 in games where the score 29 or fewer, meanwhile.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has thrown for 5,009 yards in his career and needs just 364 yards to surpass former signal-caller Justin Fields for 10th on Ohio State’s all-time list.
Gant isn’t the only former Buckeye at Toledo, at former offensive lineman Max Wray is a graduate assistant for the Rockets. He played three seasons at Ohio State (2018-20) before transferring to Colorado, where his career was derailed by concussions.
A total of 10 true freshmen have played for Ohio State so far, including running back Dallan Hayden, offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola, defensive ends Caden Curry, Omari Abor and Kenyatta Jackson, defensive tackle Hero Kanu, linebacker C.J. Hicks, cornerback Jyaire Brown and safeties Kye Stokes and Sonny Styles.