C.J. Stroud Shakes Off Early Pick-Six To Set Ohio State, Big Ten Record For Six-Touchdown Games
Ohio State redshirt sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud threw his third interception in as many games on Saturday afternoon, a pick-six on the second drive that could have sparked an upset-minded Michigan State team.
Instead, Stroud responded by completing 21-of-26 passes for 361 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-20 win, making him the first player in school and Big Ten history to throw six touchdowns in three separate games.
“At the end of the day, mistakes happen,” Stroud said after the game. “But that’s why I love Coach (Ryan) Day so much and my offense. They always have my back no matter what … You’ve just got to bounce back. It’s always about the answer. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
The interception was a miscommunication between Stroud and sophomore wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who he thought was going to break off his route and come back to the ball rather than streak down the field.
But Stroud quickly shook off the pick and found Egbuka for a 69-yard touchdown pass on his next throw, then engineered three more scoring drives before the half to give the Buckeyes a 35-13 lead at the break.
“I thought the best thing was it was like nothing ever happened,” Day said. “We just kept rolling, and that shows confidence. I’m proud of those guys and the way that they played.”
Ohio State had just six six-touchdown performances in its history before Stroud took over under center last season, with former signal-callers J.T. Barrett (2014 Kent state and 2016 Bowling Green) and Dwayne Haskins (2018 Indiana and Michigan) leading the way with two apiece.
But then Stroud threw six touchdowns in last year’s 56-7 win over Michigan State, tied the mark in the 48-45 Rose Bowl win over Utah and took over sole possession of the record on Saturday, giving him 12 touchdown passes with just eight incompletions in two career games against the Spartans.
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“What can you say about somebody who’s throwing the ball like that in 20-mile-an-hour wind? At least it seemed like it was,” Day said. “For him to throw it that accurately, that was really well done. Our offensive line did a good job of giving him a good pocket, and when you do that, he can do some damage.
"I thought he embraced the game plan, worked it, had a good thought process the whole game, had a good look in his eye. That’s one heck of a day on the road, especially against a program as proud as Michigan State. Coming in here for our first road game, it was a big day for C.J.”
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