COLUMBUS – Ohio State fans waiting out the hour-and-a-half weather delay before kickoff of Saturday’s game at Oklahoma could feel fairly confident that the Buckeyes would move up to at least the No. 2 spot in the college football polls if they could beat the 14th-ranked Sooners.
OSU (3-0) was ranked No. 3 in both the AP Top 25 and the Amway coaches’ poll and No. 2 Florida State had been shellacked earlier in the day by Louisville while top-ranked Alabama escaped a defeat at Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide were not likely to drop in the rankings so, unless the ‘Ville leap-frogged them to No. 2, the Buckeyes should there, right behind Alabama.
And, so it came to pass.
Ohio State beat Oklahoma – a preseason No. 3 – on their home field in Norman by the convincing score of 45-24 in what head coach Urban Meyers called his team’s “coming of age game.”
“It is one of the top five hardest places to play, against a very talented team, but from the opening kickoff, our guys swung as hard as they could,” Meyer said.
Three players were singled out for honors by the Big Ten Conference after the game.
Sophomore wide receiver Noah Brown is this week’s Big Ten Conference offensive player of the week after catching four touchdown passes in the win, including a spectacular one-handed catch that he pinned to the back of a Sooner defender and held onto while getting both feet in bounds and falling to his back. It has been dubbed the “Hug-down” by social media wits
“Anytine [quarterback] J.T ]Barrett] puts the ball in the air he’s putting trust in me and I try to come down with the ball for him. You know, I have my quarterback’s back so it felt good to make that play and put some point son the board,” he said afterward.
The four scoring catches – of 4, 37, 21 and 8 yards — tied a school record. Brown also had a fifth reception on the day for a personal-best in both receptions with five and receiving yards with 72.
Brown is currently second on the team in receptions with nine for 134 yards and a 14.9 yards-per-catch average. He is tied for second nationally with his five receiving touchdowns.
Sophomore linebacker Jerome Baker earned this week’s Big Ten co-defensive player of the week award. He intercepted a tipped Baker Mayfield pass and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Baker was making only his second career start.
Senior punter Cameron Johnston is the Ray Guy national punter of the week after he placed all five of his punts against Oklahoma inside the 20-yard line while averaging 50.6 yards per kick.
The Sooners (1-2) plummeted to No. 25 in the AP and out of the coaches’ poll altogether.
Louisville climbed seven spots to No. 3 in the AP poll and six places to No. 4 in the coaches’ survey, right behind Clemson, which is No. 5 in the media poll.
Michigan (3-0) is No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 5 in the coaches’ poll, one of four future Buckeye opponents in the Top 25 in both polls. No. 8 Michigan State (2-0), No. 11/10 Wisconsin (3-0) and No. 20 Nebraska (3-0).
Ohio State is off until Oct. 1, when they host Rutgers in the homecoming game (Noon TV TBA).