Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) vs Oregon Ducks (1-0)
Game Info: Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 12:00 pm (Ohio Stadium)
Betting Odds: Ohio State Buckeyes -14 -- Over/Under: 63.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: Fox Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The 12th ranked Oregon Ducks will travel to Ohio Stadium to take on the 3rd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The 12th ranked Oregon Ducks had all they could handle from the Fresno State Bulldogs, however, were able to open their 2021 season with a victory after defeating Fresno State, 31-24, this past Saturday. Oregon surrendered an early 21-6 lead and allowed Fresno State to take a 24-21 lead early in the 4th quarter, however, the Ducks were able to avoid the upset after an Anthony Brown 30-yard TD run with just 2:57 left in regulation gave the Ducks the lead for good. Oregon was outgained by Fresno State by a 373-358 margin, however, did win the turnover battle by a 3-1 margin. Offensively, Oregon was led by QB Anthony Brown who completed 15 of 24 passes for 172 yards & 1 TD while also rushing for 56 yards & 1 TD on 16 carries. Also contributing to the Oregon backfield was the duo of CJ Verdell (18 car, 74 yards, TD) & Travis Dye (13 car, 64 yards, TD). The top receiving threats for the Ducks were Johnny Johnson III (3 rec, 76 yards, TD), Mycah Pittman (3 rec, 40 yards), & Kris Hutson (2 rec, 22 yards).
Defensively, Oregon struggled against the Fresno State passing attack, however, did a great job of forcing turnovers, recovering three Bulldogs fumbles. Leading the way for the Ducks defense was Justin Flowe (14 tackles, 1 TFL), Noah Sewell (5 tackles, 1 sack), & Mase Funa (2 tackles, 2 recovered fumbles).
The 3rd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 1-0 on the season after defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 45-31, this past Thursday. Ohio State trailed by a 21-17 margin early in the 3rd quarter, however, the offensively was outstanding down the stretch and sealed the victory after a Chris Olave 61-yard TD reception gave the Buckeyes a 45-31 lead with 4:39 left in regulation. Ohio State outgained Minnesota by a 495-408 margin and won the turnover battle by a 2-1 margin in the victory. Offensively, Ohio State was led by QB C.J. Stroud who completed 13 of 22 passes for 294 yards, 4 TD, & 1 INT. The top receiving threats for the Buckeyes were Chris Olave (4 rec, 117 yards, 2 TD), Garrett Wilson (5 rec, 80 yards, TD), & TreVeyon Henderson (1 rec, 70 yards, TD). Leading the way for the Ohio State backfield was Miyan Williams who had 125 rushing yards & 1 TD on 9 carries.
Defensively, had trouble slowing down the talented Mohamed Ibrahim and the Golden Gophers rushing attack, but overall, forced some timely turnovers including a 32-yard fumble return of a TD by Haskell Garrett. Leading the way for the Buckeyes defense was Ronnie Hickman (11 tackles) & Teradja Mitchell (10 tackles, 1 TFL).
The Ducks are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Big 10 opponents, however, are just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog. The Buckeyes are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 September games and 12-2-1 ATS in their last 15 games vs. Pac-12 opponents.
Oregon was able to avoid a devasting season opening upset, however, for a team that came into this season as the Pac-12’s best hope to get to the CFB playoffs, it certainly wasn’t an encouraging performance from the Ducks. Ohio State picked up an impressive win on the road against a tough Minnesota team and looks like they will once again have one of the higher scoring offenses in the country after seeing C.J. Stroud dominate in the 2nd half. Oregon has talent, however, they most likely will have at best a less than 100% DE Kayvon Thibodeaux and between the fact that I wasn’t overly impressed by the Ducks offense and that I think Ohio State will be able to put up plenty of points at home, I’m taking Ohio State to cover this large spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Ohio State Buckeyes -14
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
