College Football in Ohio – Week 1

Ohio State brought intensity against Texas. The players, coaches, and fans turned up the juice and were downright ferocious in the victory over the Longhorns. Julian Sayin looks like he is the right choice to be the Buckeyes quarterback and has a bright future. The Buckeyes found some new stars in Arvell Reese and CJ Donaldson, who both had a fantastic game. Ohio State’s mission to win back-to-back national championships is off to a fantastic start. They’ll look to keep their momentum going when they play Grambling on Saturday.

Cincinnati 0-1 (0-0 in the Big 12)

2025 will be pivotal and decisive for the Bearcats’ head coach, Scott Satterfield, and it got off to a bad start against Nebraska in Kansas City. It’s always a bad thing when your quarterback has more rushing yards than passing yards and doesn’t reach the triple digits in either category. Nothing went well offensively for the Cats, and it’s difficult to gauge the defense since Nebraska’s offense is almost as bad as UC’s. The Bearcats will play an actual home game next when Eddie George ’s Bowling Green Falcons come to town.

Ohio 0-1 (0-0 in the MAC)

Ohio had a heartbreaking opener at underrated Rutgers in New Jersey. It’s always tough for the MAC to take on the Big Ten. The Bobcats got behind big in the second quarter. Rutgers had a 31-17 lead at halftime, and it was on the verge of getting ugly. Ohio came back in the third quarter and had the game tied 31-31 going into the fourth, but Rutgers took a three-point lead that they rode to victory.

The silver lining for Ohio is their offense showed some strength, especially quarterback Parker Navarro. Navarro was 21 of 31 for 239 yards and two touchdowns passing. He added 93 yards and a touchdown rushing, putting the MAC on notice for 2025. The non-conference slate only gets tougher with West Virginia and Ohio State up next.

Miami (OH) 0-1 (0-0 in the MAC)

The Redhawks opened their season with a loss on the road against Wisconsin. It was even uglier than the 17-0 score indicated. Miami was only able to gain 117 yards on offense and didn’t convert a single third down. It could change as the season goes on, but this was an ugly game for the Redhawks (and wasn’t much better for the Badgers). Next, Miami will be the second half of the MAC’s Battle of the Bricks rivalry to visit Rutgers.

Bowling Green 1-0 (0-0 in the MAC)

The Eddie George Era got off on the right foot Thursday night as the Falcons beat Lafayette 26-7. BGSU played a conservative game, fueled by star freshman running back Cameron Pettaway returning the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Bowling Green then played a little bit of what fans of college football in Ohio know as Tresselball. The offense didn’t make any stupid mistakes, the defense played lights out, and the special teams made the difference.

Junior kicker Jackson Kleather especially boosted the Falcons; the MAC Special Teams Player of the Week was a perfect 4-of-4 on his field goals and 2-of-2 on his extra points. He showed his talent particularly when he nailed a 56-yarder. Having a kicker like Kleather can be the difference between winning and losing a couple of games, at least, in any given season. Bowling Green will drive down I-75 to battle the Bearcats in the Queen City.

Toledo 0-1 (0-0)

The Rockets lost a tough game on the road against an SEC foe. They fell to Kentucky in Lexington. Toledo never quit, though. Despite the Wildcats leading them 17-2 in the fourth quarter, Toledo kept fighting, closing to within a touchdown. But that would be all she wrote, and the Rockets would fall by a score of 24-16. Look for the Toledo offense to be much stronger as the season goes on. They’ll need it as they host, possibly, an even better Kentucky team on Saturday, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Akron 0-1 (0-0 in the MAC)

The Zips opened by welcoming the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West to Akron. It was a slow game and sadly, a slow defeat for Akron. Wyoming won, 10-0, but it could have been much worse. The Cowboys outgained the Zips by nearly 200 yards, 426 to 228. Akron had no answer for Wyoming sophomore wide receiver  Chris Durr Jr., who finished the game with eight catches for 190 yards and a touchdown. Next for Akron is on the road in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Cornhuskers’ home opener.

Kent State 1-0 (0-0 in the MAC)

The Golden Flashes had a back-and-forth game with Merrimack. The big plays saved Kent State and prevented the upset. A 30 and 79-yard touchdowns kept them in the game, but they still found themselves trailing late in the fourth quarter. Then Da’Realyst Clark happened. Not only is he first team on the All-American all-name team, but he’s fast and he’s clutch. He returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown late in the game, and it would prove to be the decisive score for Kent State’s 21-17 victory.

Dayton 0-1 (0-0 in the Pioneer League)

Dayton opened their season with a 24-14 defeat against Eastern Illinois. The only two things that went right for the Flyers were their deep passing game, on offense, and the turnover battle on defense. Quarterback Bryce Schondelmyer hit Gavin Lochow for a 48-yard touchdown and Michael Mussari for a 67-yard touchdown, but that was all she wrote for the Flyers’ offense.

The Flyers had no running game, rushing for only 31 yards on 19 attempts. Special teams was also a struggle, as UD missed two field goals. Winning the turnover battle three to one wasn’t enough for Dayton to get the win on the road. Dayton hosts St. Thomas to start conference play next week.

Youngstown State 1-0 (0-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference)

The Penguins got their season off to a good start with a 24-15 win over Mercyhurst. YSU got a 24-7 lead thanks to their quarterback, Beau Brungard. Brungard was a modest 14 of 21 for 114 yards passing, but was a beast in the running game. Brungard had 28 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Youngstown took good care of the football, ending the game with a plus-four turnover margin. Next week, YSU hosts Robert Morris in a non-conference home game.

Writer’s Note: All FBS team rankings referenced are from the College Football Power Rankings here at TheForkball.com. All FCS rankings are from the FCS STATS poll.