Ohio State plays its first night game of the season on Saturday in the Shoe.
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SEP. 13, 2025 – 7 PM ET
Ohio Stadium
Columbus, OH
It’s not against a marquee opponent, and it won’t even be on regular television, but nevertheless, Saturday night’s game against Ohio on Peacock will serve as our first opportunity to watch the Buckeyes play under the lights this season. It will also serve as the final game of non-conference play for the Buckeyes, which will be followed by an off week before they start conference play at Washington on Sept. 27.
Given that, Ohio State will be looking for another clean performance after last week’s 70-0 win over Grambling State and to clean up the issues that still linger as they wrap up non-conference play. And while the Buckeyes are heavy favorites to win the game, the Bobcats will present tougher competition than Grambling, as the defending MAC champion makes the short trip from Athens to Columbus after upsetting West Virginia last week.
With that in mind, we share our biggest questions entering Ohio State’s non-conference finale, a few players we’ll be watching to have big games on Saturday night and make some predictions for what we’ll see happen between the Buckeyes and Bobcats.
Questions
Do the Buckeyes keep up their offensive aggression?
Week 1 against Texas, Ohio State came out with a conservative game plan and trusted its defense to carry it to a 14-7 victory. Against Grambling State, the Buckeyes brought back some old-school Ryan Day no-huddle and opened up the passing game for Julian Sayin, taking deep shots to stretch the field vertically.
The Buckeyes have mixed personnel groupings throughout their first two games, jumping into two- and three-tight end sets to match their usual three-receiver look. But a mix of tempo with some vertical and horizontal stretch will benefit Ohio State throughout its season if the offense keeps it going.
– Andy Anders
Can Ohio State’s defense shut down Parker Navarro’s running threat?
The biggest threat Ohio’s offense will present to Ohio State’s defense is the dual-threat skill set of quarterback Parker Navarro, who’s one of college football’s best running quarterbacks. He ran for 1,046 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2024 and has already rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown this season.
Arch Manning made a few plays with his legs against Ohio State in the season opener, so Navarro’s running ability will be crucial to the Bobcats’ chances of becoming the first team to score double digits against Ohio State this season. It will also serve as a good test of Ohio State’s ability to defend running quarterbacks before the Buckeyes face another dangerous runner, Washington’s Demond Williams Jr., in their first Big Ten game of the year.
– Dan Hope
How do CJ Donaldson Jr. and James Peoples look?
I have to think Donaldson and Peoples are feeling some pressure after Bo Jackson racked up 108 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries last week. Through two games, Ohio’s defense has been stout against the run, holding Rutgers and West Virginia to just 3.4 yards per carry. If Donaldson and Peoples rise to the challenge, they’ll remind Buckeye fans why they opened the season as the team’s top two backs. If not, the calls for Jackson to eat into their snaps — and their carries — could grow louder.
– Chase Brown
Players to Watch
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
If Ohio State is to keep Navarro hemmed into the pocket, it starts with defensive ends playing contain. Jackson is still waiting for his breakout after a lot of offseason hype. He only has three tackles through two games, though he was knocked out for the fourth quarter against Texas. His production might not be gaudy against Ohio as he works to stay disciplined, but that discipline will serve an important function – and maybe he can flash a time or two.
– Andy Anders
Brandon Inniss
Projected to be a breakout star entering the season, Inniss has just 37 receiving yards on five catches through two games. Ryan Day also made it clear this week that he’s expecting more from Inniss in the punt return game after he allowed multiple punts to bounce for yardage against Grambling State. This would be a good week for Ohio State to get Inniss going offensively, while a dynamic return or two would be an ideal response to Day’s public challenge.
– Dan Hope
Arvell Reese
Navarro brings impressive dual-threat ability. In his first season as a starter last year, he completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,423 yards and 13 touchdowns, and as Dan mentioned earlier, he also ran for 1,054 yards and 18 scores. On Saturday, I expect Reese to serve as Navarro’s shadow, doing whatever Matt Patricia asks to limit his scrambling and keep him from extending drives with his legs.
– Chase Brown
Predictions
Ohio is held under 200 passing yards
Ohio State’s secondary might be the best in college football this year; it’s certainly looked that way through two games. The Buckeyes are likely to play contain rather than blitz the slippery Navarro, so I think as they sit back in coverage, it will be hard for the Bobcats to find a rhythm through the air.
– Andy Anders
Will Kacmarek catches a touchdown pass
It took Kacmarek 14 games to score his touchdown as a Buckeye, but I’m expecting it’ll take just one game for the former Ohio Bobcat to score his second. If there’s anyone who Ohio State will want to draw up a touchdown play for in the red zone this week, one would think it’ll be Kacmarek as he goes against his former school. Carrying extra confidence as a receiver following last week’s 47-yard touchdown vs. Grambling State, Kacmarek looks ready for a storybook moment on Saturday night.
– Dan Hope
Max Klare catches a touchdown pass
Like Dan, I think an Ohio State tight end finds the end zone on Saturday — but I’m betting on Max Klare, not Kacmarek. Klare has had a quiet start to his Buckeye career. The Purdue transfer was one of the top tight ends in the portal last winter after leading the Boilermakers with 51 catches, 685 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. Through two games at Ohio State, though, he has just two receptions for 18 yards. It feels inevitable that Klare will make an impact sooner rather than later, so I’ll predict his breakout moment comes this weekend with his first touchdown in scarlet and gray.
– Chase Brown
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