Washington Falls To Ohio State 24-6

The Washington Huskies had a 22-game home winning streak that was snapped Saturday in Ohio State’s 24-6 win. That win by the Buckeyes was huge because Washington had three big offensive weapons in Quarterback Demond Williams Jr, Running Back Jonah Coleman, and Wide Receiver Denzel Boston.

Against Washington, Ohio State proved it has a great defense, maybe the best defense in the nation. In holding Washington to fewer than 10 points, Ohio State held its fourth consecutive opponent to fewer than 10 points. Do you think Ohio State has the best defense in the nation?

The Washington Huskies Are a Tough Team

The Washington Huskies had won 22 consecutive games at home, and their offense was led by a talented three-headed monster. Also, playing at Husky Stadium is quite difficult because their stadium is one of the loudest in the nation. For this reason, Ohio State practiced all week with silent snap counts on offense.

The Best Defense in the Nation?

Ohio State held a dangerous Washington offense, which had been scoring more than 55 points a game, to just 6 points. This was the fourth consecutive game to start the season that the Buckeyes had held an opponent to less than 10 points. More importantly for the Buckeyes, both Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald emerged. Curry had 11 tackles, five for a loss (which tied a school record), and McDonald had seven tackles and three for a loss.

Ohio State has stars at all three levels on defense, with Linebacker Arvell Reese and Safety Caleb Downs. Not only does Ohio State lead the nation in scoring defense, but many people are talking about the Ohio State defense as the best in the nation. This makes Ohio State hard to play against because the Offense, behind deadly accurate Quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes will score lots of points.

Bo Jackson, Freshman, New Feature Running Back

Also important from this game is that freshman Bo Jackson emerged as the feature tailback for the Buckeyes. Against the Huskies, Jackson had 17 carries for 80 yards. He had nearly double the carries of West Virginia transfer C.J. Donaldson and James Peoples yesterday. In the game against Minnesota, he will start. Jackson is a freshman, so this is significant.

News and Notes

• This was the first Big Ten conference game for both Washington and Ohio State.
• This was the first home loss for the Huskies in 22 games. The streak dated back to 2021 for them in Husky Stadium.
• Ohio State is now 10-3 all-time against Washington. The Buckeyes have won five games in a row against the Huskies.
• Jeremiah Smith caught his 100th pass for Ohio State in this game.
• Former Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who now plays for the Seattle Seahawks, and
• former Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith, who now lives in Arizona, were at this game.

Scoring

This game was very low scoring in the first half. In the first quarter, Husky Kicker Grady Gross kicked a field goal. The Huskies led 3-0. In the second quarter, Smith caught a 19-yard touchdown pass. At halftime, it was 7-3 Ohio State.

Scoring got a bit more active in the second half. Ohio State scored first, with Donaldson scoring a touchdown on a one-yard run, and Ohio State led 14-3. Then Washington placekicker Grady Goss kicked another field goal, and it was 14-6 Ohio State. In the fourth quarter, Ohio State Kicker Jayden Fielding kicked a 34-yard field goal. The score in the game was now 17-6, Ohio State. Then Donaldson caught a 4-yard touchdown pass. That made the score 24-6, Ohio State. That was the final score.

Conclusion

The 24-6 road win by Ohio State over the Huskies was important. Not only did Ohio State have to travel across the country to play at Washington, but playing there is a hostile place to play. It is loud there, and the Huskies had a 22-game home winning streak and an offense led by a three-headed monster. Ohio State plays again on Saturday night against the P.J. Fleck-led Minnesota Golden Gophers. They have a good chance to push their record to 5-0.