USA Today · Sep 3, 2021
No. 4 Ohio State avoids upset in opener at Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Ohio State's opener didn't figure to be a breeze.
The No. 4 Buckeyes hadn't lost a Big Ten game since 2018, but Minnesota had the experience to pose a real test against an Ohio State team breaking in quarterback C.J. Stroud and relying on inexperienced players on defense.
The Golden Gophers did just that.
But the Buckeyes survived the scare in a 45-31 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 50,805 at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Stroud threw four touchdown passes, including a 56-yarder to Garrett Wilson to put the Buckeyes ahead for good, a swing pass that true freshman TreVeyon Henderson turbo-charged into a 70-yard score, and a 61-yarder to Chris Olave that clinched the win.
