Ohio State's matchup against UNLV wasn't expected to be close, and it wasn't.
The Buckeyes trounced the Rebels 54-21 on a unusually hot day at Ohio Stadium, behind five first-half touchdowns passes from senior quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Ohio State's defense didn't get the shutout, but the Silver Bullets allowed just seven first-half points as Barrett and Buckeye senior center Billy Price were shelved before halftime.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #10 OHIO STATE | 16 | 28 | 10 | 0 | 54 |
| UNLV | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
In less than two quarters of play, Barrett finished 12-of-17 passing for 209 yards and touchdown passes to Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill and Terry McLaurin. He also added 15 yards on the ground on five carries.
J.K. Dobbins failed to hit the 100-yard mark against the hapless UNLV defense, but finished with 95 yards on 14 carries in less than two quarters of game action. Mike Weber did not play against the Rebels, as Antonio Williams earned most of the reps with the second team after halftime.
| Ohio State | UNLV | |
|---|---|---|
| 664 | NET TOTAL YARDS | 264 |
| 190 | RUSHING YARDS | 176 |
| 40 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 41 |
| 4.8 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 4.3 |
| 0 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 2 |
| 474 | PASSING YARDS | 88 |
| 31-44 | COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS | 11-20 |
| 15.3 | AVERAGE PER COMPLETION | 8.0 |
| 7 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 34 | 1st DOWNS | 17 |
| 16 | RUSHING 1st DOWNS | 8 |
| 17 | PASSING 1st DOWNS | 4 |
| 1 | PENALTY 1st DOWNS | 5 |
| 84 | TOTAL PLAYS | 61 |
| 7.9 | YARDS PER PLAY | 4.3 |
| 5-8 | RED ZONE | 1-1 |
| 3-11 | 3rd DOWNS | 3-13 |
| 3-4 | 4th DOWNS | 0-0 |
| 8-85 | PENALTIES | 4-30 |
| 26:48 | POSSESSION | 33:12 |
Williams finished with 11 carries for 58 yards in his third game action this season.
Once in the game for Barrett, Dwayne Haskins immediately showed his potential as a passer. He completed two of his first three passes (the one incompletion was a drop), and a 28-yard touchdown strike to walk-on C.J. Saunders on his first drive, Ohio State's last of the half.
Haskins finished the day 15-of-23 for 228 yards, two touchdowns and an interception before giving way to Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter. Burrow completed all four of his pass attempts for 37 yards on the final drive of the game.
Both of UNLV's offensive scores came from running back Lexington Thomas, who finished with 84 yards on the ground against the Buckeyes.
UNLV's third and final score came on a 65-yard interception return for a score by Javin White after Haskins misfired on a pass early in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State's defense was not to be overshadowed, as the Buckeyes forced UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers into two interceptions. Damon Arnette was the recipient of the first, as Nick Bosa deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage before Arnette came down with the ball, returning it 35-yards to the Rebel 7-yard line.
Ohio State's other interception came from Damon Webb on a deep pass over the middle, the second of Webb's career.
Game Notes
- Ohio State completed touchdown passes to seven different receivers, breaking the previous school record of five.
- Haskins' first half touchdown pass to Saunders was the first career score for both players.
- Rashod Berry recorded his first career catch and touchdown, scoring on a 38-yard catch and run from Haskins in the third quarter.
- Jaylen Harris recorded his first career catch late in the fourth quarter from Haskins.
- Hill marked his first receiving touchdown of the season and the second of his career on an 11-yard completion from Barrett in the second quarter.
- McLaurin has now recorded a receiving touchdown in back-to-back games and four career touchdown receptions.
- Barrett moved to second place on Ohio State’s all-time passing list with his 20-yard completion to Hill in the first quarter.
- Barrett won his 29th game as the starting quarterback for Ohio State. He is one win shy of tying Bobby Hoying for third in Buckeye history.
- Barrett recorded his third career game with five or more passing touchdowns. His previous two were vs. Bowling Green in 2016 and Kent State in 2014.
- Arnette recorded his first interception of the season and the second of his career. Ohio State has four interceptions this year.
