Figuratively, C.J. Stroud will always be a Buckeye for life. But when Ohio State faced Penn State at the Shoe, the phrase took on a literal meaning, as the record-breaking Ohio State quarterback was welcomed back into the Shoe with open arms on Saturday.
After embracing his former teammates on the sidelines during early warmups, Stroud appeared on College GameDay, correctly picking the Buckeyes to beat the Nittany Lions in the top-10 showdown at Ohio Stadium. From there, Stroud spent all four quarters on Ohio State's sideline. After the Buckeyes' win, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Chad Ray and Sonny Styles and sang Carmen Ohio – as he did 34 times during his collegiate career from 2020-22.
In his two seasons as Ohio State's starter, Stroud won back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year awards and invitations to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. In two starts against Penn State, Stroud completed 48 of 67 passes for 659 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Buckeyes to a pair of victories. For his career, Stroud completed 575 of 830 passes (69.3% completion percentage) for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns.
- #3 Ohio State 20, #7 Penn State 12
- • Seventh Straight Win Vs. Penn State
- • Elite Defense Carries Ohio State Again
- • Maserati Marv Hits 162
- • Stroud Sings Carmen Ohio With Buckeyes
- • Ohio State Postgame • Penn State Postgame • Notebook
- • Photos • Five Things • Photos • TBDBITL • Social Reax
