MINNEAPOLIS -- The Ohio State football team returns to the field on Thursday night to play Minnesota.
It’s the first time the Buckeyes have played the Golden Gophers since 2018 in a 30-14 home win. They’ve won 10 straight and are 45-7 all-time in the series.
The history between the two is one-sided, but that doesn’t take away from the significance of this game. When OSU’s offense takes the field, it will be the first time in the Ryan Day era it will be doing so without Justin Fields as its starting quarterback. He lives in Chicago now as the future of the Bears franchise. In Columbus, the C.J. Stroud era has begun.
Stroud was named the starter last week after spending basically every day since he committed to the 2020 class on Signing Day December 19, 2019, as the favorite to be Fields’ successor. Now he’ll take the field, having played only eight total snaps and never thrown a pass in a college game. But Day’s reputation as a quarterback developer and the bevy of weapons around him is enough that he should be viewed in the same light as his California counterparts at Alabama and Clemson.
Thursday night’s game is a chance for the Buckeyes’ defense to press the reset button after a disappointing 2020, even if it didn’t keep them from reaching the national title game. It’s a chance for Kerry Coombs to prove himself as a defensive coordinator now that he’s had a normal offseason to prepare for the job. It’s a chance for Matt Barnes to show off his ability to develop defensive backs and for linebackers like Teradja Mitchell to finally get on the field after spending his entire career blocked.
Ohio State’s season-opener is a chance for the Buckeyes to return to the true environment of college football. That means fans, bands and all the traditions 2020 robbed us of. It’s a chance to take the first step towards getting back on the playoff stage, but this time finish the job.
“Let’s have a great first day men,” Day says to his team. “(It’s the) first step in a long journey.”
Watch the full trailer above as you get ready to watch Ohio State face the Golden Gophers on Thursday.
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