Arkansas State at Ohio State: What to know about Saturday’s game

Who: Arkansas State at No. 3 Ohio State

When: 12:01 p.m., Saturday

Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

TV/Radio: Big Ten Network/1410

Series history: First meeting

Last meeting: N/A

Coaches: Ohio State’s Ryan Day is 35-4 in three seasons, including 23–1 in the Big Ten. Butch Jones is 3-10 after one season and one game at ASU. He is 87-64 in 13 season as a college football head coach, including a 33-14 mark in three seasons as head coach at the University of Cincinnati.

Ohio State notes: The Buckeyes are 3-0 against Sun Belt teams, including a pair of wins over Marshall and one over Troy… Ohio State’s 21 points last week against Notre Dame are the fewest in the Ryan Day era, but the Buckeyes kept alive the current FBS-best streak of 62 consecutive games scoring at least 20… Only one true freshman, defensive end Caden Curry, saw action in the season opener… The last player from Arkansas to play for Ohio State is receiver K.J. Hill of North Little Rock. He is the only OSU signee from the state since at least 1988… The Buckeyes have won their season-opener 23 years in a row with the last loss coming against Miami (Fla.) in the 1999 Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Arkansas State notes: ASU quarterback James Blackman is a Florida State transfer… The Red Wolves are 0-9 all-time against the Big Ten, but four of the losses were by a touchdown or less… They are set to face their sixth top five team since joining the FBS in 1992 and still looking for their first win… ASU is 2-32 against top 25 teams… 43 of the 67 players who saw action in ASU’s season opener are freshmen or sophomores … ASU defensive coordinator Rob Harley was part of Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team as a walk-on defensive back, and he is the great nephew of Chic Harley, the three-time All-American halfback who led Ohio State to its first Big Ten championship and first win over Michigan in the late 1910s…

Quoted: Jones on the game: “For us it’s business as usual, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. Whether it’s one of the top teams in the country or what have you, it’s about how we manage our business on a day-to-day basis and our routine and how we prepare for our opponents. It just happens to be an opponent that’s one of the best in the country.”

Next game: Ohio State will be home again for a prime-time tilt with Toledo next Saturday. The Red Wolves will play at Memphis next Saturday night.

Prediction: Ohio State 45, Arkansas State 10

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