Ohio State football routs Minnesota, turns focus to Michigan

Ohio State devoured the last of its many appetizers on Saturday.

Are the Buckeyes now ready for the main course in Ann Arbor?

No. 2 Ohio State's 37-3 victory over Minnesota in front of 104,019 on OSU's Senior Day should give the Buckeyes a boost, even if the predictive power of the outcome preceding the Michigan game is hardly foolproof.

But Saturday, Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) did what it has always done under coach Ryan Day against unranked opponents – win. This victory was never in doubt. Ohio State went 85 yards for a touchdown on its first possession and its stingy defense didn't allow Minnesota (5-6, 3-5) past the 40-yard line until 10 minutes remained and OSU had inserted its backups.

Ohio State vs Minnesota: Here are four things we learned from the Ohio State Buckeyes' win over Minnesota

Ohio State vs Minnesota: How fans are reacting to Ohio State's win and Michigan week

Ohio State's bid for its first shutout was foiled by a 54-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter.

"Obviously, we'd like to have a goose egg up there," defensive end Jack Sawyer said. "But we played a good game. The offense played well. We're getting guys healthy, and all the focus goes onto the team up north next week."

Ohio State football: Watch: Ohio State University Marching Band is 'All Shook Up' with Elvis halftime show

Ohio State's defense allowed only 159 yards and 10 first downs despite playing without the unit's leader, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg. Day said he decided to hold Eichenberg out even though his injured arm was healthy enough for him to play so that he'd be fully ready for Michigan.

"Tommy was ready to play in this one, I had to pull him back," he said, adding with a smile, "Almost a fistfight, but I won."

The Buckeyes led Minnesota only 13-0 at halftime but ended any potential suspense by scoring 17 points in the first five minutes of the third quarter.

TreVeyon Henderson ran 75 yards for a touchdown on the first snap of the half. On Minnesota's next snap, Sawyer, who had 3½ tackles for loss, stripped the ball from quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. J.T. Tuimoloau recovered and returned it 15 yards to the Golden Gophers' 6. On third-and-goal from the 4, Kyle McCord threw to Marvin Harrison Jr. for a touchdown.

Ohio State then tacked on a field goal after Jordan Hancock returned an interception 40 yards to the Minnesota 14 to make it 30-0. Those scores allowed Henderson and Harrison to rest for the remainder of the game and not risk injury.

"We wanted to win the first five minutes," Day said. "We ended up scoring 14 in the first minute.

"It's something we've talked about all year – coming out in the second half and playing well."

Henderson finished with 146 yards and two touchdowns in 14 carries. Harrison had a quiet game by his standard with three catches for 30 yards.

Ohio State football: Why Urban Meyer said Ohio State vs. Michigan will have a 'big asterisk' with Jim Harbaugh suspension

After a superb performance against Michigan State last week, McCord had several misfires on Saturday. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 212 yards.

That contributed to a return to the clunkiness of the Ohio State offense in the first half. So did terrible field position. The Buckeyes started their possessions at their 15, 3, 13, 11 and 3-yard lines.

It didn't stop them on their first drive. Henderson and Chip Trayanum combined for 56 of the 85 yards in only six carries, including Henderson's 9-yarder for the touchdown.

The Buckeyes kicked a 47-yard goal by Fielding set up by a 26-yard completion to Emeka Egbuka.

Egbuka had a 23-yard catch and a 22-yard run to get the ball to the Minnesota 5 on Ohio State's next possession, but the drive then stalled and OSU had to settle for a field goal.

Minnesota managed only four first downs and 90 yards in the first half. Twice, Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck elected to punt on fourth-and-5 inside OSU territory, once at the 40 and the other at the 42.

That allowed Minnesota to win the field-position game, if not the one on the scoreboard.

Watch: Ryan Day postgame press conference after Ohio State vs. Minnesota

Then came the Ohio State onslaught at the start of the second half to put the game out of reach.

"Our team did a great job of staying focused this week," Day said. "Not easy to do for anybody, but we did. We stayed in the moment and played well. But the minute we got into the locker room, it's onto the next week."

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football routs Minnesota, turns focus to Michigan