Crunching The Numbers: Troy at Ohio State

Some surprising Ohio State offensive rankings and statistical leaders are among the numbers we examine this week as the Buckeyes prepare to play host to Troy.

0
No players will be opposing a school from their home states Saturday at Ohio Stadium. No Buckeyes are from Alabama and no Trojans are from Ohio.

1
During the Jim Tressel era (2001-present), Ohio State has one losing streak. The Buckeyes lost three consecutive games, to Northwestern, Wisconsin and Iowa, in 2004. Overall, they are 14-2 following a loss under Tressel.

2
A pair of sons of former professional wrestlers will oppose each other this weekend. Most people know Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis is the son of Joe Laurinaitis, a.k.a. The Animal, but they might not know that Troy center Windham Rotunda’s father is Mike Rotunda, an occasional opponent of the elder Laurinaitis.

3
Ohio State has what most would term a trio of surprising offensive leaders so far this season. Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor is the team’s leading rusher (129 yards), perceived No. 3 receiver Ray Small is tops in catches (14) and the co-leader with Brian Hartline in receiving yards (92) while kicker Ryan Pretorius is the leading scorer with 27 points. No other Buckeye has more than six points thus far this season.

5
Saturday Troy will face a team from the state of Ohio for the fifth time in its history. The Trojans already have a win and a tie under their belts from two matchups with Central State and split a pair of meetings with Cincinnati.

6
Saturday will mark the fifth time Ohio State will face a team from the state of Alabama. The Buckeyes are 0-3 against Alabama and 0-1-1 against Auburn.

8
Troy is in its eighth season of competition at the Division I-A level.

14
The Trojans have faced 14 ranked opponents since joining Division I-A and posted one victory, a 24-14 win over No. 17 Missouri in 2004. Last season, they lost to Arkansas, Florida and Georgia by an average score of 49.6-30.3.

20
In comparing the two-deeps of the respective teams, Ohio State’s defensive line outweighs the Troy defensive line by 20 points, but the offensive lines are separated by just five pounds.

74
Ohio State enters the Troy game ranking No. 74 in the nation in sacks with 1.33 per game. The Buckeyes have gotten to the opposing quarterback four times in three games.

88
There are 87 teams in Division I-A averaging more yards per game than Ohio State’s 324.7 so far this season.

105
Ohio State is 105th in the nation in sacks allowed (3.0 per game).