3 & Out: What to know about Ohio State’s season opener with Ball State

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First down

Players to watch for Ball State

1) Keldric Luster

Even though the Ball State quarterback is light on experience, he certainly will be an intriguing watch on Saturday.

Luster has unique size for a quarterback, measuring 5-foot-10 and 250 pounds. While his height is less than ideal for a quarterback, his weight could allow him to shed some tackles if he needs to run the football. One thing is for sure, it won’t be easy for Ohio State’s defenders to bring Luster down.

Luster came out of high school in Texas as a three-star recruit before committing to SMU, where he spent two seasons. In two seasons with the Mustangs he completed just three of his nine pass attempts for 23 yards, while running for 62 yards on 11 attempts.

Prior to last season Luster transferred to Texas State, accounting for just 28 total yards in very limited action. Now Luster will look to make a name for himself in his first game at Ball State against the top-ranked team in the country.

2) Chris Hood

Protecting the Ball State quarterback is a monster at left tackle. Chris Hood measures 6-foot-10 and 330 pounds. With his massive height, Hood is the tallest offensive lineman in college’s football and the NFL.

Along with standing out because of his height, Hood is also talented. Last month the offensive tackle was named to the Shriner’s Children East-West Bowl Watch List.

It should come as no surprise that someone with the height of Hood was born into a basketball family. Not only did Hood’s mother play basketball for Morehead State and Alaska-Anchorage, his uncle is Purdue grad and former NBA player Brad Miller, who played in the league for 14 seasons.

Even though Hood drew transfer portal interest over the last two seasons, he has stayed with the Cardinals to develop as a leader. Whenever Ball State has the ball on Saturday it will be impossible to miss Hood.

3) T.J. Horton

Horton is the most experienced returning running back for the Cardinals. Last season Horton carried the football 60 times for 180 yards in his second season on the field for Ball State.

During his redshirt freshman season in 2024, Horton gained 107 yards on 23 carries. Horton is also a threat to catch the football, recording 19 receptions over his first two seasons. The Kentucky native’s lone collegiate touchdown came on a reception last season against Kent State.

Horton’s potential was enough to earn him third team preseason All-MAC honors ahead of this season. The running back could also see time as a returner this season after ranking fifth last season in kick returners, which should be a testament to his speed and elusiveness.

He’ll have his work cut out for him against a stout Buckeye defense, but Horton has the tools to make some noise on Saturday.

Second down

Keys for Ohio State

1) Work through the strange

This year’s opener certainly has a different feel since the Buckeyes are celebrating Senior Day prior to the first game instead of the last, as they traditionally have done.

Ryan Day wanted to eliminate distractions prior to the Michigan game this season with this new approach to honoring those suiting up for their final season in the scarlet and gray. This way the seniors can be celebrated all season long.

Sometimes the Senior Day festivities can lead to a sleepy start since the heads of those involved might be elsewhere to begin the game. How focused will those who are honored be after dealing with the emotions that come with the ceremony?

On the bright side, if the Buckeyes aren’t as sharp early it will be easier to bounce back against Michigan, or any other opponents later in the season if the tradition continues after this season.

2) Don’t give too much away

There’s no doubt the majority of Buckeye Nation is looking forward to next week’s game at Texas. The players and coaches would be lying if they didn’t tell you the same.

Last year’s tilt with the Longhorns was different since they opened the season with Texas and there was plenty of questions with a new starting quarterback. This year both teams will get to see their opponent play a game before clashing in Austin next Saturday night.

Because there will be a chance for each team to see how the other operates, neither will want to give too much away against cupcakes in opening games. Expect Ohio State to keep things pretty tame on both sides of the football, especially since they have such a big talent edge over the Cardinals.

If anything, they might use more gadget plays to force Texas to at least devote time to planning for some sets that the Buckeyes probably won’t end up using next week.

3) Get the backups plenty of playing time

What would be great to see on Saturday is if Ohio State can build up such a big lead that the starters don’t have to play after halftime. Ball State hasn’t scored more than three points against the four Power 4 schools they have played over the last three seasons.

If Purdue can shut out the Cardinals, then just imagine what the Buckeyes should be able to do.

With such a tough schedule this season it’s likely there won’t be a ton of time to see the backup quarterbacks of the Buckeyes. It would be great if both Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey could both get on the field since their camp battle for the backup spot was so tight.

Also, with Ohio State hoping to play at least 15 games this season there are going to be some injuries which will force backups to step up. Saturday is a perfect opportunity for them to start getting comfortable on the field.

Third down

Notable Ohio State/Ball State connections

1) Diante Griffin

Any other game it would be easy to figure out who Archie Griffin would be rooting for. Saturday won’t be so clear.

The Ohio State legend has a rooting interest with Ball State since his grandson, Diante Griffin is a defensive back for the Cardinals. Even though the two-time Heisman winner is still hoping his alma mater wins their opener, he will also be looking to see some big plays from his grandson.

Along with being the grandson of a Buckeye legend, Diante Griffin also spent time at Ohio State, playing for the Buckeyes from 2022-25 before hitting the transfer portal for his final year of college football. Griffin was the seventh member of his family to suit up in the scarlet and gray.

While Griffin was at Ohio State for four seasons, he didn’t actually see any snaps as preferred walk-on. That could change on Saturday as he returns to Columbus.

2) Brady Hoke

The former Ball State player and head coach will undoubtedly be watching Saturday’s game somewhere. After spending time as head coach of the Cardinals, Hoke went on to San Diego State before taking the job at Michigan after the 2010 season.

In his first year with the Wolverines, Hoke led Michigan to a win over the Buckeyes in 2011 during the season Ohio State dealt with the fallout from the Tatgate scandal.

Despite his time as a Michigan Man, Hoke has Ohio ties as he was born in Kettering. During his time at Ball State, Hoke amassed a 34-38 record, with his best season coming in 2008 when the Cardinals went 12-1, winning the MAC West before losing to Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game.

Hoke took the San Diego State job after the conference championship game. For his efforts, Hoke was named MAC Coach of the Year.

3) Dave McClain

Another former Ball State coach who has an Ohio State connection is Dave Parrish. Prior to taking the head coaching job in Muncie in 1971, Parrish was an assistant under Woody Hayes in Columbus in 1969 and 1970.

During his time at Ball State, Parrish was 46-25-3 before moving on to Wisconsin after the 1977 season. The Upper Sandusky native would go on to spend eight years as head coach of the Badgers. Unfortunately Parrish’s coaching career was cut short when he passed away in April of 1986.

& out

Prediction: 49-3, Ohio State

Go Bucks!

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