By the numbers: How many Sun Belt teams has Ohio State faced before Arkansas State?

Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read

Ohio State football is on to Week 2.

After their 21-10 win against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes will return to Ohio Stadium at noon Saturday to face Arkansas State.

Here's a look at what numbers define Ohio State's matchup with the Red Wolves.

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0: Previous matchups between Ohio State and Arkansas State

Ohio State has only faced a team from Arkansas once. And it wasn't the Red Wolves.

The Buckeyes faced Arkansas once, ending the 2010 season with a 31-26 win against the Razorbacks in the Sugar Bowl.

However, Saturday will be the first meeting between Ohio State and Arkansas State.

2: Ohio State wins against current Sun Belt Conference teams

Ohio State has only faced two current Sun Belt Conference teams in program history.

The Buckeyes' first matchup was against Marshall, beating the Thundering Herd 24-21 Sept. 11, 2004 for one of their eight wins of the season. Ohio State then took on Troy in its final non-conference game of the 2009 season, beating the Trojans 28-10 Sept. 20.

Ohio State also beat Marshall 45-7 on Sept. 1, 2010, but the win was vacated as was each win in the 2010 season — along with the Buckeyes' Big Ten and Sugar Bowl championships — in response to NCAA violations after evidence was found that former Buckeye football players were trading memorabilia for tattoos.

10: Points Ohio State allowed in the season opener against Notre Dame

In Ohio State's first game under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, it shut down the Notre Dame offense.

The Buckeyes allowed only 10 points: the least amount of points their defense has allowed in a season opener since 2016 against Bowling Green. Notre Dame only recorded 253 yards of offense — 177 passing yards and 76 rushing yards.

6: Yards per rush TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams averaged against Notre Dame

Ohio State's running backs found consistent success in the ground game against Notre Dame's defense.

TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams combined for 175 rushing yards on 29 carries, averaging just over six yards per touch. Williams scored the Buckeyes' only rushing touchdown: a two-yard touchdown run that capped off a 14-play, 95-yard scoring drive that lasted over seven minutes.

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572: Yards of offense Arkansas State recorded in its 58-3 win against Grambling State

Coming off a 2021 season in which its offense averaged 25.3 points per game and 395.8 yards per game, Arkansas State exploded in its season opener against Grambling State.

The Red Wolves recorded 572 yards of offense — 233 yards passing and 339 yards rushing — along with 58 points and 34 first downs.

Arkansas State averaged 7.2 yards on its 80 plays on offense.

9: First downs Arkansas State allowed against Grambling State

Arkansas State's defense showed up against Grambling State in the season opener too.

The Red Wolves allowed only nine first downs, 102 yards and three points against the Tigers in Week 1, giving up an average of two yards per offensive play.

Last season, Arkansas State finished with the worst defense in the Sun Belt, allowing 505.9 yards and 38.6 points per game.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football vs. Arkansas State by the numbers