Ohio State vs. Northwestern: 2022 game preview and prediction

Ohio State is on the road again this week, traveling to Evanston to take on Northwestern Wildcats.

Last week Ohio State beat Penn State 28-21. It was the sixth straight win for the Buckeyes over the Nittany Lions. The win was due to the performance of J.T. Tuimoloau, who had two interceptions, a fumble recovery, two sacks, and a forced fumble. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Walker Camp FBS Player and Maxwell Club’s Chuck Bednarik Player.

Ohio State has a game against Northwestern in November. Northwestern has not won a single game on American soil this season. Ohio State also has games against teams that frequent the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

The last time Ohio State took on Northwestern was in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis. The last trip by the Buckeyes to Evanston came in 2019, with Fields throwing for four touchdowns in a 52-3 win. Ohio state is 64-14-1 against Northwestern all-time, and 29-6-0 in games played in EvanSTON.

C.J. Stroud has been a revelation this season. He threw for 354 yards and a touchdown against Penn State. Marvin Harrison Jr. made 10 catches for 185 yards against the Nittany Lions. Cade Stover caught six passes for 78 yards. Emeka Egbuka had his least productive game of the season, catching six balls for 53 yards, but still has a team-leading 788 yards receiving.

J.T. Tuimoloau was the star of the game for the Buckeyes. Tommy Eichenberg recorded 15 tackles. He is 28 tackles away from 100 for this season. Ohio State has won 25 straight games where they forced at least three turnovers.

Northwestern has lost seven straight games. Last week they lost 33-13 to Iowa. The team won the season-opening game over Nebraska in Ireland. Northwestern made the Big Ten Championship Game in 2018 and 2020. They were 3-9 last year and are now 1-7.

Brendan Sullivan has started the last two games for Northwestern. Ryan Hilinski started at quarterback for the team. Hilinksi and Sullivan have combined to throw for just under 2,000 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Evan Hull is Northwestern's leading rusher with 579 yards and three touchdowns this year. Hull also leads the team with 45 catches. Malik Washington is the only other Northwestern receiver with more than 20 catches, with 29.

Peter Skoronski is a possible first round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Northwestern's offensive line has four players with more than 20 career starts. Vince Picozzi leads the group with 43 starts, and Ethan Wiederkehr has started 33 games in his career.

Bryce Gallagher and Xander Mueller are Northwestern's top two linebackers. Their head coach is one of the greatest in Big Ten history. Northwestern has won all four of their games this year. Ohio State and Northwestern will play in 2022.

Jeremiah Lewis leads the defensive backs with 52 tackles and is tied with Cameron Mitchell with four passes defensed this season. Mitchell has an interception this year. Northwestern has grabbed just five interceptions this term.

Adetominwa Adebawore has 33 career starts for Northwestern. He has four sacks this season. Ryan Johnson and Xander Mueller have two sacks each.

Ohio State is a better team than Northwestern. The weather and weather conditions could be the biggest challenge for the Buckeyes. If Miyan Williams can't play, TreVeyon Henderson will get some extra work. The game looks more like the 2019 contest in Evanston than the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game. It's obvious how much the Ohio State defense has improved. Northwestern has struggled to score all season. They have a lot of problems with turnovers. There is rain and wind expected in the Chicago area for Saturday's game. Ohio could come out of the gates a little sluggish. However, the team should find their rhythm soon.