Ohio State Buckeyes set dubious attendance record in Week 3

One week removed from a devastating home loss to the Oregon Ducks, the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday were able to draw a reported attendance of just 76,540 fans — roughly 30,000 fans short of the stadium’s capacity — for their matchup with Tulsa, Ohio State’s lowest attendance since 1971.

A program spokesperson told Cleveland.com that he believed the 76,540 headcount included tickets scanned, workers at the stadium and others in attendance. It likely does not reflect the extent of tickets sold.

The attendance dropped roughly 25,000 in capacity week-over-week. Last week, Ohio State hosted the Oregon Ducks in Ohio Stadium, a game the Buckeyes would go on to lose 35-28, in front of an attendance of 100,482. The Buckeyes’ upset loss, coupled with their poor defensive play and lack of top-competition in their opponent, Tulsa, likely contributed to the substantial decline in attendance.

Saturday’s attendance, just north of 76,000, is the lowest attendance at Ohio Stadium — excluding the COVID-19 season in 2020, a year in which fans were not able to attend games — since Ohio State’s game against Iowa on Sept. 11, 1971, which had an attendance of 75,596.

Ohio State ended up beating Tulsa, 41-20, in what was a wildly underwhelming performance by the Buckeyes. Ohio State entered halftime clinging to a meager 13-6 lead over Tulsa, and for much of the first half, it appeared that Tulsa had a legitimate chance to stay in the game. Ultimately, Ohio State prevailed thanks to a career day from Treveyon Henderson, a freshman running back from Hopewell, Virginia. Henderson took 24 carries and turned it into 277 passing yards and three touchdowns, as he dictated the pace of the Buckeyes’ attack.

Ohio State’s rushing defense has been its largest concern in 2021. Against Oregon, running back CJ Verdell had a career night and picked apart the Buckeyes rushing defense for 161 rushing yards, including a long of 77 yards, and two touchdowns on just 20 carries. On Saturday, however, it wasn’t Ohio State’s rushing defense that struggled; Tulsa had just 73 rushing yards on 28 total carries. Instead, it was the passing offense. Although Ohio State was able to force Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin into throwing two interceptions, Brin was still able to complete 31-of-54 passing attempts on the day, throwing for a heaping 428 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Josh Johnson, Brin’s favorite target, went for 149 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches.

Ohio State’s schedule will continue to lighten up before it heads into Big Ten play. The Buckeyes will host Akron this coming weekend at Ohio Stadium, before going straight into conference play with matchups against Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana in the three following weeks.