Ohio State Football: C.J. Stroud is already Big Ten’s best QB

Ohio State football trailed multiple times against Minnesota on Thursday night but exploded late on offense for a 14-point win. 

You never know quite what to expect in a season-opening game and on Thursday night, Ohio State football got a scare from Minnesota, even if it didn’t last 60 minutes.

However, when the Gophers grabbed the lead in the second quarter on a touchdown run by Mohamed Ibrahim, which was just seven plays after a C.J. Stroud interception, there had to be some worry, especially when that lead carried over to halftime.

Early on, the Buckeyes replacement for Justin Fields looked a little shaky. In the second half, things got going and despite a 76-yard touchdown run by Ibrahim to take the lead back for Minnesota in the third, it was all Ohio State football from there, and here are three takeaways.

C.J. Stroud is the Big Ten’s best QB

If Ohio State football fans were worried about Stroud at all in the first half, they probably aren’t after the way he played in the second half.

Stroud took a while to get his feet wet, but in the final 30 minutes, he unleashed a group of playmakers around him and connected on four touchdown passes — all covering at least 37 yards — as he easily thrust himself to the outskirts of the Heisman talk.

Stroud will need to have a few more performances like that but with Oregon coming to Columbus for a showcase game next Saturday, he can make himself a serious candidate with another performance like that.

And while Ohio State football easily has the deepest quarterback room in the country, Stroud was basically flawless in the second half and completed 13-for-22 passes for the game and 294 yards. He averaged 13.4 yards per attempt and did little with his legs cause he didn’t need to.

It only took one game but Stroud is already the best QB in the Big Ten.

Here are the other key takeaways.