Big Ten play now looms for Ohio State, and the timing adds juice. There was a bye-week reset, and now they head straight into a conference opener at Washington on Sept. 27, a 3:30 p.m. ET showcase on CBS in one of college football’s most imposing venues. The trip to Husky Stadium also doubles as the Buckeyes’ first true road test of the season, a useful gut check before the grind of October and November. After three nonconference tune-ups that mixed high-stress moments with controlled work. The margins narrow on the road, the details matter more, and Ohio State has spent the off week stitching those details together.

There’s timely good news for the offense heading into Seattle: Ryan Day indicated that tight end Bennett Christian should be back for the Big Ten opener. “He should have a full week of practice this week and be ready to have a full game week next week,” Day said, outlining a plan that gives Christian a clean ramp from the bye into a full-speed conference week. Christian’s presence fortifies Ohio State’s heavy packages, the sets that tighten edges in the run game, stabilize protections in must-have passing downs, and create cleaner play-action windows. 

Christian was a late scratch for the Ohio game, added to the pre‑kick availability report as out with an undisclosed issue after appearing in the first two weeks. Ohio State did not specify the nature of the setback, and there was no public incident or on-field moment that pinpointed the cause. Practically, it forced the staff to rebalance snaps among Will Kacmarek, Max Klare, and Jelani Thurman and to trim a few of the heavier groupings where Christian’s blocking is most valuable.

Before the late scratch, Christian had carved out a clear role through two games: 32 total snaps, with 22 of those (68.8%) coming as a run blocker, plus two receptions for 7 yards as a safety-valve in the flats. That snap profile tracks with how Ohio State has historically weaponized its tight ends, first as force multipliers for the run game, then as constraint and play-action threats once the edges soften. The position has been a true room, not a solo act, and the depth showed when four tight ends caught passes in the rout of Grambling State. 

Zooming back out, the bigger picture is about timing and trust. Conference openers on the road reward teams that can stack small wins, first-and-10 efficiency, get-off-the-field third downs, and red-zone par finishes. A healthy tight end room helps in all three. It gives Day and the offensive staff heavier answers when the field shrinks, more reliable edges against speed-to-power fronts, and a sturdier bridge between the run and pass that keeps a young quarterback ahead of the sticks. Washington will test all of that with crowd noise, tempo shifts, and situational pressure. Getting Bennett Christian back won’t guarantee success but it does restore a piece of the blueprint Ohio State designed for games exactly like this.

Bennett Christian’s quiet resurgence

Bennett Christian’s story is resilience made real, a comeback built on accountability and daily work. Suspended for the entire 2023 season after testing positive for a banned substance, he confronted the setback head-on rather than ducking it. “You know, I grew from it. It was a lesson learned, for sure,” he said before the 2024 season, setting the tone for a return defined by maturity and purpose.

The payoff started to show in 2024. Christian re-entered the rotation, appeared in 55 snaps, contributed during Ohio State’s College Football Playoff run, and punctuated his return with a 55-yard touchdown from Julian Sayin. “That was a cool moment to have with [Sayin],” Christian said, a nod to where his game can go even as his calling card remains in the trenches. His blocking is his engine, reflected in a 63.1 run‑blocking grade, and it’s the foundation of the trust he’s rebuilt with coaches and teammates.

Now a redshirt junior, Christian is leaning into voice and example as much as assignments. “Last year was awesome,” he told reporters. “Coming back, finally getting to actually play, it was really fun. Being back now, I feel like I’m stepping into that leadership role a little bit… I’ve been at the very bottom. So I think guys kind of draw to that, and I’m really stepping into that and trying to be a good example for the younger guys.” In a deep room featuring Gee Scott Jr. and Will Kacmarek, he’s earning every snap the old‑school way: quiet leadership, clean technique, and a relentless commitment to do the hard things right.