Someone is Looking 

for You!

There IS a superior intelligence “out there” – and a loving one 
too. Your Creator wants you to acknowledge Him, and come to 
know Him and His ways. Don’t be deceived by evolutionism. All 
creation screams of intelligent design! The odds alone of DNA 
evolving are virtually nil. Evolutionism is the only “science” 
that denies the law of degeneration (entropy). God alone is 
the origin of life, and the true God wants/needs no one to take 
away life for Him – beware the “god” that does! What is unique 
about the Bible? It is the only book with fulfilled prophecy 
(Isaiah 46:9-10). Try (current situation) Psalm 83 and Zechariah 
12; (reformation of Israel after nearly 1900 years) Isaiah 66:8, 
Jeremiah 16:14-15, Amos 9:9-15, Ezekiel 34:12-31, and Ezekiel 
36; (suffering/crucifixion of Christ) Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53; (future 
situation) Zechariah 13:7 – 14:21; (timing of the 2nd Coming of 
Christ) Joel 3:1-2, 2Peter 3:8/Hosea 5:14 – 6:2. “No one knows 
the day or the hour!” you cry? The Word says: 1Thessalonians 
5:1-6. “Too hard to read and understand” you say? Try the KJV/
Amplified/Complete Jewish parallel bible (biblegateway.com). 
“It’s all in how you interpret it” you say? The Bible, despite 
numerous transcribers over hundreds of years, is remarkably 
consistent/coherent and interprets itself (2Peter 1:16-21). Beware 
of modern, liberal translations from “the higher critics” which 
seriously distort the Word! Finally, if there is a God, why is there 
so much evil? We have rejected God, and now see what it is like 
to live in a world where God has permitted us (temporarily) to 
rule ourselves. Give up your lusts, and come to your Creator and 
follow His ways (Jude 1:18-25). All that this world has to offer is 
as nothing compared to what He has in store for those who love 
Him 

(1 Corinthians 2:9, John 14:15). Isaiah 55:6-7!

8 | The Lantern | Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022
thelantern.com @TheLantern

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

“Competitive stamina, it’s been here 

since I’ve been here,” Ransom said. “This 
season we have really started working 
that and just embracing that into our 
culture. I think we’ve definitely seen a 
change and definitely trending upward 
from last year.”

Second-year defensive lineman Tyleik 

Williams said the team plays every game 
“like we’re playing in the championship,” 
and the Buckeyes’ mentality of compet-
itive stamina has been ingrained into 
them by the coaches.

“Competitive stamina, making a play 

when your number is called,” Williams 
said. “Coach Day, he instills that every 
day, every practice, every team meeting.”

While the defense took massive strides 

forward, the Buckeyes offense remained 
the same, despite third-year wideout Jax-
on Smith-Njigba missing most of the sea-
son nursing a leg injury. Ohio State’s of-
fense is No. 1 in the FBS by scoring over 
45 points per game, while its 501.9 yards 
of offense per game leads the Big Ten.

Second-year wide receivers Marvin 

Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are the 
primary reason the offense seamlessly 
filled the holes left behind by Wilson, 
Olave and Smith-Njigba. The duo have 

combined for 1,801 yards and 19 touch-

downs, helping third-year quarterback 
C.J. Stroud to establish himself as a 
Heisman Trophy frontrunner.

However, third-year offensive lineman 

Luke Wypler said the team knows noth-
ing is guaranteed. After two regular sea-
son losses in 2021, he said the Buckeyes 
treat each matchup “like we’re 0-0.”

“Something we learned last year is 

that you’re not guaranteed next week,” 
Wypler said. “We’re not guaranteed any-
thing. The CFP rankings are great and 
all. We’re No. 2. They don’t mean any-
thing right now until January, December, 
whenever that first game is.”

Day said he prepares the team to “bring 

it every week,” and the three things Ohio 
State is focused on are “toughness, disci-
pline and skill.”

While the Buckeyes have lofty goals 

for the rest of this season, Egbuka said 
they must first accomplish a goal they 
missed last season.

“Every year we really have three goals, 

and the first goal is to beat the team up 
north,” Egbuka said. “We lost to them 
last year, so that’s always in the back of 
our minds. And we’re preparing for that 
game on an everyday basis, so we’re al-
ways focused on that game, and we’re 
ready to play.”

KATIE GOOD | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR 

The Ohio State football team celebrates after a touchdown during the No. 2 Ohio State-No. 
13 Penn State game Oct. 29. Ohio State won 44-31.

Stroud not listening to ‘outside noise,’ to lead 
Buckeyes into rivalry meeting with Michigan

JACOB BENGE

Lantern Sports Editor

Signs of leadership can shine through 

moments of adversity, and third-year 
quarterback C.J. Stroud showed just that 
in Ann Arbor last season.

Then-No. 5 Michigan defeated then-

No. 2 Ohio State 42-27 in Stroud’s first 
season as the Buckeyes’ starting quarter-
back in 2021. After the game, Stroud said 
he was “still proud of my guys.”

“I know people probably hate me for 

it, but at the end of the day, I know deep 
down in my heart I’ve put everything,” 
Stroud said. “Just know that I love this

team. I love Ohio State. I love Buckeye 
Nation. I know every single day I’m go-
ing to keep grinding just to get this win 
back.”

Stroud and Ohio State will get their 

chance at redemption against Michigan 
Nov. 26, this time at home inside Ohio 
Stadium in Columbus as one of the Buck-
eyes’ six captains. 

Finishing last season as a Heisman 

Trophy finalist and with a 48-45 victory 
in the Rose Bowl, expectations have built 
around Stroud and Ohio State to elevate 
to higher standards in 2022. Stroud re-
mains in the race for college football’s 
top recognition, but he said what makes 
Ohio State special is how “resilient” the 
Buckeyes are.

“We don’t really listen to the outside 

noise,” Stroud said. “We do it for our 
brother, and we always say that before 
we go out. It’s just, ‘I’m doing everything. 
I’m putting my body on the line, put my 
heart on the line, my head, whatever the 
case may be just for my brother.’”

This season, Stroud could return to the 

stage among Heisman finalists as he en-
tered November among college football’s 
passing efficiency, touchdowns and yards 
leaders.

During Ohio State’s game at North-

western Nov. 5, strong winds and sporad-
ic rain forced Stroud and the Buckeyes to 
rely on running the football, which saw 
Stroud rush for a career-high 79 yards. 
Head coach Ryan Day said he praised 
Stroud for his ability to “find ways to 
win.”

“Listen, it’s no secret he’s a Heisman 

Trophy contender,” Day said. “There’s 
a lot of expectations, but to go into the 
game with just the goal of the win and to 
play tough the way he did says a lot about 
who he is, and his leadership and his de-
meanor meant a lot.”

Ohio State has relied on maintaining 

“competitive stamina” and brotherhood 
among Buckeyes this season, Day said.

Stroud often leads pregame huddles 

and voices encouragement for his team-
mates, and second-year wide receiver 
Marvin Harrison Jr. said his quarterback 
provides a boost to those around him.

“He’s going to gather us together, give 

us a little message, give us confidence go-
ing into the second half and perform to 
the best of our abilities,” Harrison said. 
“Having a leader like C.J. really helps the 
whole team go. I don’t know where we 
would be without him.”

Second-year wide receiver Emeka Eg-

buka also pointed to the game Nov. 5 at 
Northwestern in which Stroud ran for 
more yards than he passed in unfavor-
able weather conditions. He said “it’s 
huge” for Stroud to demonstrate he’ll 
do what it takes for Ohio State to prevail 
when the clock reaches zeros.

“That just goes back to C.J. being a real 

leader and knowing what he needs to do 
in certain situations,” Egbuka said. “He 
wants to sling it downfield and stuff like 
that, but when the weather is permitting 
that, C.J. is able to run and gain us a lot of 
yards, so just being able to do that is just a 
testament to his leadership and knowing 
what his role is.”

Stroud is playing for a greater purpose 

this fall, dedicating this season to the late 
quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was 
killed when hit by a dump truck in April.

With so much surrounding the mag-

nitude of Ohio State’s next game against 
Michigan and the Buckeyes’ season ex-
pectations overall, Stroud has stepped 
into a leadership role greater than last 
season. Despite “what everybody’s say-
ing” and the pressure, Stroud said he’s 
helping the Buckeyes to “focus on each 
other.”

“Nothing is ever going to be perfect, so 

really trying to help our team with not 
having any expectations,” Stroud said. “I 
think if we reach our team goals, all our 
personal goals will be accomplished.”

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