COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rising star and Mansfield native tight end Cade Stover had a career night with the Ohio State Buckeyes against Wisconsin with two touchdowns in their 52-21 win in Columbus.
Stover, a senior and team captain, has held many roles for the Buckeyes squad. Stover has moved around the field for the Buckeyes, originally starting as a defensive end for the team. He then pivoted to linebacker and has since fallen into the tight end position for his fourth year with Ohio State.
“I’ve never really prided myself on playing one position,” said Stover after the game. “I can play all kinds of things. Whenever Coach Day has an opportunity for me, I’m happy.”
Stover recorded his first career touchdown as a result of an interception from teammate safety Tanner McCalister. Quarterback C.J. Stroud found Stover in the endzone for a 13-yard pass.
“There’s a lot that went into that,” Stover said about his touchdown. “It’s something special that means a lot to me and I’m just glad to help the team win.”
As Stover has risen to his most recent position and leadership role on the team, head coach Ryan Day has made sure his hard work and effort are acknowledged.
“I’m proud of what Cade is becoming for this offense,” said Day. “He deserves everything he’s getting. He’s earning it all. He’s a weapon for us in the pass game, as you can see he’s strong and powerful.”
Day also attributed Stover’s versatility on the field.
“You can see that he can split out,” he said. “He can come into the backfield. He can line up as a tight end. He gets big with some of the bigger personnel and anytime you have somebody that can do that, that’s what the NFL is looking for. It’s what we’re all looking for, those versatile players that can do multiple things and he’s showing he can do that and he’s becoming a weapon for us.”
Stover's second score of the night was a 2-yard pass from Stroud, lofting its way into the endzone to make it a three-score lead. It’s the result of a seven-play drive for a total of 70 yards.
Stover ended the night with 51 receiving yards with four receptions, averaging 12.8 yards per reception.
“As good as this feels and as much as we want to celebrate, but the tough thing is you don’t have much time to talk about this as you have the next game and next team,” said Day.
The Buckeyes end their five-game homestand against Rutgers on Oct. 1.
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