WATCH: Ohio State marching band kicks off home opener in a blunder

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday host the No. 12 Oregon Ducks in their 2021 home opener, a game that — on paper — appeared to be a premier game of Week 2.

But perhaps the famous Ohio State University Marching Band needed another week of practice before the Buckeyes came home, as the band started off the season with a viral fail.

The leader of the Ohio State marching band sprinted out of the tunnel and onto the field, only to trip and fall just short of the end zone. He recovered, though, immediately popping up to his feet and finishing his trot out to the field.

It’s the first #Buckeyes game back for a lot of people. pic.twitter.com/P02YAYJBQe

— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) September 11, 2021

Ohio State gains early advantage

Ohio State gained an advantage in Saturday’s matchup with Oregon before the contest even began, as Oregon announced it would be without two of its star defensive players in Columbus.

Oregon football stars Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe were both listed as out for Saturday’s game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The two former five-star recruits leave a massive hole in production for the Ducks heading into their biggest game on the non-conference schedule.

Stroud a ‘work in progress’ for Ohio State

Ohio State hosts Oregon in Columbus with a 1-0 record, though the Buckeyes didn’t always look on track to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Week 1. The Buckeyes ended up leaving Minnesota with a 45-31 victory, thanks to a second-half offensive burst, but they trailed 14-10 at halftime.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled in the first half of Week 1, prompting head coach Ryan Day to say Stroud’s progression is a work in progress.

“It’s been kind of a work in progress for a while,” Day said of Ohio State’s first-year starting quarterback. “He started off in the spring and had 15 practices there and then had a healthy preseason camp. The first game of the season was good. It was good to get a head start on the season. But we only had 48 snaps. Early on a couple of things didn’t go his way. But I thought he stuck with it and played pretty good in the second half.

Stroud finished the first half against Minnesota 8-of-14 with 58 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. In the second half, Stroud completed just five of eight passes to Ohio State wideouts, but his completions were big ones. He averaged 47.2 yards per completion with four second half touchdowns.