Columbus, Ohio- Someone didn’t send Head Coach Ryan Day the message that the upsets were on this week. Fans of the Scarlet and Gray must have come into the Shoe on edge after watching other MAC schools play perennial powerhouses like Notre Dame and Penn State to the wire. Special shoutout to NIU and Texas for helping me relive my childhood, watching the Irish and the Wolverines lose on the same weekend.
The Buckeyes put on a display Saturday night in a tune-up game that also sent a message to the Big Ten and the nation at large. Running back Quinshon Judkins silenced any doubters (what few there were in the first place) with a pair of flashy touchdown runs, securing over 100 yards on the ground. Receiver Jeremiah Smith is proving he is going to be a problem for defensive coordinators all season. The freshman caught a seemingly innocuous hitch pass against soft zone coverage; he would go on to torch the defense with F1 speed for a 70-yard touchdown. Quarterback Will Howard looked great except for one pass that seemed to have slipped out of his hands and harmlessly to the turf, luckily. Howard was able to quell any doubts that he’s the answer to last year’s QB woes.
The offense secured 406 total yards in the first half, edging out the final totals against Akron last week. The Buckeye offense finished with 683 total yards, 30 first downs. Howard and company put up 21 points in the first half and not so subtly outdid themselves in the second half for a final of 56 points. Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly also aggressively kept the foot on the pedal. It is already tough enough to go toe-to-toe and score for score against the Bucks, but that defense is something special.
The Bronco offense looked hapless against the Rushmen. Quarterback Hayden Wolff was held to a sorrowful 71 yards through the air, getting pushed around and sacked a few times. Matters were made worse when running back Jalen Buckely was scratched before kickoff, leaving the Western Michigan RPO attack rather one-dimensional.
Takeaways:
Ohio State
More often than not, the Buckeyes will end up being their own worst enemy this season. They made several small mistakes throughout the game. Of course, most of them can be weeded out by coaching and reps. Unfortunately, the targeting bug hit the Silver Bullets square in the head. Defensive back Denzel Burke was disqualified for what appeared to be a bogus targeting call early in the game. These kinds of calls serve as a not-so-gentle reminder that the Buckeyes will have to beat the team across the field and, on occasion, poor reffing as well.
Western Michigan
Broncos fans shouldn’t consider this the norm. The defense took on a Buckeye offense that has every weapon imaginable, with speed and skill, and no MAC team can really match up well against it. Offensively, the Broncos were left without roughly half of the RPO attack as their stud running back was scratched due to an injury. The Broncos should be competitive as they have one tune-up game and a favorable conference slate coming up.
“That’s a Buckeye” (Players of the Game):
This section could be the longest of the entire article this week. The Buckeyes have too many weapons, and in this early matchup, everything was on display. Ultimately, the running back tandem took over (fans shouldn’t sleep on Peoples either) the game and did enough damage themselves to secure the victory. Defensively speaking, you could probably argue that any starter deserves the nod. However, senior Jack Sawyer may have single-handedly forced the Broncos’ QB to think of life after football. Sawyer was everywhere, accumulating three tackles and one sack, but so much more in terms of pressure and physical dominance along the line of scrimmage.
Offense- Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson
Defense- Edge rusher Jack Sawyer
Up Next:
(3) Ohio State (2-0) will be on a bye week and then welcome the Thundering Herd from Marshall to Columbus on Saturday, September 21.
Western Michigan (0-2) will host FCS Bethune-Cookman (0-2) on Saturday, September 15, at 6:30 EST in a must-win tune-up before MACtion starts.
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