Photo by Ohio State Athletics
The Ohio State Buckeyes race past the Broncos of Western Michigan to go to 2-0.
The Brooklyn Dagger, best part of the game was how fast and hot the Buckeyes started. They maintained that intensity throughout the game too. Even when the starters were sat and guys like Devin Brown, Julian Sayin, James Peoples, and Bennett Christian came in they brought the fire and thunder. My favorite stats of this game were how Ohio State outgained WMU. 56-0 on the scoreboard, 683 total yards to 99, and 30 first downs to six. In only two games the Bucks have scored over 100 points on offense and allowed zero on defense.
The Will Howard Difference
Will Howard is the Dwayne Haskins Player of the Game. He was 19 of 28 for 274 yards and a touchdown passing and added a rushing touchdown too. His scoring passing and rushing is why he’s such a difference-maker and is so valuable to the Buckeyes
Ohio State got the ball with 6:54 left in the second quarter and started toward the endzone again. Will Howard was the difference between a touchdown and not scoring at all on this possession. On 2nd and 5 at the WMU 15-yard line, Howard dropped back to pass. The WMU defender got a great rush and got to Howard. Howard was able to move and shed the tackler and throw it away instead of eating a huge sack and possible turnover. The next play he hands it to Henderson for nine yards and a first down. The play after that he fakes the handoff and scores himself on the ground.
That ability to escape a sack, keep a drive alive, and run for a touchdown was not there at quarterback for Ohio State last season. It has been terribly missed. The return of that ability and threat might make all the difference for Ohio State in 2024. And if anyone is still tempted to second guess Will Howard being the guy for the Buckeyes because of how well Kyle McCord is playing at Syracuse, listen to the wisdom of The General, Bobby Carpenter.
Wide Receiver U
Jeremiah Smith is going to be acknowledged a lot this season not just for being the newcomer of the game (and probably the year, though James Peoples will be part of that). Not only for filling the enormous shoes of Marvin Harrison Jr. But #4 is a legitimate Heisman candidate for the Buckeyes in his own right. He had six catches for 109 yards and a big touchdown in this game. Through two games he has 11 receptions for 211 yards and three touchdowns.
It helps tremendously to have other first-round draft picks out there catching passes. Carnell Tate had good game blocking and catching. Emeka Egbuka had a five-catch, 98-yard day. If he does this all year, bouncing back from an injury-filled 2023, Brian Hartline’s Zone 6 will be an even bigger problem for opponents. And that’s saying something.
Buckeyes Running the Dang Ball
Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson would be right at home in Ohio State’s three yards and a cloud of dust offenses of 1968. Often there is a thought that running backs with the speed of Henderson and Judkins have trouble running in traffic. Not these two. Their burst allows them to move so quickly through holes in the defense that others would get tackled in. They also hit defenders with that speed so that they knock the defenders on their backsides.
These two can do it all. Judkins had nine carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns and Henderson had 10 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns. James Peoples who looks like he’ll be RB1 in 2025 had 11 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. These guys are why new running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is so fired up.They’re running the ball like Zeke Elliott and Curtis Samuel in 2014.
Silver Bullets
This defense plays so completely as a unit, it wasn’t easy to find the Chase Young Defensive Players of the Game. Cody Simon and Jack Sawyer each had three tackles and a sack. I loved Jim Knowles’ call to blitz Cody Simon up the middle and Jack Sawyer seems to be hitting his stride in this his senior season. This team is doing their best to look like the 2002 National Champion defense. They’re making some big play splashes but mostly it’s just solid, consistent defense. Turnovers and sacks grab attention, but pressures and forced incompletions are just as good when in the end you’re keeping teams out of the endzone.
Carmen Ohio
How should Buckeye Nation see this 2-0 start? If you’re looking at the glass half empty you’ll point out that Ohio State has only crushed two MAC teams. Then point out how well Kyle McCord is doing at Syracuse. Or how all the pressure is on Ryan Day to win (and rightly so) and can a team survive that?
If you see the glass as half full as I do, then you know blowing out teams you’re supposed to is a good thing and not always a guarantee. If you don’t believe me, ask Oregon about struggling against Idaho in week one. Beating MAC teams like you should is also good and not always certain. If you don’t believe me, ask my friends who are Notre Dame fans. The bottom line is Ohio State looks better than they did last week and are letting the pressure shape them into a diamond. And we all know what the best part about being 2-0 is.
