TreVeyon Henderson runs for Ohio State (Photo by Ohio State Athletics).
Game 3 View from the Couch Ohio State vs. Western Kentucky (9/16/23)
Stat of the Game: 49 games of over 500 yards of total offense.
Since Coach Ryan Day started running the offense in 2017, Ohio State has had 49 games of over 500 yards of total offense. That’s the most in college football. I’ve been critical of Coach Day the last two seasons so I must give credit and praise where it is due. When he is on his game, there is almost no one better. His teams have played their best it’s when he’s aggressive, confident, and attacking on both sides of the ball. They have struggled when they’re conservative, trying to play it safe, and hoping the other team will beat themselves.
Against Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame next week Ohio State will go as goes Day being at his best. When they struggle it almost seems as if Day is trying so hard to be perfect mentally that he outsmarts himself and limits himself before the other team does. If Day coaches against Notre Dame like he did against that team up north the last two seasons the Buckeyes will lose, if he coaches like he did in the Buckeyes last two bowl games, his Buckeyes will get a big win.
A good point was made this week that because of his great recruiting, that unless he plays Alabama or Georgia, Ryan Day is going to have the most talented team on the field and that he needed to start coaching like he does. He did today and will have a great season if he does for the rest of the year.
The Brooklyn Dagger Award: Henderson’s second touchdown.
TreVeyon Henderson is putting to bed any controversy Ohio State is having over who is RB1. Ohio State is so loaded at that position with him, Chip Trayanum, Miyan Williams, Evan Pryor, and Dallan Hayden. It’s easy to have a problem there of trying to get too many of the guys carries and none of them get on track. Henderson got on track early in this game and it helped the rushing attack and opened up the passing game. He had 14 touches (13 carries, one pass caught) for 115 total yards (88 rushing, 27 receiving) and a pair of rushing touchdowns, his second one providing the margin needed for victory. He set the tone for the offense on an explosive day.
Dwayne Haskins Player of the Game: Kyle McCord.
When McCord got sacked and fumbled I thought he held onto the ball too long and that he was going to have a game of growing pains. After that it was like he woke up and chose violence. He would finish 19 of 23 for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan Day made the right call in naming McCord the starter and letting him have a whole game under his belt before Notre Dame.
He also called a good game to get McCord settled and he kept it simple told McCord to let the stars around him carry him and they did. This effort gets McCord the Taylor Deck Award for bouncing back after his rough opener against Indiana the Fedora Award for starting to fill the big shoes C.J. Stroud left him. Emeka Egbuka had this telling statement about McCord before the game this week: “He cares more than about just anybody on the team, he’s the last one to leave the facility every day.”
Chase Young Defensive Player of the Game: Tyleik Williams.
The big defensive tackle was the best defender on the field for the Buckeyes. That’s saying something considering how well the whole defense played, but none were better than Williams. He had seven tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, and recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Big man touchdowns are always great.
Ryan Shazier–Devin Smith Award: Jermaine Matthews.
The freshman from Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, Ohio introduced himself to Buckeye fans late in the game. Matthews showed good speed and instincts by jumping in front of a WKU pass, snagging it, and returning it for the touchdown. He showed that he has what it takes to be the next big star for the Buckeyes.
Dane Sanzenbacher–K.J. Hill Award: Emeka Egbuka.
Marvin Harrison Jr. commands the attention of both the opposing defenses and the people watching the game, but Egbuka could wind up being more important for Ohio State. Teams will put extra effort into defending Harrison and Egbuka will need to capitalize on that like he has and like he did against WKU. He had four catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Sweater Vest Award: Jayden Fielding.
He didn’t let them get any kick returns. Something they struggled with as recently as the 2021 Rose Bowl. Fielding kicked off eight times and boomed it out of the endzone on five of them. That will be a vital advantage when the Bucks play teams with great returners.
Archie Award: The brotherhood of Kyle McCord and Devin Brown.
Because of the massive output by the Buckeye offense, Devin Brown got to come into the game late. He hit freshman Carnell Tate for the first touchdown for both of them. No one of the 100,000 plus in the Horseshoe was happier for Brown than McCord, the guy he’d been battling for the starting job all summer.
Horned Rimmed Glasses Award: Chip Trayanum and Cade Stover.
These two Ohio natives play selfless football. They’ve both moved positions multiple times and it’s always good to see selfless players and Ohio guys get their chance and succeed on the field.
Coaching Moments of the Game:
The Buckeyes did something in the second quarter that they did a lot under Urban Meyer. They attacked the middle of the field moving north and south and it opened things up everywhere else and then they attacked everywhere making the Western Kentucky defense hesitant and tired. The Buckeye defense was bending but not breaking and getting big stops on big plays. They held WKU to 3 of 16 on third downs and 3 of 6 on fourth downs. They also forced four turnovers and eight tackles for a loss and two sacks. My hat is off to Coach Day and defensive coordinator Coach Jim Knowles both of whom I’ve been very critical of. When you second guess these guys from the house, you got to make sure to give them credit and love when they get things rolling and they did that today.
The Looking Glass:
If you want to see it as half empty, it is only Western Kentucky out of Conference USA. Ohio State should beat them by 53. So no need to get excited when they do what they should. They were an FCS school in 2002. The glass is really half full though. WKU will likely win their conference this year and be a solid win for the Buckeyes. This team looked a lot smoother in every facet of the game on the field and on the sideline. The offense had 562 yards and seven touchdowns, the defense gave up less than 300 total yards, forced four turnovers, and scored twice themselves. It doesn’t matter who you are or who you are playing, you do that in a football game you’re doing well.
2014 Moment: (Offensive Moment) The 75-yarder from McCord to Harrison.
This was the Devin Smith Bomb of the Game and MHJ. I love these shots because they put a team’s defense on their heels for the rest of the game. MarvHIM had five catches for 126 yards and this touchdown. A big game against Notre Dame and he is back in the Heisman race.
2002 Moment: (Defensive Moment) Jim Knowles’ defense.
Coach Knowles had his guys playing like they should’ve been in this one. The only point of trouble is getting those defensive ends to get pressure. They didn’t need it though. The interior of the line and the back seven played great! Knowles’ and his defense didn’t just have one moment. The entire game they did a good impression of Mark Dantonio and the Buckeye defense of 2002.
1968 Moment: The Second Quarter.
This was the championship moment of the game for the Buckeyes. 35 points in one quarter is a championship effort. These efforts in these early games are so important. They set up the ability to win when the big games come knocking. It was very important to get this one under the belt before going to Notre Dame.
