In Week 1, Ohio State did its part and took care of business against Akron and won, 52-6. It was a thorough beating of a MAC foe that instilled optimism and raised a few questions. With another MAC foe heading to the Horseshoe, Ohio State has another opportunity to work out the kinks on offense and continue inflicting its will on defense.
Western Michigan gave Wisconsin all it could handle in Week 1 but lost, 28-14. The Broncos even took the lead at the beginning of the fourth before allowing a pair of Badger touchdowns to put the game away. This will be just the second time these two have faced off in history. Ohio State won an uninspiring 38-12 game over the Broncos back in 2015. Now, the Buckeyes will play host to WMU in primetime.
The key this week? The same as last week: take care of business.
Ohio State vs. Western Michigan: Second Verse, Same as the First
Get It Going Early
To start the game with Akron, TreVeyon Henderson took a first-down carry nine yards. Then, back-to-back incomplete passes (with a false start on third down) resulted in a three-and-out on the team’s first offensive drive. After the punt, Akron fans rushed to take a picture of the scoreboard as the Zips drove down and kicked a field goal to take a 3-0 lead early. Obviously, the Buckeyes’ offense figured it out and scored a touchdown on the next drive en route to a five-touchdown effort.
This week, the offense of Ohio State vs. Western Michigan will want to iron out the kinks and get going early. While this game is not expected to be as close as Wisconsin’s bout with WMU, getting started early is going to be key as the schedule gets harder.
The feeling around the offense would have felt a bit better had Ohio State just opened up with a touchdown drive. Jeremiah Smith, even with a dominant debut, dropped his first target. Will Howard, to no fault of his own, started the game 0-4.
Chip Kelly’s offense started getting it going, but getting started early is key. Scoring a first-drive touchdown won’t dictate how this game goes. However, if the offense learns how to get it going and the coaching staff can script the opening drive well, it’ll help against Iowa, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan.
Keep Stuffing the Run
Western Michigan has a solid rushing attack that is led by stud redshirt sophomore, Jalen Buckley. Last week, he ran the ball 16 times for 64 yards with two touchdowns. The team as a whole ran the ball 33 times for 120 yards. Last year, he led the Broncos with 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 11 games. He’s a formidable back and has four games of at least 117 yards under his belt.
Last week, Ohio State’s run defense was superb. For the majority of the game, Ohio State held Akron with negative rushing yards. At the point of the first defensive score with 7:35 to go in the third quarter, the Buckeye defense had allowed a total of zero rushing yards on 22 carries.
They’ll need to do more of the same against the Broncos. Akron did a good job of stretching to the outside and not trying to attack the middle of the defense.
Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams had a massive game in Week 1 and will be leaned on again to stop Buckley and the Broncos’ rushing attack.
Additionally, the linebackers will need to come downhill to stop the quick game again. WMU quarterback Hayden Wolff is completing 65.6% of his passes with the Broncos. Against Wisconsin, he only attempted 18 passes. He’s going to look to neutralize the pass rush as Akron did.
It’s Special Teams for a Reason
If all goes well on the defensive front, Brandon Inniss will have plenty of opportunities to have another strong day as a punt returner. Last week, Ohio State forced six punts and Inniss was able to return four. In those four returns, he amassed 60 yards, setting the Buckeye offense up for success. Oddly enough, on the ensuing drives following Inniss’ first three returns, Ohio State scored touchdowns.
One of the biggest instances of addition-by-subtraction last offseason was Ohio State’s firing of special teams coach, Parker Fleming. Of course, it could be a tiny sample size paired with a more dynamic returner, but the new special teams approach is working.
Ohio State’s punt return yards with Parker Fleming as the special teams coordinator:
2021: 132 (23 returns)
2022: 141 (17)
2023: 75 (17)Brandon Inniss totaled 60 yards on four punt returns in Ohio State’s season-opening win over Akron. pic.twitter.com/3FKsEJ3TMR
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) September 1, 2024
Having a returner like Inniss could be the bump the Buckeyes have needed. Special teams are important and despite that, it’s been nearly 10 years since Jalin Marshall returned a punt for a touchdown. It’s been nearly 14 years since Jordan Hall returned a kick for a touchdown.
Inniss showed in his handful of returns that he has play-making speed and an ability to read for good return lanes. If given the opportunity against Western Michigan, look for Inniss to make an impact for Ohio State vs. Western Michigan.
