On a cloudless day in Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio State Buckeyes Thundered past Marshall, 49-14. While the Buckeyes won by 35, there were plenty of things Head Coach Ryan Day will want to take a look at. He referred to last week’s bye as “Improvement Week” and by most metrics, the team took a step back from the Week 2 win over Western Michigan.
Of course, winning by 35 is never a bad thing and there were plenty of great performances from the Buckeyes’ superstars.
Buckeyes Thunder Past The Herd, 49-14
Run. The. Ball.
Heading into the 2024 season, Ohio State was expected to have one of, if not the best running back duo in the country. With the addition of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, the unit was going to get its chances.
Just as they did against Western Michigan, the running back tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson carried the offense to a commanding win. Henderson got the start and ended the day with 76 yards and two touchdowns off just six carries. Judkins, meanwhile, gashed Marshall to the tune of 173 yards and two touchdowns off 14 carries.
The two combined for seven rushes of more than 10 yards.
Kelly’s offensive prowess was on full display with numerous creative play calls and designs. Ohio State ran the misdirection play a handful of times with plenty of success. Only twice did the Buckeye running backs lose any ground on a play.
Both Judkins and Henderson have home-run-hitting ability. Judkins’ first touchdown was thanks to an 86-yard touchdown. That score was the longest touchdown rush in his career and the third-longest in program history. Henderson was not left out as he took a crack toss to the boundary 40 yards to paydirt…as this author mumbled, “I hate that toss play.”
Now, through three games, Judkins and Henderson are standing at 543 yards and nine touchdowns combined. Last year, to this point, the combined effort of the top two backs for the Buckeyes only managed 329 yards and five touchdowns.
Getting Yards in Chunks
Easily the biggest positive from the Buckeyes thundering past the Herd is how explosive the offense was as a whole. On the ground, the Ohio State running backs ran for 280 yards. Through the air, the quarterbacks passed for 280 yards. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Those 280 yards on the ground were good for an average of 10.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Will Howard (16-of-20 for 275 yards and two touchdowns) was methodical. One of those incompletions was an interception, of course. Howard was trying to push the ball down the field to Jeremiah Smith and it was slightly underthrown.
Aside from that play, Howard did what he needed to do. He was able to distribute the ball to his playmakers and let them get chunk yardage. The biggest play in the passing game was the first Ohio State touchdown on the day. Emeka Egbuka took a screen 68 yards untouched for a touchdown. Egubka led all receivers in the game with 117 yards and that touchdown off just five receptions.
Smith was not going to be denied, either. He hauled in just three passes for 70 yards and scored on a 53-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Carnell Tate was held out of the endzone but contributed 64 yards off four receptions.
When the game ended, Ohio State had 23:45 in time of possession. In the first half, the Buckeyes had five drives and scored four touchdowns on just 8:13 of possession. They amassed 14.6 yards per play in that time.
The defense is great but this offense was meticulous.
Areas of Concern
Objectively, the Ohio State defense was strong. However, it wasn’t quite to the level that is expected from them.
Marshall finished the game with 264 yards with 125 on the ground and 139 through the air. 140 of that total yardage came on Marshall’s two touchdown drives. The Herd had a flawless script for the first offensive series. They went right down the field for 75 yards and a touchdown, which was the first of the year allowed by Ohio State.
The absence of Tyleik Williams was felt. On the ground, Marshall ran for 125 yards and scored once. While the running backs were solid, Stone Earle might have given Ohio State something to think about moving forward. While he finished with 23 yards off 12 rushes, his dual-threat ability forced Jim Knowles and his staff to utilize a spy.
As the game went on, the Buckeyes defense buckled down, mostly thanks to Earle leaving in the third quarter with an injury.
All in all, Marshall converted 18 first downs. Akron and Western Michigan combined for 17. The Herd had a good game plan for the Buckeyes’ defense. They gave both the Ohio State coaching staff and opposing staffs plenty to dissect.
Now, the focus turns to Michigan State and Big Ten play.
