Fans and pundits alike expected Ohio State to get back on track from an early-season loss to Oregon with a drubbing of Tulsa last week. That game ended up being a tougher battle than expected, but Saturday night's annihilation of Akron was just what the doctor ordered for a Buckeye team missing a number of players including starting quarterback C.J. Stroud.
As expected, true freshman Kyle McCord was more than serviceable in Stroud's stead, and the much-maligned Ohio State defense finally stood up and shut a team down.
It's hard to draw too many conclusions about anything from an opponent like Akron – ranked No. 125 of 130 by SP+, which gave Ohio State a nearly 50-point advantage coming into the game. But for a program viewed as "struggling" relative to its perennial playoff expectations, there was plenty to like.
Oh, and some sideline drama, as well.
TL;DR: Just the Facts, Ma'am
For the first time in school history, the Buckeyes started a true freshman at quarterback and running back. Kyle McCord stepped in for the dinged-up C.J. Stroud, and TreVeyon Henderson started at tailback for the second week in a row.
The two of them accounted for four of Ohio State's seven touchdowns, and although McCord wasn't perfect, he completed 72% of his 18 passing attempts for 319 yards.
Meanwhile the Silver Bullets looked plenty stingy, holding Akron to just 7 points and 229 yards total offense. This is the game fans were expecting to see last week, although in fairness to the hometeam, Tulsa is a much better football team than is Akron.
How It Went Down
Offense
With Stroud taking the week off to rest his banged-up shoulder, McCord stepped in as just the fourth true freshman to start at quarterback in school history. He got off to a slow start, but recovered quickly and made good use of the vaunted Ohio State receiving corps.
Chris Olave recorded his 25th career touchdown reception, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba added one to his tally, as well.
Henderson averaged nearly 12 yards a carry on his 8 rushing attempts, coming just shy of the 100-yard mark before Ryan Day let Master Teague and Miyan Williams tote the rock a bit. The three of them combined for 211 yards and presented a slightly more balanced offensive attack than what the team has shown thus far in the season (although the team was still pass-heavy in terms of total yardage).
Helmet Stickers
- Ohio State's offensive line – once again the road graders did their job, providing ample protection for McCord and giving Henderson room to work his magic.
- TreVeyon Henderson – he continues to shine, showing both big-play ability and an ability to move the ball consistently as well.
- Garrett Wilson – he caught four of seven passes thrown his way for an eye-popping 31 yards a catch thanks in part to a 57-yarder.
Defense
The Buckeye pash rush finally strutted its stuff Saturday night. The Rushmen had a field day, recording 9 sacks on the day. The defense would also rack up a dozen tackles for loss.
Akron's D.J. Irons threw for only 115 yards, and he followed up an early touchdown with a pair of interceptions thanks to stout coverage from the Buckeye backfield.
The one blemish on the day was a sideline brouhaha with an obviously-agitated K'Vaughan Pope. After Pope was waved off a substitution, he appeared to in essence quit the team in the middle of the game, and tweeted his displeasure with the program in the clearest possible way.
Ryan Day was relatively circumspect about the situation in his postgame press conference, but it won't be surprising to see Pope follow Dallas Gant to the transfer portal.
Helmet Stickers
- Ronnie Hickman and Cody Simon – ballhawks Saturday, with each recording and interception. Hickman took his to the house to add to Ohio State's gaudy scoring total.
- The Rushmen – Larry Johnson's boys made the Akron offensive line look like one big turnstyle. Tyliek Williams was especially impressive with 6 total tackles, including two for a loss and two sacks.
Jim Tressel's Least Favorite Moment of the Game
President Tressel planned a few days in advance for this unusual night game against an in-state opponent. He knows the value of sleep, and so made doubly sure to get plenty of rest in the days leading up to the game knowing that he'd be up way past his bedtime to watch his beloved Buckeyes.
After a relaxing evening of salisbury steak and Scrabble with Miss Ellen, the former coach allowed himself his one soda pop of the day as the game finally kicked off ("These games are why they have noon kickoffs, Mama," he commented idly during the coin toss.)
He was pleased with what he saw from the Buckeyes, especially with them starting two true freshman at such important positions on the offense, something practically unheard of these days. And then he was especially pleased to see the defense look like it was invested in winning football games, shutting Akron down after a single early score.
When he saw the scuffle with senior linebacker K'Vaughan Pope over what appeared to be frustration over playing time, Tressel shook his head sadly. "Well, I don't like when the men let their emotions get the better of them like that, but you have to reward your upperclassman in games like these," he reasoned.
Giving Pope the benefit of the doubt, he happened to glance at his phone while pondering an appropriate #quiettime message relative to the situation, and dropped the phone out of pure shock from what he saw on the young man's Twitter feed.
"Well there's certainly no call for that sort of language," Tressel said. "My goodness."
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. - Mother Teresa#QuietTime
— Jim Tressel (@JimTressel5) September 26, 2021
It was Over When
...Akron signed the paperwork agreeing to the payday. The Zips came out hot early, but were barely in the same state as the Buckeyes as far as talent is concerned.
Up Next: After three games at home, the Buckeyes head east to Piscataway, N.J., to face former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Saturday, Oct. 2, at 3:30 p.m.
