Toledo Debriefing: Ohio State's Offensive Explosion Grounds the Rockets In 77-21 Rout

By Andy Vance on September 18, 2022 at 9:35 am
Cade Stover
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Everyone scored a touchdown. Well, at least it seemed like everyone.

With 6 passing and 5 rushing touchdowns, two different quarterbacks, four receivers and five ball carriers found the endzone. Three players – Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, and Marvin Harrison Jr. – scored two touchdowns eack (Egbuka scored one each rushing and receiving).

Things couldn't have gone much better for the Ohio State offense, and although Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn had his moments, the Buckeye defense acquitted itself rather well against a team that should be in line for a conference title late in the season.

Let's break it down.

TL;DR: JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM

Ohio State's passing game was once again sensational, and there seems little question that Brian Hartline has assembled the best wide receiving corps in the country. Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming both saw playing time after being sidelined with injuries, and Fleming made the most of his three targets by scoring a pair of touchdowns.

Harrison and Egbuka continued to do the lion's share of the work, however, with both men logging more than 100 yards receiving alongside Jayden Ballard. Cade "Farmer Gronk" Stover had arguably the best night of his career, catching three passes for 83 yards and proving that Ohio State can be deadly when it throws to the tight end.

On the ground TreVeyon Henderson was limited after limping off the field during the first half, having carried the ball just four times, including a touchdown. Miyan Williams took care of things the rest of the first half before stepping aside for Dallan Hayden, who went off after halftime, recording 108 yards on 17 carriers with a touchdown to his credit. He in turn made way for TC Caffey, who ran for another 57 yards and a touchdown of his own.

Yes, it was the kind of night where the fourth-string running back scored a touchdown.

HOW IT WENT DOWN

OFFENSE

C.J. Stroud was practically flawless. He even ran the ball! He completed 81% of his 27 passes for 367 yards and 5 touchdowns. It's hard to imagine how Ryan Day could ask much more from his field marshall.

Stroud's accuracy was on full display as he threaded the needle more than once, including this dart while on the move to avoid pressure:

His poise and pocket presence were on full display, and he did carry the ball a couple of times in what felt like might have been game film to keep Big Ten teams honest on RPOs.

But the wide receivers were the stars of the night, with Harrison again showing why he's a legitimate Biletnikoff Award contender. His toe-tapping touchdown catch on the far side of the endzone was pure highlight-reel snuff:

With so many weapons at his disposal, Stroud will continue to be in discussion for postseason awards of his own, and he looked every bit the part under the bright lights versus Toledo. Shoutout also to his offensive line, who kept him upright and clean all night.

Helmet Stickers
  1.  Marvin Harrison Jr.: What can you say about this guy that hasn't already been said? His route-running ability is approaching legendary status, he's sure-handed as a Ringling Brothers chainsaw juggler, and his ability to get both feet down inbounds is mind-bending.
  2.  Cade Stover: Farmer Gronk caught three passes for 83 yards, and came up clutch in some key moments early in the game.
  3. C.J. Stroud: His best game of the season so far, completing 81% of his passes for 367 yards and five touchdowns.

DEFENSE

You can make the argument fairly convincingly that Toledo is the best offense Ohio State has faced thus far this season, or at least that Finn is the best dual-threat quarterback they've faced through the first three games. He single-handedly kept his team in the running for about 20 minutes of play before the Buckeye offense just went hog wild.

So perhaps it wasn't a surprise that Jim Knowles' unit would give up some yards and some points before ultimately shutting things down after the half. Looking back at what the Debriefing wrote last week, the same general breakdown held true versus Toledo:

Strengths:

  • Stopping the run. Toledo managed just 124 yards on the ground, and 70 of that was Finn making something out of nothing at the quarterback position. In other words, the running backs only logged 54 yards... just a yard more than Arkansas State managed a week ago.
  • Getting into the backfield. The Buckeyes recorded three sacks and a nine tackles for loss.
  • Playing fast. This team flies around the field and is far more aggressive than last season. Unlike last week, they also played a very clean game, with no penalties to mar an otherwise solid performance.

Weaknesses:

  • The defensive secondary. Denzel Burke still doesn't look like the player we thought he was a year ago, and his further development bears watching as the Big Ten schedule unfolds.
  • Missed tackles. One of the things to watch with a team that plays fast and aggressive is how many times they whiff on bringing their man to the ground. Some of Toledo's success moving the ball came when a Buckeye defender made contact but failed to get their opponent on the turf.

But all that said, you can't gripe too much about a team that held their opponent to just 13 first downs and a 4-13 third-down conversion rate. Finn was a tougher quarterback that most Ohio State will face, and that bodes well for what you might expect from Ohio State versus conference opponents.

Helmet Stickers
  1.  Ronnie "The Rocket" Hickman: Recorded Ohio State's first defensive turnover of the season with an interception.
  2.  Jack Sawyer: Five tackles, including 2 for a loss, and a sack, as well.

DID THE DEFENSE SUCK 30% LESS THAN LAST SEASON?

Loyal listeners of The Eleven Dubcast (subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!) will know that I've repeatedly rejected the notion that Ohio State's revamped defense needs to be among the Top 5 in the country. As good as Ryan Day's offenses have been (this week being a prime example!), Jim Knowles doesn't need to turn the Silver Bullets into the '85 Bears to win championships. They just need to suck 30% less than they did last season.

To put that into perspective, last season's defense coughed up an average of 372.9 yards and 22.8 points per game. It hurts just writing that, trust me.

So it seemed only logical to include a new feature in The Debriefing each week this season to gauge how well the defense is meeting that goal, and at the end of the season to see if "The 30% Hypothesis" holds water.

Toledo managed 307 net yards of total offense, which is NOT better than 30% less than Ohio State's average allowed last season, and 21 points, which is also NOT better than 30% less than last year's average points allowed.

VERDICT: Not really. Ohio State's defense was solid, particularly on a night when the offense was scoring with reckless abandon... but no, statistically the defense did not suck at least 30% less than last season. But on average, things are looking promising!

JIM TRESSEL'S LEAST FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE GAME

Coach Tressel couldn't find much fault with Ohio State's performance Saturday night. His least favorite moment of the game was probably when it was announced Toledo would be a night game... after all, "Nothing good happens after 10 p.m.," and most of the fourth quarter took place after bedtime.

But with a beautifully-executed game plan, solid defensive adjustments in the second half, only 5 yards of penalties all night, and a picture-perfect punt from Jesse Mirco that pinned the Rockets on the 1-yard line, things couldn't have gone much better for the Senator's favorite team.

The cherry on top, however, was when early in the third quarter the Buckeyes lined up on 3rd and Goal from the 1 with fullback Mitch Rossi in the backfield, and the big beautiful back punched the ball into the endzone for the touchdown. It was the kind of play that makes a fellow want to stay up past his bedtime just to see if it ended up on SportsCenter.

IT WAS OVER WHEN

...the Buckeyes took a 42-14 lead into the locker room at halftime. After scoring on six consecutive drives before the break, there was no way for Toledo to fight their way back into contention.

UP NEXT: Ohio Stadium will host its third night game in the season as the Buckeyes welcome the Wisconsin Badgers, fresh off a 66-7 drubbing of New Mexico State. Wisconsin is 2-1 on the season, with a loss to Washington State in Week 2 the only blemish thus far on their resume. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

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