Three Stars of the Game: Quinshon Judkins, Jeremiah Smith and Jack Sawyer Earn Top Honors for Their Performances Against Western Michigan

Ohio State had several standouts in its 56-0 win over Western Michigan. However, our staff thinks three stood out above the rest: running back Quinshon Judkins, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and defensive end Jack Sawyer.

This week, Judkins, Smith and Sawyer earn top honors as the Eleven Warriors Three Stars of the Game, with Judkins as the first star, Smith as the second star and Sawyer as the third. Those Buckeyes are the second trio to be named Stars of the Game this season after Smith, defensive back Lathan Ransom and defensive end JT Tuimoloau took home the accolades in Week 1.

First Star: Quinshon Judkins

Judkins carried the ball nine times for 108 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2. Those numbers could have been even greater — 67 yards and one touchdown greater, to be exact — had wide receiver Bryson Rodgers not committed a holding penalty to limit his 80-yard touchdown run to a 13-yard gain. Nevertheless, Judkins' impact remained evident on Saturday, and he takes home top honors for his performance against the Broncos.

The former Ole Miss running back scored Ohio State's third and fourth touchdowns in the contest. Both times he scored, Judkins reached the end zone from 23 yards out.

No Platinum Spin Move was necessary on this Quinshon Judkins touchdown run just speed. pic.twitter.com/oRQ7L3qk3V

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 8, 2024

Make it 2 touchdowns for Quinshon Judkins. pic.twitter.com/71h5qAakuO

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 8, 2024

In two appearances at Ohio State, Judkins has carried the ball 22 times for 163 yards and three touchdowns. His career totals have improved to 567 attempts for 2,943 yards and 34 scores across 28 games at Ohio State and Ole Miss.

Second Star: Jeremiah Smith

Head coach Ryan Day called Smith "built different" after the freshman pass-catcher collected six catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns in his Ohio State debut. How did Smith perform one week later? He recorded five catches for 119 yards and one touchdown in his second collegiate appearance.

Smith earns our second star following that impressive performance on Saturday, which included a 70-yard touchdown reception in which he outran five Western Michigan defenders 60 yards to the house.

Jeremiah Smith is built different. pic.twitter.com/jjb18GEkfJ

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 8, 2024

Yeah, he's built different, alright.

Third Star: Jack Sawyer

Sawyer led Ohio State with four quarterback pressures last week. However, he didn't record a sack or tackle for loss in the contest. That was not the case on Saturday, as Sawyer took down Western Michigan quarterback Hayden Wolff in the second quarter following almost 30 minutes of dominance against the Bronco offensive line. Sawyer would go on to end the game with three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit.

"It felt good. It's like having a weight removed off your shoulders," Sawyer said of recording his first sack of 2024. "The first one is the hardest. Coach (Larry) Johnson always says that, too. Once you get your first one out of the way, you kind of forget about it and go play."

Sawyer also weighed in on Ohio State's shutout of Western Michigan.

“It’s huge. We’ve been close 100 times in the last three years,” he said. “It’s something that we’re chasing week in and week out. We know we have the guys to do it. To get that first one was great, but I hope we get a couple more.”

As the season continues, we will track the stars (or points) each Ohio State player receives in 2024. Here's how we'll do it: Each time a Buckeye earns the first star of the game, that Buckeye will add three points to their season total. Then, the second star and third star will add two points and one point to their totals. Here is the total after two weeks: