Ohio State vs. Marshall Preview: Buckeyes Look to Continue Building Momentum in Final Non-Conference Tuneup

Marshall

Thundering Herd

1 - 1

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Sept. 21, 2024 - Noon

Ohio STADIUM

Columbus, Ohio

FOXOSU -40

On Saturday, Ohio State takes on Marshall to round out its non-conference slate, squaring off with a Thundering Herd squad off to a 1-1 start to the 2024 season. Marshall, a member of the Sun Belt, defeated FCS Stony Brook 45-3 to start its campaign before falling to Virginia Tech 31-14 in Week 2.

Like the Buckeyes, the Herd are coming off a bye week eager to keep taking strides. They don't stand much of a chance to win in Ohio Stadium, but they've allowed less than 160 passing yards in both games thus far and present some rushing threats that could test Ohio State's front, with a dual-threat quarterback in Stone Earle and a few intriguing running back options.

The Headlines

Full Complement

Statuses can always change in the hours before kickoff, but for the first time this season, Ohio State is slated to have all 11 of its defensive starters and all 11 of its offensive starters in action.

After Mike linebacker Cody Simon returned to the field against Western Michigan in Week 2, the other starter who missed time for the Buckeyes early this year returns against Marshall. That player is left guard Donovan Jackson, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection with 26 starts under his belt.

Austin Siereveld filled in admirably for Jackson during the first two contests, but beyond just getting its final starter back in the fold Ohio State will be eager to see what its offensive line looks like with its regular starting five. The Buckeyes took huge strides in run blocking vs. the Broncos, rushing for 273 yards at a clip of seven yards per carry.

"I think there's confidence being built there coming off of last game, then getting Donnie in there is another piece of that confidence," Ryan Day said of the offensive line on Wednesday. "Just solidifying it in there. I thought the offensive line had one of their better practices on Tuesday. We'll look at the film coming off today, but we've gotta keep building that confidence and that finish down the field."

Maintain Momentum

Ohio State scored touchdowns on its first three drives while playing Western Michigan, a stark contrast to the previous week when Akron kept things at a relatively close 17-3 entering halftime. With everything rolling so well from a game where the Buckeyes outgained the Broncos 683 to 99, it felt like poor timing for a bye week.

Ryan Day indicated as much and it's why he and his team chose to call it an “improvement week” instead. Ohio State went back into the lab and drilled fundamentals while staying in the rhythm of a game week, keeping its development going while still getting some rest and relaxation over the weekend.

The rushing attack is one area where the Buckeyes need to keep gaining ground. Marshall kept Stony Brook to 94 rushing yards but surrendered 208 to Virginia Tech, and while Day has been complimentary of the Thundering Herd's front seven, it's one the Buckeyes should look to dominate again before facing much tougher groups of defensive linemen and linebackers in the Big Ten.

Prove-It Year for Huff

Marshall has one of the prouder football traditions in the Sun Belt. The school that produced Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich and Ahmad Bradshaw expects to be in contention for conference titles consistently.

Head coach Charles Huff is off to a middling start through three seasons in Huntington, West Virginia. Taking over for program staple Doc Holliday, who won at least eight games in six of his last eight seasons with a trio of 10-win campaigns, Huff got off to a respectable start in 2021 by going 7-6 then climbed to a 9-4 finish with a Myrtle Beach Bowl win in 2022. The Herd upset then-No. 8 Notre Dame in Week 2 of that season.

Huff's bunch fell back down to 6-7 in 2023, however. Year four in a program means a coach's culture is well-established, so if he wants to lock down his job long-term, Huff would be advised to get back to that eight-win plateau in 2024 and prove 2022 wasn't a fluke. It’ll be tough to get one of those wins this week, though.

Watch Out For These Guys

Marshall Running Back A.J. Turner

Marshall has picked up 406 yards on the ground through two games and averaged 6.5 yards per carry, but if you drop Turner's contributions from the total, it goes down to 184 yards and 3.8 yards per attempt.

Those numbers become more bewildering when one realizes Turner has the third-most rushes on the Herd, trailing starting running back Jordan Houston (17 carries for 55 yards) and Earle (18 for 86). Turner's gobbled up 222 yards in just 14 carries with a touchdown in two games despite being limited by a hand injury and landing behind Houston on the depth chart. With Turner back to full strength, it will be interesting to follow the carry distribution between the duo.

Marshall Defensive End Mike Green

Peter Casey – Imagn Images

Green's been a game-wrecker through two weeks of football, piling up 14 tackles with 3.5 sacks playing along the defensive line. It'd take something truly unexpected for that rate of production to hold all year for Green, but in a 13-game season that'd be on pace for 24.5 sacks.

Game Week Talk

“They have talented players. They do. They’re gonna make some guys miss. We have to be aware of that. We have to be aggressive.”– Ryan Day on Marshall's skill position talent

Between Turner and wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick, Day isn't sleeping on the weapons in Marshall's offense. Fitzpatrick has 170 of the team's 421 receiving yards to date with two touchdowns on eight catches, including a ridiculous catch reminiscent of Marshall legend Randy Moss in the Herd’s loss to Virginia Tech.

“I think Coach Day has done a phenomenal job, I'll be honest, probably the best team I've seen on film, ever.”– Charles Huff

While Day's made it clear he's not sleeping on what Marshall can bring to the Shoe on Saturday, the Herd's head coach went about as far one can go in praising an opponent, calling Ohio State “The best team I've seen on film, ever.” He also offered all-you-can-eat biscuits to any players who transferred from OSU to his program.

“Marshall, they throw the ball a lot. So I'll definitely have some play opportunities to get out there.”– Denzel Burke

After missing most of last week's game due to a hotly debated ejection for targeting, Ohio State's star cornerback is ready to get back on the field against a team that's thrown the ball slightly more (68 pass attempts) than it has run it (62 rush attempts). Burke's stated goal is to get another turnover after he collected an interception in Week 1.

Get Smart

• Ohio State is 2-0 all-time vs. Marshall. The Buckeyes beat the Thundering Herd on a game-winning field goal in 2004. Ohio State’s 45-7 win over Marshall in 2010 has since been vacated due to NCAA sanctions for the “Tattoo-Gate” scandal.
• Ohio State is 4-0 against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, with its other wins coming against Arkansas State (2022) and Troy (2008).
• Ohio State has won its last 69 games against non-power conference teams. Its last loss to a non-Power 4 team was against Air Force in the 1990 Liberty Bowl.
• Marshall’s roster features 11 players from Ohio, including starting right guard Jalen Slappy and linebacker Jaden Yates, who are both Columbus natives.
• Marshall has defeated power programs in each of the last two seasons, earning a 24-17 win over Virginia Tech in 2023 and a 26-21 win over Notre Dame.
• FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will broadcast live from Ohio State’s campus from 10 a.m. to noon. It will be the 18th time Big Noon Kickoff has broadcast from the site of an Ohio State game and the 11th time Big Noon Kickoff has broadcast from Ohio State’s campus.

How It Plays Out

Line: Ohio State -40, O/U 52.5

The main question I have when it comes to the result of this game is how fast Ohio State will start. There's little doubt the Buckeyes will win by 30, 40 or even 50 points in my mind and the minds of many, but do they come out of the gates and knock off the bye week ring rust on their first drive? Regardless, it's important that the offense shows more of what it showed against Western Michigan.

Marshall is a stiffer test than either the Broncos or Akron, but still not one that should create any doubt about the final result. Only three Eleven Warriors staff members picked a margin of victory under 40 points for the Buckeyes and none have it decided by less than 32.

Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction
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