Five Things: Big Plays Boost Buckeyes in 49-14 Win Over Thundering Herd

Ohio State improved to 3-0 with a 49-14 victory over Marshall yesterday afternoon in Ohio Stadium.

A predictably sluggish start after a bye week saw the Buckeyes fall behind 7-0 midway through the first quarter before Ryan Day's squad scored 28 straight points and led 28-14 at the half. Ohio State outscored the Thundering Herd 21-0 in the second half to provide the game's final margin.

After holding Akron and Western Michigan to a combined six points, Ohio State's defense looked human particularly during the first half - giving up over 200 yards and those 14 points - before tightening up after halftime.

Meanwhile the offense used a big play barrage and a devastating run game to control the action. The Buckeyes logged 569 yards of total offense including touchdowns of 40, 53, 68 and 86 yards to overwhelm Marshall.

The win capped Ohio State's non-conference slate for the regular season as the Buckeyes begin Big Ten play next weekend with a prime time matchup against Michigan State.

Before we shift our attention to the contest with Sparty, here are Five Things from yesterday's win over the Herd.

RUN GAME MOMENTUM CONTINUES

After churning out 273 rushing yards on 7.0 yards per carry in its last outing versus Western Michigan, Ohio State's running game was even better against the Thundering Herd.

With Ohio State's starting offensive line finally intact thanks to left guard Donovan Jackson's return, the run game exploded for 280 yards on 9.0 yards per attempt. The performance marked the most rushing yards in a single-game for the Buckeyes since they racked up 340 versus Indiana two seasons ago.

Through three quarters - basically when the starters were in - Ohio State averaged 10.3 yards per carry.

Tailback Quinshon Judkins was spectacular for a second straight game with 14 carries for 173 yards (12.4 ypc) and two touchdowns including an 86-yard jaunt to paydirt early in the second quarter. Running mate TreVeyon Henderson was also sharp in limited carries. He amassed 76 yards on just six attempts (12.4 ypc) including a 40-yard dash to the end zone.

Over the last two contests, Judkins boasts a 12.2 yards per carry mark with 281 yards and four touchdowns via a devastating combo of speed, power and violence.

Behind the line and two stud tailbacks, Ohio State's ground game ripped off chunk runs of 11, 14, 16, 17, 29, 40 and 86 yards.

The left side of the line in particular stood out as left tackle Josh Simmons, Jackson and center Seth McLaughlin created huge holes all day long. Wide receiver Carnell Tate also stood out in downfield blocking.

A year after the Buckeyes couldn't depend on the run game at all against elite defenses, it remains to be seen if 2024 will be a different story. But the early returns against lesser defenses at least provide a bit of confidence things can be better this year when it matters most.

BIG THREE RECEIVERS ENJOY NEAR-PERFECT DAY

While the run game thrived, Ohio State's starting receiving corps of Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith had a near-perfect day in their own right.

Egbuka had five grabs for 117 yards including a 68-yard touchdown. Carnell Tate posted four catches for 64 yards including a 30-yard chain-mover. Freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith caught three balls for 70 yards including a 53-yard score. And while quarterback Will Howard was picked off attempting to hit Smith on a deep shot, it didn't count as a target so the trio finished the day statistically with 12 catches on 12 targets for 251 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

After posting 98 receiving yards two weeks ago and going for 94 and 96 in two contests last year, Egbuka's day was his first over 100 receiving yards since he had 112 yards on eight receptions with a touchdown in Ohio State's CFP semifinal loss to Georgia to cap the 2022 season. Finally healthy, Egbuka is looking like his '22 self when he had six games with over 100 receiving yards and 1,151 for the season.

Tate has been a bit of a forgotten man with Egbuka doing his thing and Smith splashing onto the scene but he's been steady and yesterday was his best game so far this season both statistically and in my view, as a blocker in run support. He sealed defenders multiple times to help spring big gainers.

Smith is Smith. As per usual, he took a short pass and simply outraced the defense to the house on his 53-yard strike.

Outside of the top three, I feel compelled to question Jayden Ballard getting on the field ahead of or alongside younger guys with unknown potential. Ballard appeared to lack effort on a ball thrown his way late in the contest, a game after he had a brain blip on kickoff return. No hate on the young man but I'd support Day and Brian Hartline distributing his snaps to others.

DEFENSE TURNS UP THE HEAT IN SECOND HALF

For fans expecting the Silver Bullets to pick up where they left off after the first two games, that wasn't the case yesterday as Marshall put up 14 points in the first half on the strength of 203 total yards including 132 through the air. The Herd converted 6-of-11 third downs in the opening 30 minutes allowing them to chew up 22 minutes of possession time.

The Buckeyes simply didn't get much push up front and when they did, Marshall quarterback Stone Earle either unloaded the ball quickly to negate the rush or took off upfield. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and his unit looked out of sorts at times facing the first Air Raid offense of the season.

The second half was a much different story. Knowles' defense yielded a mere 61 yards including seven through the air as it shutout the Herd over the final 30 minutes. Marshall managed just four first downs, went 1-of-7 on third down and possessed the ball for 14 minutes.

Safety Lathan Ransom continued his solid play with eight stops, a TFL and a forced fumble. His counterpart Caleb Downs also did his thing, again flashing ridiculous closing speed whether crashing to the line in run support or tightening coverage on a receiver.

I was not overly impressed with the starting linebacker play. Sonny Styles posted seven stops - just one behind Ransom - but I'm not sure it was his best game particularly with pursuit angles. Notably, his lack of heads up kept Ransom from recovering a fumble near the 5-yard line three plays before Marshall's opening drive touchdown. With the ball loose but flirting with the sideline, Styles too aggressively approached the ball at an angle that would've made it impossible for him to jump on it and stay inbounds. Not only that, his momentum carried into Ransom and made it impossible for Lathan to hang onto the ball and stay inbounds himself. It's a bang/bang play so I don't want to harp on it but that is a play defenders almost always hose up by lacking control and/or football IQ. I appreciated the hustle of course but the execution was poor.

Cody Simon looks to be struggling in pass coverage in particular though he did record four stops on the afternoon. We did see more Arvell Reese at the Mike spot and he definitely deserves to play. I'm not quite sure yet which two linebackers make the most effective tandem and/or if that tandem could be different based on the type of offense Ohio State's facing any given week. I wonder if Knowles feels similarly or if we're just seeing standard rotational snaps.

SPECIAL TEAMS TAKE BIG STEP BACKWARD

After years of watching Ohio State gack special teams every way possible, the Buckeyes got off to a decent start across the first two games. There were some speed bumps to be sure, but at least we saw flashes on punt return and OSU didn't repeatedly shoot itself in the foot across the special units.

Yesterday however, we saw major regression. The headliner is of course Jayden Fielding booting three kickoffs out of bounds giving Marshall the ball at its own 35. Three.

Brandon Inniss also dropped a punt at his own 16-yard line that Marshall recovered but he was bailed out by an illegal formation penalty.

Ohio State's own punters had a rough day. Starter Joe McGuire booted one from the Marshall 45-yard line into the end zone for a net of just 25 yards when the play there is to hit a damn sky ball that either Marshall or an OSU player catch on the fly.

Later, backup punter Nick McLarty uncorked a 30-yard punt to the Marshall 22-yard line. To not get the ball inside the 20 there (or even inside the 15 or 10) was another missed opportunity.

SKILL VERSUS WILL

Quarterback Will Howard again put up solid numbers completing 16-of-20 throws for 275 yards and two touchdowns against one pick.

The interception was interesting as I first felt like it was well underthrown and Smith wasn't open. To hear Howard in the postgame however, he seemed totally fine with the decision and felt like Smith will more often than not make a play on the ball. He didn't mention he felt it was underthrown and I know Joel Klatt was a bit surprised Smith didn't make a better play. What I do know is that in his last outing Howard did underthrow a deep ball and that's been a bit of an Achilles heel.

That said, Howard completed 11 of his first 12 throws for 169 yards with a touchdown and that turnover. He wasn't called upon much in the run game for smart reasons but I do feel fine that he'll be willing and able to pick up rushing yards when needed.

While I'm still uncertain of what to expect through the air when he runs into an elite defense - and it's impossible to measure against Akron, WMU and Marshall - I do feel really good about this dude's command of the offense, his calm on the field and his overall pocket presence. Just listening to him in media sessions like his postgame presser builds confidence.

I'm not totally sure I think he can put a team on his back and win a game through the air but I'm feeling a lot better about that than I did in March or August. That said, I am confident the moment won't be too big for him. Where do you stand with your overall confidence level in Howard to deliver in a big game with major consequences? Through three games, it still feels like a natty run still hinges on Ohio State's offensive line and quarterback.