Three Key Stats: Ohio State Has a Near 50/50 Passing and Rushing Attack and the Buckeyes Dominate Defensively in the Second Half of Win Over Marshall

Ohio State made it look easy in the final three quarters of its final non-conference game of the season Saturday afternoon.

Following a slow start on both sides of the ball, Ohio State picked it up in the second quarter and held Marshall scoreless in the second half to dominate in a 49-14 win over the Thundering Herd.

We dig into three key stats in the Buckeyes' third win of the season.

289 Passing Yards, 280 Rushing Yards

50-50 seems to be ideal for any offense and it's what a lot of offenses wish for, at least on paper. The run game opens the passing attack, and vice versa. While it rarely comes to fruition, Ohio State's offense came about as close to 50-50 ball as it could Saturday afternoon against Marshall.

With Will Howard (275 passing yards) and Devin Brown (14), Ohio State passed for 289 yards while five Buckeyes combined to run for 280 yards. OSU's 280 rushing yards are its most since Nov. 11, 2022 (340 vs. Indiana).

12.45 Yards Per Carry and Four Touchdowns for Q and Tre

If it wasn't already known through the first three weeks of the season, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins the best running back duo in the country and two of the best running backs in college football.

In just over two quarters, the pair combined for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, a stretch that included a dismal two rushing yards the entire first quarter.

Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson through the opening drive of the third quarter: 202 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 21, 2024

After running for 108 yards in OSU's last game, Judkins' first 100-yard game as a Buckeye, the standout running back notched 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Marshall, his best mark since Sept. 30, 2023 (177 vs. LSU). Judkins' 12.4 yards per carry was a career-high, beating out the 12.0 yards per carry he averaged against Western Michigan two weeks ago.

This cut from Quinshon pic.twitter.com/qXb373tK05
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 21, 2024

Quinshon Judkins pic.twitter.com/vTEISqCZfZ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 21, 2024

Quinshon Judkins put a Marshall defender in the dirt on this touchdown run pic.twitter.com/jirE9b5Szm
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 21, 2024

Henderson, meanwhile, made the most of his opportunities. While he only had six carries against Marshall, Henderson totaled 76 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. His 12.7 yards per carry was a career-high, as he has never averaged more than 11.7 yards per carry (Sept. 18, 2021, vs. Tulsa).

Hes called Touchdown Tre for a reason. pic.twitter.com/M85uEWziNJ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 21, 2024

TreVeyon Henderson brought the boom and the zoom on this 40-yard touchdown run pic.twitter.com/cXruK5eJAS
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 21, 2024

61 Yards Allowed in Second Half

The first half certainly wasn't the Ohio State defense's best performance, especially this season. After allowing just six points (no touchdowns) in the first two games of the season, Marshall was able to rattle off two touchdowns and 202 yards in the first half against Ohio State, including 121 in the first quarter. Of the 15 minutes in the first quarter, the Thundering Herd had the ball for 13:01, dominating the time of possession.

Marshalls 203 first-half yards are already the most Ohio States defense has allowed in a game this season.

Buckeyes held Akron to 177 total yards and Western Michigan to 99 total yards.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 21, 2024

That said, whether it was halftime adjustments or just Ohio State waking up a bit, the Buckeyes played much better defensively in the second half. OSU held Marshall scoreless in the final two quarters while Ohio State held the Thundering Herd to just 61 yards in the final two quarters of the game.