The first Power Four opponent of any team's season always provides a measuring stick for where that squad is at in key areas.
Ohio State's wide receivers were expected to be amazing entering 2024 and they looked the part in the Buckeyes' 38-7 win at Michigan State on Saturday, namely freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith. Caleb Downs showed why many consider him the best safety in college football.
There are some lingering concerns for when Ohio State faces more formidable foes, however, and thus far its worries haven't been along the offensive line as anticipated entering the season. For a second consecutive game, an opponent found success moving the ball against the Buckeyes' vaunted defense by attacking the team's linebackers.
Michigan State made sure to isolate Sonny Styles and others on both run and pass plays, spurring three drives that went 55 yards or more in the first half. Ohio State's defense responded by allowing just 60 yards and no points in the second half, but with Iowa and No. 6 Oregon on the horizon, the Buckeyes need some development from their second-level defenders.
Stock Up
Caleb Downs
After a 107-tackle, two-interception freshman season at Alabama, Ohio State fans were eager to see Downs put on his first big show with the Buckeyes. Against the Spartans he did exactly that, picking up six tackles with a tackle for loss while showing his play recognition and quickness by flying down to blow up multiple plays near the line of scrimmage.
"Stabilizing force is a great way to put it, but also (he's) an on-field coach," nickel Jordan Hancock said. "There's a lot of questions that I ask him, and I continue to grow under him. So he's just been like a whole different coach on the field, and that's exactly what we need in our secondary."
Wide receivers
Somehow Jeremiah Smith's already skyscraper-esque stock keeps reaching skyward, as the freshman wowed with two spectacular one-handed catches in a four-play span during a five-reception, 83-yard, one-touchdown receiving day with a 19-yard rushing touchdown. Emeka Egbuka served another reminder that he is among the nation's best at wide receiver, too, with seven receptions for 96 yards and a score, while Carnell Tate had a quietly productive three catches for 52 yards.
All three have had their share of good moments as blockers this season, too. This year's receiving corps might be as well-rounded and talented as any in the Brian Hartline era, even the famed trio of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
TWO UNBELIEVEABLE ONE-HANDED CATCHES BY JEREMIAH SMITH
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024
THEY CAN'T GUARD HIM pic.twitter.com/vGUUs6rn41
Kickoffs between the sidelines
A bounceback from Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding after his three kickoffs out of bounds against Marshall underscored a quietly sound day for the Buckeyes' special teams. All of Fielding's kickoffs went for touchbacks and he went 5-of-5 on extra points to go with a made 30-yard field goal. Punter Joe McGuire had two boots downed inside Michigan State's 20-yard line and Brandon Inniss collected 19 combined yards on two punt returns.
Situational mastery
After Ohio State's victory over Michigan State, I wrote about how situational excellence shifted the game's makeup for the Buckeyes, particularly winning the turnover battle, third down, fourth down and in the red zone.
Two-minute drills are another crucial situation, and OSU executed a beauty of one at the end of the first half against the Spartans. Smith's one-handed 17-yard touchdown grab capped a six-play, 60-yard drive that took just 44 seconds to get into the end zone with 29 seconds to spare before halftime. Devin Brown entered to throw the scoring toss after the wind was knocked out of Will Howard.
"I think that was the game right there," Howard said. "That series, taking the ball down, and we talk about the middle eight all the time, winning the middle eight, and that's the last four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second half."
OH MY.
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 29, 2024
Jeremiah Smith is HIM.
Peacock | @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/qA9KvH9WI4
Alabama
The Crimson Tide won what might go down as the best college football game this season, vaulting from No. 4 to No. 1 in the AP Poll after defeating then-No. 2 Georgia 41-34. Alabama raced out to a 28-0 lead, the Bulldogs battled all the way back to make it 34-33, but a spectacular 75-yard touchdown catch from Crimson Tide freshman Ryan Williams paved the way for cornerback Zabien Brown to pluck a game-sealing interception.
Ashton Jeanty
Four games into his 2024 campaign, Boise State's superstar running back is averaging more than 200 rushing yards per game. After a 259-yard, four-touchdown outing against Washington State this week, Jeanty leads the country in yards (845) and scores (13) on the ground. He's averaging 10.3 yards per carry.
Stock Down
Linebackers
In back-to-back weeks opponents have found success on offense throwing the ball quickly over the middle at Ohio State's linebackers. While veteran Cody Simon has looked strong against the run – see his 4th-and-1 stop against the Spartans – the Buckeyes' starting Will, Sonny Styles, looks lost on the field at times.
Watch the linebacker closest to the camera, No. 6, which is Styles. The moment he sees the play-side tight end downblock and a hole clear for running back Nate Carter, he needs to fill it. Especially because C-gap, where this run ultimately hits, is his responsibility. Instead, he barely moves until Carter is running past him.
Styles is still an athletic freak. It must be kept in mind that he was playing safety this time last year, a transition that was perhaps underestimated this offseason. He's not alone in linebackers with some blemishes from the first few weeks, as C.J. Hicks has fallen to fourth on the depth chart and Arvell Reese has flashed but needs to build more consistency.
Pass rush consistency
Speaking of consistency, there were times against both Marshall and Michigan State where one just didn't feel the defensive line on passing downs. Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams missed both of those contests, of course, but after recording at least 15 quarterback pressures in each of their first two games the Buckeyes only had 11 vs. the Thundering Herd and 13 vs. the Spartans, per Pro Football Focus.
Things picked up toward the end of the first half with a sack from JT Tuimoloau, and ultimately this is all nitpicking a defense that's No. 1 nationally in scoring, No. 2 in total defense, No. 3 against the run and No. 9 against the pass. But when championships are the goal, that's the standard that a program has to aim for – perfection.
Optimal decision-making
Howard's first interception of the 2024 season might have been a touch underthrown depending on who you ask, but one can't fault the Ohio State quarterback for taking a one-on-one deep shot up the sideline to Smith. His second pick came Saturday on a head-scratching throw into double coverage, intercepted by Michigan State linebacker Jordan Turner.
Howard has been the distributor the Buckeyes needed on an offense brimming over with weapons for the most part, but the fifth-year senior showed Saturday he can make mistakes, too. The key is, it was his last throw of that variety on the evening.
“Just a bad decision,” Howard said. “They went cover two there. We wanted them to go some sort of man (coverage) on that play. The play clock was running down, ended up just kind of rushing the decision and forced it into there. Really should have just gone back side and worked my spread concept back to the field.”
Ole Miss
The Runnin' Rebels probably missed running back Quinshon Judkins, now in Ohio State's stable, on Saturday. Then-No. 6 Ole Miss suffered a major upset at home to a two-loss Kentucky team, missing a 48-yard field goal that would have tied the game to lose 20-17.
Utah
Speaking of top-10 teams upset at home on Saturday, then-No. 10 Utah had a letdown game after besting Oklahoma State in Week 4, falling to unranked Arizona 23-10.
