A grade card on Ohio State’s resounding 56-0 win over Western Michigan:
OFFENSE: A
Ohio State’s offense made it clear there would be no repeat of what was called a slow start in its season opener against Akron when it scored 21 points in the first 16 minutes against Western Michigan and kept going from there until it had rolled up 683 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Will Howard hit his first 10 passes and finished the game 18 of 26 for 292 yards and one touchdown pass. His 6-yard touchdown run was the first by an Ohio State starting quarterback since Justin Fields in 2020. Quinshon Judkins (9 carries, 108 yards, 2 touchdowns) and TreVeyon Henderson (10 carries, 66 yards, 2 touchdowns) both had explosive runs. Judkins also had an 80-yard touchdown run erased by a holding penalty. Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith followed up his brilliant debut against Akron with 5 catches for 119 yards and had a 70-yard touchdown catch. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (5 catches, 98 yards) reminded people what he can do when he’s healthy.
The offensive line had a good game, most notably in the run game where Ohio State averaged 7.0 yards per carry. Back-up quarterback Devin Brown was 5 for 5 passing and freshman Julian Sayin threw his first career touchdown pass, a 55-yard connection with tight end Bennett Christian.
DEFENSE: A
Western Michigan gained only 99 yards in total offense. It went three and out on 10 of its 13 possessions and 0 of 5 in the second half for a total of 5 yards of offense in the final two quarters. Linebacker Cody Simon, who missed the Akron game, got it started with a sack of Western Michigan quarterback Hayden Wolff on the Broncos’ first series of the game and the futility never ended for them. Defensive end Jack Sawyer got his first sack of the season. Cornerback Denzel Burke was called for targeting in the first quarter and spent the rest of the game on the sideline.
Ohio State’s shutout was its first since a 42-0 victory over Cincinnati on Sept. 7, 2019.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
With the offense scoring on five of its first six drives and Western Michigan being shut out and kicking off only once, it was a mostly quiet day for Ohio State’s special teams. Kicker Jayden Fielding did not attempt a field goal. Punter Joe McGuire averaged 44.7 yards per kick and the player he beat out to become the starting punter, Nick McLarty, had one punt for 35 yards.
On the downside, Jayden Ballard signaled for a fair catch on Western Michigan’s kickoff at the beginning of the second half but let it hit the turf before he grabbed it. That meant OSU would have to begin its possession at its own 6-yard line and eventually had to punt.
OVERALL: A
There will be bigger challenges ahead for Ohio State than Western Michigan, but it was good to see the focus and intensity the Buckeyes displayed offensively and defensively. Mixing that level of those characteristics with the skill level of OSU’s players, makes them tough to beat.
