Five things: Big plays inspire Buckeyes in 49-14 win over Thundering Herd

Ohio State improved its record to 3-0 with a 49-14 win over Marshall yesterday afternoon at Ohio Stadium.

After an expectedly slow start following a week off, the Buckeyes fell behind 7-0 midway through the first quarter before Ryan Day's team scored 28 straight points to take a 28-14 halftime lead. Ohio State outscored the Thundering Herd 21-0 in the second half to take the game's final lead.

After limiting Akron and Western Michigan to a combined six points, Ohio State's defense looked human, especially in the first half – allowing over 200 yards and those 14 points – before getting stronger after halftime.

Meanwhile, the offense used a big rushing offense and a devastating running game to control proceedings. The Buckeyes totaled 569 yards of offense, including touchdowns of 40, 53, 68 and 86 yards, overwhelming Marshall.

With this win, Ohio State capped off its non-conference regular season schedule before the Buckeyes begin Big Ten play next weekend with a prime-time game against Michigan State.

Before we turn our attention to the competition with Sparty, here are five things about yesterday's victory over the herd.

The dynamics of the running game continues

After Ohio State managed 273 rushing yards at 7.0 yards per carry in the last game against Western Michigan, its running game was even better against the Thundering Herd.

With Ohio State's offensive line finally intact thanks to the return of left guard Donovan Jackson, the running game exploded with 280 yards at 9.0 yards per attempt. The performance was the Buckeyes' most rushing yards in a single game since they rushed for 340 yards against Indiana two seasons ago.

In three quarters – essentially when the regular players were in action – Ohio State averaged 10.3 yards per carry.

Tailback Quinshon Judkins was spectacular for the second game in a row, rushing 14 times for 173 yards (12.4 ypc) and scoring two touchdowns, including an 86-yard run into the end zone early in the second quarter. Running mate TreVeyon Henderson was also good on his few runs, rushing 76 yards on just six attempts (12.4 ypc), including a 40-yard run into the end zone.

In the last two games, Judkins has used a devastating combination of speed, power and brutality to average 12.2 yards per carry, including 281 yards and four touchdowns.

Behind the line and two excellent tailbacks, Ohio State's running game delivered long 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 gaps throughout the day. Wide receiver Carnell Tate also stood out in downfield blocking.

A year after the Buckeyes couldn't rely on their running game at all against elite defenses, it remains to be seen if 2024 will be a different story. But the early successes against weaker defenses provide at least a little confidence that things can go better this year when it matters most.

The three biggest receivers enjoy a nearly perfect day

While the running game flourished, Ohio State's starting lineup of Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith also had a nearly perfect day.

Egbuka caught five balls for 117 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown. Carnell Tate caught four balls for 64 yards, including a 30-yard chain mover. Freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith caught three balls for 70 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown. And although quarterback Will Howard was intercepted while attempting to hit Smith on a deep throw, it did not count as a target, so the trio finished the day statistically with 12 catches on 12 targets for 251 yards and two touchdowns.

After posting 98 receiving yards two weeks ago and 94 and 96 yards in two games last year, Egbuka's day was his first with over 100 receiving yards since he had 112 yards on eight receptions with a touchdown in Ohio State's semifinal loss to Georgia to close out the 2022 season. Finally healthy again, Egbuka looks like he did in 1922, when he had six games with over 100 receiving yards and 1,151 yards for the season.

Tate has been somewhat forgotten as Egbuka does his thing and Smith comes onto the scene, but he is solid and yesterday was his best game so far this season, both statistically and in my opinion as a blocker in run support. He blocked off defenders on multiple occasions for big gains.

Smith is Smith. As always, He took a short pass and, with his 53-yard strike, simply left the defense behind and reached the house.

Outside of the top three, I have to question whether Jayden Ballard gets on the field ahead of or alongside younger players with unknown potential. Ballard didn't seem to put in the proper effort to get a ball thrown to him late in the game, one play after he had a lapse on the kickoff return. I don't want to hate on the young man, but I would advocate for Day and Brian Hartline to distribute his snaps to others.

The defense increases the pressure in the second half

Fans who expected the Silver Bullets to pick up where they left off after the first two games found none of that to be the case yesterday. Marshall scored 14 points in the first half and rushed for 203 yards, including 132 through the air. The Herd converted 6 of 11 third downs in the first 30 minutes, securing 22 minutes of possession.

The Buckeyes simply couldn't get going up front, and when they did, Marshall quarterback Stone Earle either threw the ball quickly to prevent the rush or ran forward. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and his unit looked out of form at times in the face of the first air raid offense of the season.

The second half was a different story. Knowles' defense allowed just 61 yards, including seven through the air, and kept the Herd out of the game for the final 30 minutes. Marshall managed just four first downs, made 1 of 7 third downs, and had 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 best and again showed incredible top end speed whether he was rushing to the line in run support or tightening up coverage on a receiver.

I wasn't particularly impressed with the starting linebacker's play. Sonny Styles managed seven stops — just one less than Ransom — but I'm not sure it was his best play, especially on pursuit angles. In particular, his lack of awareness prevented Ransom from recovering a fumble near the 5-yard line three plays before Marshall's touchdown on the first drive. With the ball loose but flirting with the sideline, Styles approached the ball too aggressively at an angle that would have made it impossible for him to jump on it and stay in the field. Not only that, his momentum transferred to Ransom, making it impossible for Lathan to hold onto the ball and stay in the field himself. It's a bang-bang play, so I don't want to harp on it, but this is a play that defenders almost always screw up because they lack control and/or football IQ. I appreciated the effort, of course, but the execution was poor.

Cody Simon seems to be struggling in pass coverage in particular, although he recorded four stops on the afternoon. We've seen more Arvell Reese at the mike position and he definitely deserves to play. I'm not entirely sure yet which two linebackers make the most effective tandem and/or if that tandem might differ depending on the type of offense Ohio State faces in a given week. I wonder if Knowles thinks similarly or if we're just seeing standard rotation snaps.

Special teams take a big step backwards

After years of watching Ohio State harass special teams in every way possible, the Buckeyes got off to a decent start in their first two games. There were a few bumps, but at least we saw some punt return work and OSU didn't repeatedly shoot itself in the foot when it came to special teams.

Yesterday, however, we saw a major step backwards. The headliner, of course, is Jayden Fielding, who kicks three kickoffs out of bounds and gives Marshall the ball at his own 35-yard line. Three.

Brandon Inniss also dropped a punt at his own 16-yard line that Marshall recovered, but it was saved by an illegal lineup penalty.

Ohio State's punters had a rough day. Starter Joe McGuire kicked a ball from Marshall's 45-yard line into the end zone for a net of just 25 yards, when the play there is to hit a damn skyball that either Marshall or an OSU player will catch in mid-air.

Later, backup punter Nick McLarty threw a 30-yard punt to the Marshall 22. Failing to get the ball inside the 20 (or even inside the 15 or 10) was another missed opportunity.

Ability against will

Quarterback Will Howard once again delivered solid numbers, completing 16 of 20 throws for 275 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

The interception was interesting because I initially felt the ball was thrown short and Smith had no chance. However, Howard's post-game report seemed completely fine with the call and he felt Smith would play the ball more often. He didn't mention that he threw the ball short and I know Joel Klatt was a little surprised Smith didn't make a better play. What I do know is that Howard threw a deep ball short on his last outing and that was kind of an Achilles heel.

Still, Howard has completed 11 of his first 12 throws for 169 yards with a touchdown and that turnover. He hasn't been used much in the running game for smart reasons, but I'm confident he'll be ready and able to get rushing yards when needed.

While I'm not sure what to expect in the air yet when he's up against an elite defense — and it's impossible to compete with Akron, WMU and Marshall — I have a really good feeling about this guy's command of the offense, his composure on the field and his overall presence in the pocket. Just listening to him in media sessions like his postgame press conference is a confidence booster.

I'm not fully I'm sure he can carry a team on his shoulders and win a game through the air, but I feel much better about that than I did in March or August. Still, I'm confident the moment won't be too big for him. What's your overall confidence in Howard to deliver in a big game with big consequences? After three games, it still feels like a good run still depends on Ohio State's offensive line and quarterback.