Ohio State football was shot out of a cannon this week against the Western Michigan Broncos and are heading to halftime with a satisfying 35-0 lead. There was a lot of complaints, and rightfully so, of the slow start by the Buckeyes last week against the Akron Zips and tonight they put those concerns to rest. Western Michigan came into this game as a tiny bit of a sleeper pick after hanging with the Wisconsin Badgers last week, but Ohio State has quickly smashed all of its hopes and dreams of pulling an upset tonight.
After an up-and-down week against Akron, there is really nothing negative to say about the Buckeyes tonight without absolutely nitpicking. Obviously, every game is going to have some negative blips on the radar, but in my opinion, this Ohio State team has played at a national championship level. I know this is a Mid-American Conference opponent, but some of the things noticed have been very impressive. Now Let’s dive into some halftime observations.
The tight end room has improved their blocking
Josh Simmons with a great block to send Quinshon Judkins to the end zone. Some good stuff happening with the offensive line tonight.
— Dillon Davis (@DillonDavis56) September 8, 2024
Like I said above, no game is perfect, but after a relatively low-performance last week, it is nice to see the tight end room pull its weight. Gee Scott Jr. has had some pretty rough whiffs in the blocking department, but tonight he has been above average. Will Kacmamarek, the Ohio transfer also looks improved.
Chip Kelly opened up the playbook
Biggest addition to the Buckeyes this off season is Chip Kelly.
— The Dawgs – A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) September 8, 2024
Last week the offensive playcalling was interesting. It wasn’t bad, but lacked the horizontal and quarterback usage we are used to in a verified Chip Kelly offense. This week we have seen Will Howard run a few run-pass-options and the running backs work along the line before cutting upfield.
Quinshon Judkins is here
Quinshon Judkins was another player who had a slow start last week and some of that was on the offensive line, but this week the dude has looked phenomenal. Judkins is currently leading Ohio State with six carries for 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It should also be noted he had a long touchdown run taken away due to a penalty.
Jeremiah Smith is still good
The last Ohio state true freshman to have 100 receiving yards was Garrett Wilson in the Michigan game in 2019.
Jeremiah Smith has that with another half of football to play
— Stephen Means (@Stephen_Means) September 8, 2024
We all heard the hype about Jeremiah Smith and he proved everyone right last week with his introduction to the country, but this week, he may actually be better. Through one half of play, Smith has snagged five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. It is fairly obvious who Howard’s favorite target is.
The offensive line has improved
Josh Simmons with a great block to send Quinshon Judkins to the end zone. Some good stuff happening with the offensive line tonight.
— Dillon Davis (@DillonDavis56) September 8, 2024
Again improvements need to be made, but Ohio State isn’t even into the meat of its schedule and the offensive line already looks much better. There are still a few guys not searching for work or looking lost, but once Donovan Jackson is healthy, this unit should be in great shape. Josh Simmons has especially stepped up his game.
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Publish date : 2024-09-07 14:34:00
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