Quarterback Will Howard dumped off a pass to Emeka Egbuka. As Ohio State faced a second-and-8 on its first possession in a 49-14 win over Marshall on Saturday, Egbuka caught the screen and took off. Bolting toward open space near midfield, he went 68 yards to reach the end zone.
“I knew he was gone after he crossed into that third level,” Howard said.
Egbuka reflected on his touchdown with a heavy dose of humility.
“It was by no feat of my own that I was able to score,” Egbuka said.
The blocks of his teammates on the offensive line and his fellow receivers helped pave the path to the north end of Ohio Stadium. He gave credit to all of them, as well as offensive coordinator Chip Kelly for the play design.
“A toddler could have walked that one in,” Egbuka said. “It was wide open.”
But Egbuka’s burst, the speed that allowed him to separate from the Thundering Herd defenders, was no small thing and offered a reminder to observers of the Buckeyes.
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While a lot of offseason attention centered on the high-profile additions to the Buckeyes’ offense such as Mississippi transfer running back Quinshon Judkins and heralded freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith, Egbuka remains a critical weapon for Howard.
In 2022, when Egbuka had a 1,151-yard season, the slot receiver was overshadowed by Marvin Harrison Jr. The next year, Egbuka was hampered by an ankle injury.
But as a senior, a fully healthy Egbuka has reemerged as one of Ohio State’s premier playmakers. He finished with five catches for 117 yards and one touchdown against the Thundering Herd.
One of them was on a key 7-yard reception on third-and-4 late in the second quarter that extended a scoring drive. After the Buckeyes picked up the first down, running back TreVeyon Henderson ran for a 14-yard touchdown.
Egbuka’s receptions added up to his first 100-yard receiving performance since he had eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Georgia in a College Football Playoff semifinal two years ago.
He was close to the feat two weeks ago against Western Michigan, finishing with five receptions for 98 yards before accomplishing it on Saturday.
“Obviously it’s fun to be able to perform at a very high level,” Egbuka said, “but I never really tried to hang my hat on the statistics. If I had zero catches a day, but I still ran all the right routes and did all the right things, it doesn’t make me any less of a player. I could have gone for 300 yards a day, but that’s just because the ball came my way.
“So I try to do what I can with the opportunities that I am presented. If the ball comes my way, make the play, and if it doesn’t, it’s not really something I can control.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at [email protected].
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 23:03:00
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