It was quite the explosion of big plays for Ohio State Football in its home win against Western Kentucky, trouncing the visitors to a score of 63-10.
The most complete win for the Buckeyes came at a very good time, considering that the level of competition makes a massive jump next weekend when they travel to South Bend to take on a top ten Notre Dame Fighting Irish squad.
Buy Buckeyes TicketsIt happens every Sunday after a Buckeye football contest, plenty of thoughts continue to stick out as we continue to celebrate the win before moving on to next week. Here are some of those thoughts following Ohio State’s win over the Hilltoppers.
The big play defense is back
PICK SIX@Jr2Maine takes it for 58-yards and the @OhioStateFB TD 🌰 pic.twitter.com/YXCX0hclTl
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 16, 2023
Thoughts
The Ohio State defense defeated Western Kentucky themselves, 14-10 on Saturday, and it was great to see. Tyleik Williams jumped on a fumble in the end zone and Jermaine Mathews Jr. had a “pick-six.” If the Buckeye defense is putting up points, this team is going to be hard to beat. Let’s continue with that, and get my thoughts on each level’s performance.
Lack of sacks
Mitchell Melton showing bend from the edge position
Feels like forever since we’ve seen that
pic.twitter.com/1kinMm1ukU— The Victory Bell (@VictoryBellOSU) September 17, 2023
Thoughts
Even though the defense didn’t get to Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed much, it still made a big impact. It was great to see Mitchell Melton get a sack and two tackles-for-loss, and Tyleik Williams had one as well on his huge day — seven total tackles too for him. Jack Sawyer was involved in plenty of plays, while J.T. Tuimoloau’s pressure’s helped Reed make some poor throwing decisions. The younger plays got plenty of reps in the second half when the game was in hand. Even without racking up a big sack number, this group had a great game.
Linebackers were elite
Great stop by #Buckeyes LB Steele Chambers, snuffing out the WKU option play on 3rd-and-5.
Then, on 4th-and-6, Josh Proctor drops an INT. But Ohio State gets the stop, regardless. pic.twitter.com/FlxqMs82pE
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) September 16, 2023
Thoughts
Steele Chambers was all over. He had a tackle for loss, tipped a pass, picked one off, and totaled eight tackles on the day. It was a massive game from him, while his partner, Tommy Eichenberg, led the team with 10 tackles on the day. They weren’t quite as impactful as Chambers but just as important. Cody Simon chipped in four tackles, while C.J. Hicks saw significant time in the second half. This unit played at an elite level on Saturday.
BIA is back
By my count, wide receivers have been targeted 15 times against Ohio State CB Denzel Burke this season. He has allowed two catches, has four PBUs (didn't get credited for a fifth in the end zone against YSU), has one interception, and a forced fumble for good measure.
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) September 17, 2023
Thoughts
After a very bad — by Ohio State standards — 2022, the secondary knew a lot of eyes were on it this year. So far, so good. Denzel Burke is showing the same type of ability that had many people believing he was going to be the next early entry Buckeye corner. davison igbinosun has brought along a certain swagger that is emanating throughout the room.
Jordan Hancock, despite getting call for a pass interference, had five tackles and a pass broken up. Safety Josh Proctor had five tackles and to PBU’s, but I’m still always weary when he’s in coverage. Then there was Jermaine Mathews Jr. and his late “pick-six,” showing the groups depth. BIA is back.
Offensive explosion
MARVIN HARRISON JR. 🌰🙌
There's just no catching the @OhioStateFB WR ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/M1kkQa9sA7
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 16, 2023
Thoughts
If you couldn’t tell, this game to me was much more about how the defense would perform over the offense. I had a feeling that once Ryan Day named his quarterback starter, this team would go to work. Kyle McCord was awesome; 19-of-23 for 318 yards with 3 touchdown passes and no picks.
TreVeyon Henderson was the “workhorse” with 13 carries for 88 yards, both season highs, with two scores. Chip Trayanum looked explosive in his five carries, over 11-yards-per attempt and a score. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka combined for 9 catches, 183 yards and 3 scores. It was a big day for the unit responsible for scoring points.
Some issues with play calling
TreVeyon Henderson loves to hurdle, and for good reason. 😱@TreVeyonH4 x @OhioStateFB
📺: FOX/@CFBOnFOX pic.twitter.com/mflnYdg38K
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 16, 2023
Thoughts
The coaching staff improved this week, after I was questioning personnel following the Youngstown State win. I’m still not sure why Harrison Jr. is getting more carries than Egbuka, although the big run he had was great, even after having it negated by a holding on his future first round teammate. Another aspect of the offensive play calling that I didn’t like were the weak side runs. There were multiple of them, and I hated all of it. There are home run hitters in this backfield, give them an opportunity to run in space.
McCord loves Cade Stover
Kyle McCord to Cade Stover. #CFB #OhioState #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/gfmYcq8c2U
— Swapty Sports (@SwaptySports) September 16, 2023
Thoughts
I don’t mind this development on offense at all. For years we have seen quality tight ends come through the program to get underutilized in the passing game. That’s not the case so far this year with Stover, who had a monster game with 5 catches for 90 yards. There was a fumble in there, so he’s got to do a better job of securing the ball after the catch, but Stover is a legit weapon. If this usage keeps up, he going to blow past the 406 yards he registered last season.
Offense line starting to gel
Justin Frye wants the Ohio State offensive line to be more violent pic.twitter.com/K1NM413tPe
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) September 13, 2023
Thoughts
This group is starting to play as a unit, which is great to see. Three new starters will do that to a group, but this was its most encouraging performance to date. Yes, a few flags, a false start by Josh Simmons, and a snap infraction on Carson Hinzman, but overall the group played at a high level. The offense churned out over 500-yards, so the line deserves a lot of credit for that success.
What happened to Miyan?
Putting Miyan Williams in for the first time while up 49-10 wtf
— moe (@18moe88) September 16, 2023
Thoughts
In a very interesting development that Miyan Williams didn’t get a touch until the fourth quarter. Last year, he looked like the best back of the bunch, but he’s not toting the rock much this season. If the playing timeshare says anything about the depth chart, it looks like Chip has passed up Williams. It’s a good problem to have, but maybe the coaching staff is keeping players fresh for the long haul after last year having so many injuries to the unit. A fresh Williams in November and December could be the difference.
Week-by-week improvement
What's the best thing about 3️⃣ – 0️⃣ ❓#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ouvUq4hxZ4
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 17, 2023
Thoughts
As we have seen with many Ohio State football teams in the past, they get better each week and continue that trend as the season goes on. This team is on that path. McCord looks like a different player from week one, as does the offense as a whole. The defense is doing the same, especially the deep secondary.
Notre Dame
Moving onto the next ☑️ pic.twitter.com/ChxvViqCBZ
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 17, 2023
Thoughts
For as much as Western Kentucky was a litmus test, the first real one is next weekend. The Buckeyes will finally play a game away from the friendly confines of Ohio Stadium against a very quality opponent, and it will be interesting how they handle the hostile environment. McCord and 3/5ths of his line will be tasked with drowning out the noise and continuing their upward trajectory. We will find out how good this team really is. It’s going to be a battle.
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