Ohio State football came out sluggish in its first game of the season. While it did eventually win 52-6, Ohio State didn’t impress early, taking just a 7-3 lead into the second quarter.
The Buckeyes did bounce back well with multiple defensive touchdowns. Quarterback Will Howard was able to get loose and end with three touchdowns as well.
Overall, the Buckeyes took care of business, but they didn’t play well enough to cover the spread, an indicator of how much or little a team should win or lose by, suggesting they didn’t play as well as Vegas expected them to.
Head coach Ryan Day noted that the effort was there, but also made sure to touch on that there’s still a next level that must be hit. Here’s part of what Day said in his first press conference following the Buckeyes’ dominant victory.
“The effort across the board was solid. We’ve got a long way to go here, and we want to keep pushing,” Day said. “And there certainly were some great clips. I think you guys saw some of that on Saturday. But we’re nowhere where we need to be. We’ve got to keep building.”
Ryan Day on the Buckeyes mentality:
"Fun is winning. Fun is executing. Fun is scoring touchdowns. Fun is getting stops." pic.twitter.com/nrUpmO4rht
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) September 3, 2024
Now, even if the Buckeyes won this game by 70, Day could likely find a few players where the team didn’t execute perfectly, so in a 46-point win, there were certainly some specific plays and players he said this about.
Ohio State will get another chance to hit those expectations as it hosts Western Michigan Saturday. The Buckeyes will again be hefty favorites in their Week 2 battle.
