The Ohio State football program is among the most notable in the country. It historically has one of the best recruiting class and, in the modern era, has brought in many of the top transfers.
With that, the Buckeyes are typically expected to be among the best in the country. They were preseason ranked No. 2, but with a softer non-conference schedule, they won’t truly be tested for several more weeks.
Ohio State came in around a 50-point favorite over Akron in its Week 1 matchup. It won 52-6, falling to cover the spread. Looking back, should the Ohio State performance be considered a win or loss for the program?
USA Today’s Paul Myerberg is calling the Buckeyes a winner following their Week 1 battle. He grouped Ohio State and Texas together in his column.
“These two playoff favorites hit the ground running. New Ohio State quarterback Will Howard had 246 yards of total offense and several freshmen made an immediate impact as the No. 2 Buckeyes poured it on in the second half to beat Akron 52-6,” wrote Myerberg.” One rookie, five-star receiver Jeremiah Smith, led Ohio State with six grabs for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman running back James Peoples had 30 yards and a score in six carries behind co-starters TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who combined for 120 yards on 21 touches.”
This a tale of two perspectives. Ohio State struggled out the gate and was even down 3-0 after half of the first quarter. It was up just 7-3 at the end of the first 15-minute period.
The Buckeyes turned it on though, and Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2024, was able to find the end zone twice. Will Howard used his legs and shows his athleticism often as well. The defense looked great as well with multiple touchdowns.
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The questions that remain are: What is this team’s ceiling? Are the Buckeyes truly the second-best or the best program in the country? That’s yet to be seen, and even a 21-0 first quarter wouldn’t have shown that to fans and critics.
It was a win for now, but seeing a quicker burst out of the gate in a Week 2 matchup against the Western Michigan Broncos would be ideal.
