As anticipated Marshall came into Ohio Stadium Saturday ready to show their grit and strength in front of a national audience. Hats off to the Thundering Herd as they came out on the first drive and controlled the clock, going on a long 6 minute drive that resulted in a one yard touchdown run by Ethan Payne. With the Herd leading 7-0, Ohio State would have a nice response answering Marshall’s touchdown on a two play drive capped off by a 68 yard touchdown pass from Will Howard to Emeka Egbuka. With 7:42 to play in the first quarter the score was tied 7-7.
Marshall continued to give the Buckeyes some issues on defense for most of the first half thanks to some kicking issues on the Ohio State special teams, setting up shorter fields for Marshall. Will Howard throwing an interception didn’t help either. Herd quarterback Stone Earle in particular caused the Buckeye defense issues with the quarterback draw as a couple of those runs were on third down to move the chains for Marshall. The bend but don't break defense of Jim Knowles would adjust and slow down the Thundering Herd offense as the first half progressed. Ohio State took the lead for good on a one yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Will Howard on 3rd and goal with 12:33 to go in the 2nd quarter. The next offensive drive for the Buckeyes seemingly changed the game completely. The Buckeyes took a two touchdown lead as running back Quinshon Judkins was able to showcase his speed and talent on an impressive 86 yard touchdown run with 11:02 left in the 2nd. This would not only be the longest rushing touchdown of his career but also tied for third all-time in Ohio State football history. Judkins added another touchdown later on in the second half and finishing with 173 yards on the ground for the day. Ohio State built a 28-7 lead with 3 minutes remaining until halftime but you have to respect Marshall for not giving up as they would march right down the field and score. With 13 seconds left, Stone Earle threw an incredible 13 yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to Elijah Metcalf that drew a review that would stand after Metfcalf’s foot barely cleared the chalk in the end zone. Halftime was Ohio State 28 Marshall 14.
Unfortunately for Marshall on their first drive of the second half, Stone Earle went down with an apparent knee injury that would completely change their game plan moving forward. The Thundering Herd just couldn’t seem to get back in rhythm after that especially after backup quarterback Braylon Braxton also had to leave with an injury. A devastating turn for Marshall ultimately led to Ohio State being able to put this game to rest and pulling away for good as they would defeat the Thundering Herd 49-14.
After the game Ohio State coach Ryan Day talked about the pace of the game in the first half and the early mistakes. “We wanted to play fast today, we felt like that was the right approach and we did. When you do that you are creating explosive plays but also turn the ball over quick too that can happen. That’s the risk. We don’t always want to play that way because we don’t want to always put the defense in a bad position. But we felt like in this game that’s what we were gonna do philosophically, we thought we had a good opportunity to wear them down and be explosive which we did so I thought that was well done.”
Once again the depth of Ohio State’s offense was too much as the game went on for the opposing team which is a recurring theme so far through the first three games. After battling an injury all last season it was great to see Emeka Egbuka have a big game as he snagged 5 receptions for 117 yards and a score.
Both teams coming off a bye last week showed a lot of energy and talent today. The good thing about early non conference games is that it presents opportunities to get better and improve before the Big Ten schedule kicks into high gear next week. The number three team in the country definitely flexed their muscles in the second half and got the job done today.
Up next Ohio State will start conference play on a quest for a Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes travel to East Lansing Saturday to battle the Michigan State Spartans in a hostile environment. Sparty will be in a bad mood too as they lost a close one to Boston College 23-19 Saturday night. Peacock will stream the game at 7pm from Spartan Stadium.