For three quarters, Akron put up a strong fight, but the Buckeyes were unavoidable.
The majority of observers had the Akron Zips as 48.5-point underdogs, and they weren’t anticipated to win their game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Undoubtedly, a lot of people didn’t think the Zips would be able to push the boundaries towards the end of the first half in an attempt to narrow the 17-3 OSU lead.
Undoubtedly, it was not conceivable for Joe Moorhead, the head coach of Akron, to repeatedly use a two-quarterback setup for first-down pickups.
However, the anticipated outcome was achieved by the end of the game on Saturday afternoon, when the Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) overcame unanticipated hardship and punches to defeat the Akron Zips (0-1) 52-6 at historic Ohio Stadium.
The first punches were delivered by Akron, as their defence forced OSU to punt on its opening drive of the game, and then their offensive drove to the Buckeyes’ 23-yard line in an attempt to score.
Tahj Bullock had to create a drive after starting the game on the bench. QB With a shoulder injury, Ben Finley departed the game. He completed two of his three passes for 18 yards, gaining 15 yards, but the drive was ruined by a sack on the third down and a botched snap on the second, which allowed Garrison Smith Jr. to kick a field goal to give the Zips a 3-0 lead.
Following a 10-play, 76-yard drive that lasted more than six minutes, Ohio State responded with a lengthy, effective drive of their own. Five-star receiving prospect Jeremiah Smith scored his first touchdown as a Buckeye from 16 yards out to bring the score to 7-3.
During a fourth-and-five at the Zips 25-yard line early in the second quarter, Akron’s first chance to terrorise the Ohio State fan base occurred when rookie player Aman Greenwood intercepted a Will Howard throw intended for Emeka Egbuka to cause a turnover-on-down.
Nevertheless, hopes would be short-lived, as two plays later, Ben Finley would intercept a pass intended for a sack and give the ball back to Ohio State. With 11:23 remaining in the first half, the Buckeyes would capitalise on Denzel Burke’s pick for a field goal, increasing their lead to 10-3.
Ohio State would extend their lead to 17-3 after an Akron three-and-out on the following play. This second Howard-to-Smith hookup came from nine yards out on a deft one-handed catch through coverage.
On their last complete drive of the first half, Akron would go into OSU territory, moving the ball to the Buckeye 35-yard line on a 12-play, 45-yard drive that ended inconclusively with a scramble drill sack on a limping Finley.
Thanks in part to forcing a fumble, the Zips defence heroically prevented a three-and-out to deny the Buckeyes attack the opportunity to capitalise on turnovers-on-downs. However, because of Finley’s injury and the ticking clock, the offence was unable to score any more points.
After that, it was all downhill from there. Tahj Bullock ran out of room to manoeuvre and Ben Finley left the game due to injuries to his shoulder and ribs. Ohio State eventually recovered the ball on a 52-yard punt on the opening possession of the third quarter.
Within 30 seconds of the game clock, the Buckeyes would go up 31-3 thanks to touchdowns from Quinshon Judkins on a two-yard run and Lathan Ransom’s recovery of a Bullock fumble. It was their first defensive touchdown of the game.
With a 49-yard field goal to cut the lead to 31-6, Garrison Smith Jr. stemmed the bleeding. However, Ohio State responded with 21 straight points, including a pick-six, a throwing score, and a running touchdown, to effectively conclude the game.
After a difficult start to his Buckeye debut, Will Howard concluded with respectable numbers, accumulating 228 yards and three touchdowns on 17 of 28 passes.
After finishing with six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, Jeremiah Smith, an OSU freshman receiver, became the first to score twice in his debut since 1996. Additionally active in the air were Carnell Tate (four receptions, 58 yards, one touchdown) and Emeke Egbuka (four receptions, 51 yards).
TreyVeon Henderson led the Buckeyes with 65 yards gained on eight rushes, and Quinshon Judkins, a former Ole Miss running back, topped the team in carries (13) and touchdowns (one) on 55 yards. In the second half, James Peoples (six carries, thirty yards) made a contribution with a rushing touchdown.
Ransom Lathan was the club’s defensive MVP, leading the team with nine total tackles and two tackles-for-loss. He also prevented a possible comeback with a fumble recovery score. The Buckeyes were led by 1.5 TFLs from Tyliek Williams and J.T. Tuimoloau, and late in the game, Gabe Powers scored on the box score after returning an interception for a touchdown.
Ben Finley was 8 of 14 for 53 yards and an interception, while Tahj Bullock ended 9 of 13 passing for 68 yards passing and 42 yards on 14 runs rushing (both team leads). Brayden Roggow, a true freshman, is given credit for one completion out of three for nine yards and an intercept on a deflection.
On 13 carries, Charles Kellom, Jordan Simmons, and Marquese Williams gained a combined 19 yards.
While Simmons led the Zips in receptions (four) and receiving yards (22), tight end Jake Newell topped the team in receiving yards (41) on two catches. Bobby Golden, a receiver, produced three catches for 32 yards, and Tahj Bullock had two special packages catches for four yards.
Two transfers were essential to Akron’s defensive effort. Daymon David, a former Oregon Duck, led the team in tackles with six, while Aman Greenwood, a former Syracuse Orange, recorded two tackles and two pass breakups, including the fourth-down stop on Egbuka. With five stops apiece, Antavious Fish and CJ Nunnally IV tied for second place. Bryan McCoy ended with three tackles and a PBU despite coming and going during the game due to injuries.
With a 48.2 yard net average and four punts of more than 50 yards on six attempts—including one that was shanked early in the game—Avery Book was a standout punter.
Next week, Akron will travel to a Big Ten institution for the second time in a row when they play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at noon on Saturday, September 7.
Next week, Ohio State will play host to another MAC programme at Ohio Stadium, this time against the Western Michigan Broncos, who are coming off a surprise loss to Wisconsin. The game is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, September 7.
We evaluate all of the Buckeyes’ position groups after the season-opening win.
It took Ohio State some time to settle into a groove, especially offensively, despite all the preseason hoopla about the skill on this Scarlet and Grey team, both returning and new.On the first possession of the game, the defence gave the Zips 47 yards and a field goal. The offence started the game poorly, punting and going three and out.
The Buckeyes took control of the game and scored three more points while turning the ball over three times as things went well for them. Under first-year offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Scarlet and Grey also scored on three of five drives in the second half as they began to feel more at ease.
Although Ohio State’s performance fell short of expectations for the season, the Buckeyes will be pleased with their 1-0 record. There’s a movie to see now, and there’s a lot to expand upon and enhance from this first game.
