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Game Thread Akron at tOSU, Sat. Aug. 31, 3:30pm ET, CBS

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Three things to love about the Ohio State football team's opening win vs. Akron

The Ohio State football team destroyed Akron on Saturday. Here are some things to truly love about how it happened.
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Three things to love about the Ohio State football team's opening win vs. Akron​

The Ohio State football team destroyed Akron on Saturday. Here are some things to truly love about how it happened.

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The Ohio State football team had a big win in the first game of the season against Akron. Winning a game 52-6 is never a bad thing, even if that means the Buckeyes didn't cover the spread. They were one of the few top Big Ten teams to actually look impressive with a win over the weekend.

Oregon struggled against a bad Idaho team. Michigan was in trouble with Fresno State until the last five minutes of the game. Even Penn State struggled in the first half. Ohio State looks like the strongest team in the Big Ten despite some struggles early on in the game.

The second half really showcased what the Buckeyes can do when they are in full control. Ohio State is a very good team and there is a reason they are the second-ranked team in the country. They showed some of their potential when they really got rolling.

There are three specific things to love about how the Ohio State Buckeyes played on Saturday. One of them has to deal with the new quarterback in town.

1. Will Howard's strong performance in the second half​

2. Jeremiah Smith looks like the next Ohio State football superstar​

3. The Ohio State football team's defense lived up to the billing.​

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Just sayin': Two notable stats; sacks and turnovers. The offensive line did have 1 great stat Saturday.......they gave up ZERO sacks. On the flip side the defense recorded 5 sacks. In addition, Ohio State won the turnover margin 3-0.
 
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I like the Grumpy Old Buckeye's reviews of the game, he doesn't "white wash" anything.

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Michael Citro​

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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nit-picking Ohio State’s 52-6 victory over Akron

A 46-point win does not mean things are as they should be.
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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nit-picking Ohio State’s 52-6 victory over Akron​

A 46-point win does not mean things are as they should be.

Ohio State kicked off the 2024 season with a 46-point win over the Akron Zips, pulling away for a 52-6 victory. That’s a final score that may not be too far off from predictions, but it’s the way we got there in the end that held some surprises.

As a reminder for our longtime readers and a heads up to newcomers, the purpose of this column is to accentuate the negative, even when things are going great. Most of it is meant to be taken tongue in cheek, but it does contain kernels of truth.

With that said, here are the things that burned my toast when the Buckeyes played the Zips.

Freshman’s Follies​

Jeremiah Smith is a recruit we’ve been hearing a lot about for a long time, and he showed why throughout the day on Saturday. However, his first college offensive series was one to forget. His first target of the season — and Will Howard’s first throw as a Buckeye — fell incomplete when Smith failed to look the ball in.

It squirted through his hands and hit him in the helmet. The play was set up well and may have turned into an explosive run after catch, but we’ll never know. The freshman then was late getting set on the ensuing short-yardage play. The penalty turned a third-and-1 into a third-and-6 because of the penalty.

Howard threw incomplete to Emeka Egbuka, who was hit early, but no flag flew for the pass interference infraction. Around the first weekend of the season, referees around the country have been letting defenders do a lot more grabbing and hitting early, so it wasn’t a big surprise, but it was still annoying.

More Laundry​

Davison Igbinosun got Akron’s first offensive drive off to a great start when he foolishly launched himself at a sliding quarterback, picking up an obvious flag. The targeting penalty that was called always seemed likely to be overturned, and it was, but it was still a dumb thing for a veteran to do.

The penalty helped Akron with field position, and the Zips were able to move the ball into scoring position. Despite a sack by JT Tuimoloau and a bad snap, the Zips took a 3-0 lead with a field goal.

So Nice They Made Ohio State Do It Twice​

It’ll be hard to ever convince me that Emeka Egbuka’s acrobatic catch wasn’t a touchdown near the end of the first quarter. The ruling on the field was that he came down out of bounds and the replays (even the live look, to me) clearly refuted that.

So, the officials decided the ball moved, which it did when the receiver was getting up. Prior to that, it appeared to be pinned to his body through contact with the opponent and then the ground. The coolness factor alone should have made it a touchdown. But no, it was upheld as incomplete after review.

That’s OK, because it allowed Smith to make his first collegiate touchdown catch instead. The freshman did well to locate the ball, pull it in, and get both feet in bounds in a tight corner of the end zone. The thing about ball is that ball don’t lie.

Offensive Line Struggles​

Ohio State’s offensive line struggled with the interior run game all day, and at times missed pass blocking assignments and other blocks on the edge. While Donovan Jackson was out for this game, the problems seemed much larger than one player being out.

A microcosm of the overall performance came on a key third down early in the second quarter. Carson Hinzman was out in front of TreVeyon Henderson and was moving his head back and forth as if he was looking for someone to block. There was no lack of options. He had multiple defenders from which to choose, but he decided not to block any of them. Henderson was dropped after a short gain, and the Buckeyes failed on a fourth-and-5 situation, turning it over on downs.

Hinzman wasn’t the only problem. Josh Fryar had a difficult first quarter, and short-yardage situations were making Akron’s defensive line look like Georgia’s. The offensive line is a work in progress and will no doubt be a focus in practice this week.
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A microcosm of the overall performance came on a key third down early in the second quarter. Carson Hinzman was out in front of TreVeyon Henderson and was moving his head back and forth as if he was looking for someone to block. There was no lack of options. He had multiple defenders from which to choose, but he decided not to block any of them. Henderson was dropped after a short gain, and the Buckeyes failed on a fourth-and-5 situation, turning it over on downs.
Click to expand...

Glad to see the running back missing where the hole is, is now the fault of the linemen....
 
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Who played Saturday you ask:



Snap Tracker: Offense
Pos Player AKRON
QB WILL HOWARD 56
QB DEVIN BROWN 10
RB QUINSHON JUDKINS 30
RB TREVEYON HENDERSON 24
RB JAMES PEOPLES 10
RB SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON 3
WR CARNELL TATE 56
WR EMEKA EGBUKA 50
WR JEREMIAH SMITH 43
WR BRANDON INNISS 17
WR BRYSON RODGERS 10
WR KOJO ANTWI 9
WR JAYDEN BALLARD 7
TE WILL KACMAREK 20
TE GEE SCOTT JR. 19
TE JELANI THURMAN 18
TE BENNETT CHRISTIAN 9
TE PATRICK GURD 5
OL AUSTIN SIEREVELD 66
OL SETH McCLAUGHLIN 62
OL JOSH FRYAR 62
OL JOSH SIMMONS 62
OL TEGRA TSHABOLA 56
OL CARSON HINZMAN 10
OL GEORGE FITZPATRICK 4
OL ZEN MICHALSKI 4
OL LUKE MONTGOMERY 4
Snap Tracker: Defense
Pos Player AKRON
DE JACK SAWYER 31
DE JT TUIMOLOAU 30
DE KENYATTA JACKSON 22
DE CADEN CURRY 16
DE MITCHELL MELTON 15
DE EDDRICK HOUSTON 11
DE JOSHUA MICKENS 8
DE DOMINIC KIRKS 2
DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS 40
DT TY HAMILTON 35
DT KAYDEN McDONALD 17
DT HERO KANU 9
DT JASON MOORE 7
DT WILL SMITH JR. 7
DT TYWONE MALONE 4
DT BRYCE PRATER 3
DT ERIC MENSAH 2
LB SONNY STYLES 55
LB ARVELL REESE 33
LB C.J. HICKS 32
LB PAYTON PIERCE 5
LB GABE POWERS 5
CB JORDAN HANCOCK 54
CB DAVISON IGBINOSUN 52
CB DENZEL BURKE 49
CB JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. 19
CB LORENZO STYLES JR. 12
CB AARON SCOTT JR. 10
S CALEB DOWNS 55
S LATHAN RANSOM 55
S MALIK HARTFORD 10
S JAYLEN McCLAIN 10
Snap Tracker: Special Teams
POS PLAYER AKRON
LB GABE POWERS 19
CB LORENZO STYLES JR. 19
K JAYDEN FIELDING 17
CB CALVIN SIMPSON-HUNT 17
S BRENTEN "INKY" JONES 15
LB ARVELL REESE 13
LS JOHN FERLMANN 11
P JOE McGUIRE 11
TE JELANI THURMAN 11
TE PATRICK GURD 10
S JAYLEN McCLAIN 10
LB C.J. HICKS 9
WR BRANDON INNISS 9
WR DAVID ADOLPH 8
TE BENNETT CHRISTIAN 8
OL GEORGE FITZPATRICK 8
OL ZEN MICHALSKI 8
OL AUSTIN SIEREVELD 8
DE CADEN CURRY 7
OL JOSH FRYAR 7
TE WILL KACMAREK 7
CB JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. 7
LB PAYTON PIERCE 7
OL JOSH SIMMONS 7
OL TEGRA TSHABOLA 7
CB DENZEL BURKE 6
LB JOEY VELAZQUEZ 6
WR KOJO ANTWI 5
S LATHAN RANSOM 5
WR JEREMIAH SMITH 5
WR CARNELL TATE 5
S CALEB DOWNS 4
DE MITCHELL MELTON 4
S KEENAN NELSON JR. 4
LB SONNY STYLES 4
WR JAYDEN BALLARD 3
S MALIK HARTFORD 3
TE GEE SCOTT JR. 3
LB GARRETT STOVER 3
CB DIANTÉ GRIFFIN 2
CB JORDAN HANCOCK 2
CB DAVISON IGBINOSUN 2
DT TY HAMILTON 1
OL CARSON HINZMAN 1
DE EDDRICK HOUSTON 1
DE KENYATTA JACKSON JR. 1
DT TYWONE MALONE 1
DT KAYDEN McDONALD 1
DE JOSHUA MICKENS 1
DT JASON MOORE 1
OL LUKE MONTGOMERY 1
OL JOSHUA PADILLA 1
DE JACK SAWYER 1
CB AARON SCOTT JR. 1
DT WILL SMITH JR. 1
DE JT TUIMOLOAU 1
DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS 1
www.elevenwarriors.com

Freshman Tracker: Jeremiah Smith and James Peoples Score As 10 Freshmen Make Their Collegiate Debut Against Akron

Jeremiah Smith lives up to the hype by scoring twice, James Peoples finds the end zone on his first carry and 10 freshmen play in Ohio State’s season-opening win.
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Freshman Tracker: Jeremiah Smith and James Peoples Score As 10 Freshmen Make Their Collegiate Debut Against Akron​

Class of 2023 Tracker
NAME POS DEBUT AKRON STATS
EDDRICK HOUSTON DE Akron 2 passes defended
DOMINIC KIRKS DE Akron 2 defensive snaps
JAYLEN McCLAIN S Akron 1 tackle
ERIC MENSAH DT Akron 2 defensive snaps
JAMES PEOPLES RB Akron 6 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD
PAYTON PIERCE LB Akron 5 defensive snaps
AARON SCOTT CB Akron 10 defensive snaps
JEREMIAH SMITH WR Akron 6 catches, 92 yards, 2 TD
GARRETT STOVER LB Akron Special teams
SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON RB Akron 1 carry, 4 yards
DEONTAE ARMSTRONG OL
DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG OL
MYLAN GRAHAM WR
MAX LeBLANC TE
MILES LOCKHART CB
NICK McLARTY P
IAN MOORE OL
AIR NOLAND QB
LEROY ROKER S
JULIAN SAYIN QB
GABE VANSICKLE OL
BRYCE WEST CB
DAMARION WITTEN WR
 
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Caden Curry, Tyleik Williams and Jack Sawyer Lead Pro Football Focus’ Highest-Graded Players for Ohio State’s Season Opener vs. Akron

Defensive linemen Caden Curry, Tyleik Williams and Jack Sawyer were Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded Ohio State players for the Buckeyes’ season opener against Akron.
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Caden Curry, Tyleik Williams and Jack Sawyer Lead Pro Football Focus’ Highest-Graded Players for Ohio State’s Season Opener vs. Akron​

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Following the game against Akron on Saturday, many of us came away with opinions on how Ohio State's players performed. One such set of opinions comes from Pro Football Focus, who grades every player after every game based on how they perform on a snap-to-snap basis.

We compiled the PFF grades for every Buckeye who played on either offense or defense in the season opener and highlight the five highest-graded players – all of whom were on the defensive side of the ball – who played at least 10 snaps against Akron.

1. DE Caden Curry (83.9)​

Curry tallied one tackle, had a quarterback pressure and forced a fumble that Lathan Ransom returned for a touchdown in his season debut. PFF rated him as the best Ohio State player to hit the field on Saturday for his efforts; the scouting service was particularly impressed with his run defense, giving him an 84.9 grade against the run vs. Akron.

2. DT Tyleik Williams (81.8)​

Williams was second on the team with seven tackles and was also credited with a sack and a quarterback hurry. He was the Buckeyes’ highest-graded run defender with a run-defense grade of 87.3.

3. DE Jack Sawyer (81.2)​

The defensive end from Pickerington impressed PFF with his pass-rushing as Sawyer hit Akron's quarterback three times and four total quarterback pressures to go along with a pair of tackles.

4. CB Denzel Burke (78.5)​

With an interception and four tackles, Burke earned the top score in the secondary. He gave up just one catch for 19 yards on 30 coverage snaps.

5. S Lathan Ransom (77.8)​

Ransom had a 27-yard scoop and score and led all Buckeyes with nine tackles, grading out as Ohio State’s best tackler for the game (83.4). Caleb Downs, on the other hand, received a grade of only 63.2 for his first game as a Buckeye as PFF attributed three missed tackles to Ohio State’s starting free safety.
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Just sayin': Surprised these guys didn't perform better....

JT Tuimoloau: 65.6 (30 snaps)
Seth McLaughlin: 65.6 (62 snaps)
Caleb Downs: 63.2 (55 snaps)
Carnell Tate: 60.2 (56 snaps)
Brandon Inniss: 54.8 (16 snaps)*
Gee Scott Jr.: 54.5 (19 snaps)

* However, he was a punt returner "extraordinaire".
 
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