Gene Ross
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Life in Simulation: EA CFB 25 predicts Ohio State vs. Western Michigan
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The virtual Buckeyes take on the virtual Broncos in Week 2.
College football finally returned to the virtual world in 2024 with the release of EA Sports College Football 25, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game,
The new game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our Week 2 sim:
For the second-straight week, virtual Ohio State took care of business in an easy victory over Western Michigan. The Buckeyes racked up 483 yards of total offense, and the Silver Bullets forced two turnovers in a 45-10 win under the lights.
Ohio State opened up the scoring on its first drive of the game, with none other than Jeremiah Smith finding the end zone on a 26-yard pass from Will Howard. Those would be the only points of the quarter until a Jayden Fielding 35-yard field goal made it 10-0 Buckeyes at the end of one.
Howard made things happen with his legs early in the second quarter, rushing for a 35-yard touchdown. Ohio State would quickly follow that up with another touchdown by Smith, this one a 7-yard grab, before Western Michigan scored its first points of the game just after the ‘two-minute timeout’ on a 28-yard TD by wide receiver Blake Bosma. The Buckeyes, however, ran an effective two-minute drill resulting in yet another score for Smith, making it 31-7 at the half.
Neither time would find the end zone in the third quarter, with the lone score of the period coming on a long field goal by the Broncos. Virtual Ryan Day kept his foot on the gas with the starters to begin the fourth quarter, and Smith rewarded him with a 57-yard touchdown to open up the frame. Minutes later, Emeka Egbuka hauled in a 3-yard TD, and from there both teams ran out the clock.
Ohio State featured the ground game often, rushing 40 times for 195 yards and a touchdown. TreVeyon Henderson led the way with 14 carries for 70 yards, and Quinshon Judkins tallied 11 carries for 52 yards. It was Howard, though, who finished second on the team in rushing, toting the rock 12 times for 74 yards and the team’s lone score on the ground.
Howard was again excellent, completing 19 of his 23 pass attempts for 271 yards and five touchdowns with zero turnovers. Jeremiah Smith put his name squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation with seven catches for 116 yards and four TDs, while Gee Scott Jr. was again a popular target for Howard with five catches for 59 yards. Egbuka made three catches for 47 yards and a score, while Carnell Tate had one catch that went for 30 yards.
Defensively, Ohio State held Western Michigan quarterback Hayden Wolff to 13-of-25 passing for 168 yards, one touchdown and two picks — one apiece by Denzel Burke and Cody Simon. Lathan Ransom, who led the team with seven tackles, forced two fumbles, but both were recovered by the Broncos. Simon and Sonny Styles finished just behind Ransom with six tackles each, and Jack Sawyer recorded the Buckeyes’ lone sack of the game.
Western Michigan was held to 252 total yards, and Ohio State was especially stout against the run, giving up just 78 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.89 yards per carry). The Broncos converted on four third downs out of 14 tries, while the Buckeyes converted 12-of-16 third down tries on offense.
Much like in real Week 1, Brandon Inniss put together a solid day on special teams, returning three punts for 57 yards. Ohio State was also only called for two penalties worth a total of 15 yards.
The virtual Buckeyes move to 2-0 on the year with a bye week on the horizon. Check back in two weeks to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and see how they fare in our Week 4 simulation against Marshall.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The virtual Buckeyes take on the virtual Broncos in Week 2.
College football finally returned to the virtual world in 2024 with the release of EA Sports College Football 25, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game,
The new game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our Week 2 sim:
Ohio State 45 - Western Michigan 10
For the second-straight week, virtual Ohio State took care of business in an easy victory over Western Michigan. The Buckeyes racked up 483 yards of total offense, and the Silver Bullets forced two turnovers in a 45-10 win under the lights.
Ohio State opened up the scoring on its first drive of the game, with none other than Jeremiah Smith finding the end zone on a 26-yard pass from Will Howard. Those would be the only points of the quarter until a Jayden Fielding 35-yard field goal made it 10-0 Buckeyes at the end of one.
Howard made things happen with his legs early in the second quarter, rushing for a 35-yard touchdown. Ohio State would quickly follow that up with another touchdown by Smith, this one a 7-yard grab, before Western Michigan scored its first points of the game just after the ‘two-minute timeout’ on a 28-yard TD by wide receiver Blake Bosma. The Buckeyes, however, ran an effective two-minute drill resulting in yet another score for Smith, making it 31-7 at the half.
Neither time would find the end zone in the third quarter, with the lone score of the period coming on a long field goal by the Broncos. Virtual Ryan Day kept his foot on the gas with the starters to begin the fourth quarter, and Smith rewarded him with a 57-yard touchdown to open up the frame. Minutes later, Emeka Egbuka hauled in a 3-yard TD, and from there both teams ran out the clock.
Ohio State featured the ground game often, rushing 40 times for 195 yards and a touchdown. TreVeyon Henderson led the way with 14 carries for 70 yards, and Quinshon Judkins tallied 11 carries for 52 yards. It was Howard, though, who finished second on the team in rushing, toting the rock 12 times for 74 yards and the team’s lone score on the ground.
Howard was again excellent, completing 19 of his 23 pass attempts for 271 yards and five touchdowns with zero turnovers. Jeremiah Smith put his name squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation with seven catches for 116 yards and four TDs, while Gee Scott Jr. was again a popular target for Howard with five catches for 59 yards. Egbuka made three catches for 47 yards and a score, while Carnell Tate had one catch that went for 30 yards.
Defensively, Ohio State held Western Michigan quarterback Hayden Wolff to 13-of-25 passing for 168 yards, one touchdown and two picks — one apiece by Denzel Burke and Cody Simon. Lathan Ransom, who led the team with seven tackles, forced two fumbles, but both were recovered by the Broncos. Simon and Sonny Styles finished just behind Ransom with six tackles each, and Jack Sawyer recorded the Buckeyes’ lone sack of the game.
Western Michigan was held to 252 total yards, and Ohio State was especially stout against the run, giving up just 78 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.89 yards per carry). The Broncos converted on four third downs out of 14 tries, while the Buckeyes converted 12-of-16 third down tries on offense.
Much like in real Week 1, Brandon Inniss put together a solid day on special teams, returning three punts for 57 yards. Ohio State was also only called for two penalties worth a total of 15 yards.
The virtual Buckeyes move to 2-0 on the year with a bye week on the horizon. Check back in two weeks to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and see how they fare in our Week 4 simulation against Marshall.
Continue reading...