Game Thread Marshall at tOSU, Sat. Sep. 21, 12pm ET, FOX

[Thump]

Went back and rewatched the game yesterday and here are my bullet point thoughts:

- OL play was really spectacular, both in the pass and run game. Really the whole OL did well, but I noticed Jackson just dominating and it is good to see he hasn't missed a beat. Then Siereveld came in some and really looked good out there. Simmons was getting to the second level in the run and screen game, and excellent in pass protection. Marshall's DL seems like one of their best units and we really handled them. That is the most encouraging part of this game imo
- RB play, what can I say that hasn't been said. Trey and Judkins are very similar, and are both thunder and lightning. Judkins absolutely blew me away though, he might be the best RB in the country and Trey is right there. It is awesome to have Peoples behind them not only for depth, but so he can learn from two of the best before he likely takes over as RB1 next year.
- Great to see Egbuka get his turn to ball out. Smith and Tate looked really good as well, would like to see a little more of Innis but there is only one football.
- I think the TEs are going to be a non-factor in the passing game unless Thurman makes a leap. Really that is fine though if they block well because we have enough receiving threats.
- Howard continues to impress. Very accurate and almost 90% of the time seems to put the ball right where it has to be. Even on that INT, I have zero problems throwing that ball if it is to JJ Smith, he will come down with most of those throws. I am also very impressed by his decision making, the rare times he has thrown the ball away it is a very smart decision and something that will pay off in droves down the stretch.
- Now we move to defense...yuck. I'll start at a high level and say I'm not concerned at all because we know the talent we have on defense and Knowles' prowess when we aren't playing a super vanilla defense. But super vanilla it was and to top it off, nobody in the back 7 ever attacked the ball carrier and just waited for everything to come to them, with the exception of Downs and Ransom.
- To that last point, Simon, Styles and Hicks just sat there flat footed. My grade for LB was a D- and that better be a blip on the radar, and not a systemic problem.
- The DL play wasn't much better overall and Tyleik is much more important than I think we realized. Hamilton seemed non-existent, Sawyer and JT had a few plays but were very inconsistent (I actually saw JT getting whooped quite a few times), and most of the rotation guys didn't do much. Almost zero pressure on the QB for the most part. Only bright spots were Malone (he probably earned some PT, he played very well) and Curry until his clear targeting ejection. I would go as far to say the only one that probably gets graded a champion is Malone on the DL.
- The secondary was pretty damn good in coverage, Marshall's QB was just having the game of his life and their receivers were executing. Safety play was definitely a champion grade with Ransom and Downs, both played extremely well. Burke, Iggy and Hancock were in the right position in coverage most of the time and you know what they say about defending a perfect pass. Factor in that there was zero pass rush and I would say the secondary did a really nice job.
- The only thing to talk about on special teams is the 3 in a row kicks out of bounds that led Day to yank Fielding out. Hopefully he just had the yips and a bad day, but it also looks like we might have been trying a directional kick that Fielding wasn't comfortable with. That I don't know, just looked like he was trying to angle the kick to the left. Good on Day to at least get him out for the rest of that game and we'll see if it is a one time thing.

Overall a 49-14 win ain't bad...look at all the other top teams that have struggled against inferior opponents this season and you can't feel bad about that win. We have clear room for improvement in certain areas, but still had a very comfortable win. On to conference play.

More info. would be appreciated.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Who played against Marshall you ask:



Sixty-six Ohio State players saw action in the Buckeyes’ final non-conference game of the regular season with Caleb Downs playing the most snaps of any Buckeye.

Ohio State’s defense was on the field for 14 more plays from scrimmage than its offense, in part due to Marshall sustaining four first-half drives of eight plays or more and in part due to Ohio State having three touchdown drives of two plays or fewer. Downs played the most snaps of any defender as the Buckeyes’ highly touted transfer safety was on the field for every play until Marshall’s final two possessions for a total of 64 snaps.

While Hero Kanu started the game at defensive tackle in place of Tyleik Williams, who was out with an undisclosed injury, Tywone Malone ended up playing the second-most snaps among defensive tackles; he more than tripled his previous game-high snaps as a Buckeye as he was on the field for 28 defensive plays.

On the other side of the ball, Will Howard and the first-team offense played through the first three plays of the fourth quarter, when Quinshon Judkins scored his second touchdown of the day to give the Buckeyes a 49-14 lead that would hold for the contest’s final score. Donovan Jackson, the only Buckeye to make his season debut against Marshall, returned to the starting lineup at left guard and played all 45 snaps with the first-team offense after missing the first two games due to injury, though Austin Siereveld continued to see first-team action as he rotated in with starter Tegra Tshabola at right guard.

Only three position players who didn’t see action on offense or defense got in the game on special teams, but the Buckeyes used five specialists as Austin Snyder replaced Jayden Fielding on kickoffs and extra points in the second half while Nick McLarty was brought in for the Buckeyes’ final punt for the second game in a row.

In total, the 66 Buckeyes to see action against Marshall were four fewer than they used in the season opener against Akron and 17 fewer than the total players against Western Michigan, but Ohio State still used 28 players on offense and 30 players on defense as backups played the vast majority of the fourth-quarter snaps.

 

[scarletngray]

Encouraging to see Malone get so many reps. He also flashed at times and so hopefully he will continue to make a push for playing time.
Curry also did well until his ejection for targeting. He has a great motor and provides some matchup problems when he lines up on the inside. On his sack it was like he was shot out of a cannon. He earned more playing time as well.
I've said it before but I'll say it again. Ransom might
be our best player on D.
Downs continues to flash.
Loved Burke's big hit on the receiver. More please!
On Offense I love Chips play calling the last two games. He's like a kid in a candy store.
Q and Tre are the best in the business. Both these guys are showing speed, breaking tackles, are great receivers out of the backfield and homerun hitters on top of it. Both averaged over 12 yds per carry. Are you kidding me?
Our starting three receivers are as good as it gets.
OL had the best game I've seen in a long time over the PST couple weeks. Austin's production at both guard positions has been impressive to say the least. He has earned his playing time.
Go Bucks! Beat Sparty!

 

[bb_players]

Here's a compilation of all YouTube video highlights from Buckeyes' 2024 season (Marshall game added)

Passing touchdowns (7)
Rushing Touchdowns (13)
Interceptions (2)
Forced fumbles (1)
Sacks (6)
Key passes (18)
Key Rushes (8)
Field goals (1)
Punt returns (2)

 

[ScriptOhio]

Donovan Jackson, George Fitzpatrick and TreVeyon Henderson Lead Pro Football Focus’ Highest-Graded Ohio State Players Against Marshall

Ohio State’s running game caught Pro Football Focus’ attention as Donovan Jackson, George Fitzpatrick and TreVeyon Henderson were the highest-rated players aginst Marshall.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Donovan Jackson, George Fitzpatrick and TreVeyon Henderson Lead Pro Football Focus’ Highest-Graded Ohio State Players Against Marshall​

Another week, another blowout victory for Ohio State. This time, Marshall was on the receiving end of the beating. Which Buckeyes had the best game? We have our opinion of who performed the best, you likely have your favorites. Another such set of opinions comes from Pro Football Focus, which 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 offensive side of the ball – who played at least 10 snaps against Marshall.
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PFF's WEEKLY TOP 5 BUCKEYES

GAME	1	2	3	4	5
Akron	DE Caden Curry (83.9)	DT Tyleik Williams (81.8)	DE Jack Sawyer (81.2)	CB Denzel Burke (78.5)	S Lathan Ransom (77.8)
WMU	RB Quinshon Judkins (92.6)	QB Devin Brown (89.1)	LB Cody Simon (86.3)	DE Jack Sawyer (85.2)	DT Ty Hamilton (83.2)
Marshall	G Donovan Jackson (86.6)	OT George Fitzpatrick (86.3)	RB TreVeyon Henderson (85.3)	OT Zen Michalski (84.5)	RB Quinshon Judkins (79.7)

 

[ScriptOhio]

Film Study: Curious Decisions With the Defensive Structure and More Dominance on the Ground Against Marshall

Kyle Jones breaks down what worked for Ohio State (the run game) and what didn't (run defense) last Saturday against the Thundering Herd.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Film Study: Curious Decisions with the Defensive Structure and More Dominance on the Ground Against Marshall​

Here's what we go over in this week's video breakdown:

• How Marshall spread out the OSU defense and utilized the QB run game
• Coverage disguises from Jim Knowles
• Marrying concepts in the run and pass game
• More Chip Kelly run-game wrinkles*

*This is turning into a weekly segment