Gene Ross
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Ohio State opens as 38.5-point favorites over Marshall
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Buckeyes return from their week off with one final non-conference opponent remaining.
After a 2-0 start, Ohio State got to kick its feet up a bit during its off week. Next weekend, the Buckeyes return to action for their non-conference finale against Marshall, which kicks off at noon on FOX.
Through two games to begin the 2024 season, Ohio State has outscored its opponents 108-6. The Buckeye defeated Akron 52-6 in the opener despite a slow start, and had little trouble with Western Michigan in a 56-0 rout. Ryan Day’s squad has since had a week off to further make improvements before returning to the field in Week 4 to take on the Thundering Herd.
Offensively, Ohio State has gotten just about everything it could have hoped for from quarterback Will Howard, who has completed 35-of-54 passes for 520 yards with five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and zero turnovers. The elite duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins has been as advertised, with the pair each averaging over seven yards per carry and totaling five TDs between them. Freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith has also lived up to the hype, leading with team with 11 catches for 211 yards and three scores.
On defense, Jim Knowles has to like what he has seen thus far. The Silver Bullets have yet to allow a touchdown this season while scoring two of their own — both against the Zips — and pitching a shutout for the first time since 2019 against the Broncos. All three levels of the unit have excelled, with nine different players registering at least half a sack, led by 1.5 apiece by J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams, and 11 different players recording at least one tackle for loss, buoyed by two each from Williams and Lathan Ransom. Ransom leads the team with 11 tackles, followed by Sonny Styles with 10.
Like Ohio State, Marshall was also idle this weekend, but their last contest was a 31-14 loss to Virginia Tech. The Herd were in a close battle into the third quarter, trailing just 17-14 midway through the period, but the Hokies scored the final two touchdowns of the game to make the final score look a bit more lopsided that perhaps the matchup actually was.
Marshall used three different quarterbacks in its 45-3 win over Stony Brook in its season opener, but stuck with Stone Earle against Virginia Tech. After going 10-of-16 for 97 yards and two TDs against the Seawolves, Early completed just 13 of his 36 attempts against the Hokies for 131 yards with a TD and a pick. Running back AJ Turner has shown home run hitting ability for the Herd, averaging nearly 16 yards per carry in limited touches (14 carries for 222 yards and a score). Christina Fitzpatrick is the lone receiver to have eclipsed 100 yards in this offense, catching eight balls for 170 yards and two TDs.
The Marshall defense led the Sun Belt a year ago in both third down stops and red zone efficiency, but many of the key players from that team are now gone. One big returnee, however, is defensive lineman Mike Green, who leads the Herd with 3.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss through two games. Oklahoma State transfer corner Jordan Reagan has hauled in the Marshall’s lone interception, while former TCU transfer Landyn Watson and sophomore linebacker Jaden Yates tie for the team lead with 20 total tackles each.
The Thundering Herd were picked fifth in the Sun Belt preseason rankings, and have made a bowl game in each of the last seven seasons, so it should be a slight step up in competition for the Buckeyes. If nothing else, the Marshall offense will give Ohio State a QB run threat to contend with, as Earle has averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 18 attempts. They’ve shown they can run the ball quite a bit overall, averaging 6.5 yards per carry as a team, but those numbers are also inflated by runs of 69 and 80 yards by Turner, so the Buckeyes will have to continue to limit explosives.
The betting line indicates this game won’t be all that close — and it shouldn’t be — but it will be one last chance to tune up before Day’s group enters Big Ten play with a road trip to East Lansing on the horizon.
Just as an added bonus, the current lookahead lines for The Game (Nov. 30), per FanDuel:
Ohio State -19.5 | ML: Ohio State -2100 | O/U 44.5
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
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Buckeyes return from their week off with one final non-conference opponent remaining.
After a 2-0 start, Ohio State got to kick its feet up a bit during its off week. Next weekend, the Buckeyes return to action for their non-conference finale against Marshall, which kicks off at noon on FOX.
Bettings Odds: Ohio State -38.5 | O/U 51.5 (per FanDuel Sportsbook)
Through two games to begin the 2024 season, Ohio State has outscored its opponents 108-6. The Buckeye defeated Akron 52-6 in the opener despite a slow start, and had little trouble with Western Michigan in a 56-0 rout. Ryan Day’s squad has since had a week off to further make improvements before returning to the field in Week 4 to take on the Thundering Herd.
Offensively, Ohio State has gotten just about everything it could have hoped for from quarterback Will Howard, who has completed 35-of-54 passes for 520 yards with five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and zero turnovers. The elite duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins has been as advertised, with the pair each averaging over seven yards per carry and totaling five TDs between them. Freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith has also lived up to the hype, leading with team with 11 catches for 211 yards and three scores.
On defense, Jim Knowles has to like what he has seen thus far. The Silver Bullets have yet to allow a touchdown this season while scoring two of their own — both against the Zips — and pitching a shutout for the first time since 2019 against the Broncos. All three levels of the unit have excelled, with nine different players registering at least half a sack, led by 1.5 apiece by J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams, and 11 different players recording at least one tackle for loss, buoyed by two each from Williams and Lathan Ransom. Ransom leads the team with 11 tackles, followed by Sonny Styles with 10.
Like Ohio State, Marshall was also idle this weekend, but their last contest was a 31-14 loss to Virginia Tech. The Herd were in a close battle into the third quarter, trailing just 17-14 midway through the period, but the Hokies scored the final two touchdowns of the game to make the final score look a bit more lopsided that perhaps the matchup actually was.
Marshall used three different quarterbacks in its 45-3 win over Stony Brook in its season opener, but stuck with Stone Earle against Virginia Tech. After going 10-of-16 for 97 yards and two TDs against the Seawolves, Early completed just 13 of his 36 attempts against the Hokies for 131 yards with a TD and a pick. Running back AJ Turner has shown home run hitting ability for the Herd, averaging nearly 16 yards per carry in limited touches (14 carries for 222 yards and a score). Christina Fitzpatrick is the lone receiver to have eclipsed 100 yards in this offense, catching eight balls for 170 yards and two TDs.
The Marshall defense led the Sun Belt a year ago in both third down stops and red zone efficiency, but many of the key players from that team are now gone. One big returnee, however, is defensive lineman Mike Green, who leads the Herd with 3.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss through two games. Oklahoma State transfer corner Jordan Reagan has hauled in the Marshall’s lone interception, while former TCU transfer Landyn Watson and sophomore linebacker Jaden Yates tie for the team lead with 20 total tackles each.
The Thundering Herd were picked fifth in the Sun Belt preseason rankings, and have made a bowl game in each of the last seven seasons, so it should be a slight step up in competition for the Buckeyes. If nothing else, the Marshall offense will give Ohio State a QB run threat to contend with, as Earle has averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 18 attempts. They’ve shown they can run the ball quite a bit overall, averaging 6.5 yards per carry as a team, but those numbers are also inflated by runs of 69 and 80 yards by Turner, so the Buckeyes will have to continue to limit explosives.
The betting line indicates this game won’t be all that close — and it shouldn’t be — but it will be one last chance to tune up before Day’s group enters Big Ten play with a road trip to East Lansing on the horizon.
Just as an added bonus, the current lookahead lines for The Game (Nov. 30), per FanDuel:
Ohio State -19.5 | ML: Ohio State -2100 | O/U 44.5
Continue reading...