Brett Ludwiczak
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Ohio State vs. Akron: 2024 game preview and prediction
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The Buckeyes open their 135th season of college football against the Akron Zips.
Ohio State opens its 2024 season on Saturday afternoon when it hosts the Akron Zips. Expectations are high for the Buckeyes after not only a number of starters put the NFL on hold and decided to return to Columbus for one more season, head coach Ryan Day made a big splash in the transfer portal.
The Alabama trio of safety Caleb Downs, quarterback Julian Sayin, and center Seth McLaughlin joins the Buckeyes, and also in the fold is Kansas State quarterback Will Howard.
First up for Ohio State is the Akron Zips. This marks the ninth meeting between the in-state foes, with the Buckeyes holding an 8-1 edge in the series. The only win for Akron was a 12-6 victory all the way back in 1894.
The Buckeyes and Zips have battled four other times this century. The most recent meeting between the schools came in 2021, with Ohio State easily winning 59-7. Following the Buckeyes 28-14 win in 2001, Akron has failed to reach double figures on the scoreboard in each of the last three meetings.
Saturday’s game marks the first of two consecutive games for Ohio State against MAC teams, as they will host the Western Michigan Broncos next Saturday. The Buckeyes are 36-1 all-time against MAC schools, with the only loss being the setback to Akron 130 years ago.
Ohio State has still never lost to an Ohio team in Ohio Stadium, posting a 48-0-1 record since the opening of the legendary stadium in 1922. The last Ohio team to make the trip to Columbus was Youngstown State last year. Ohio State went on to win the game with the Penguins 35-7.
Following the transfer of last year’s starting quarterback Kyle McCord to Syracuse, there were questions heading into the offseason on who would be the starter for the Buckeyes in 2024. Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholtz both played in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, but didn’t do much to stake their claim for the job. Along with Will Howard, the Buckeyes also brought in highly-touted recruit Julian Sayin from Alabama, while long-time commit Air Noland finally arrived in Columbus.
After spring practices didn’t really clear up what the pecking order for the Buckeyes was at quarterback, Day finally announced recently that Howard would go into the season as the starting quarterback. Last year Howard tossed 24 touchdowns passes for Kansas State, while adding another nine scores on the ground.
Even though Howard will be the starter, we’ll likely see Devin Brown and others if the Buckeyes are able to build a comfortable lead in the game. Since this season will be the longest ever seen in college football because of the expanded playoff, Day will have to make sure those behind Howard on the depth chart are ready to step in if needed.
Also new to the Ohio State offense is running back Quinshon Judkins, who will unite with TreVeyon Henderson to create one of the most feared running back duos in the country. In his first two seasons of college football at Ole Miss, Judkins has rushed for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The numbers for Judkins are similar to what Henderson has posted at Ohio State, with the only difference being Henderson has one more year of experience under his belt. It will be interesting to see how the workload is split between the two fantastic running backs.
One area where Ohio State has consistently churned out NFL talent recently is at wide receiver, and this year looks no different. After contemplating heading to the NFL, Emeka Egbuka decided to return to Columbus for one more season after his 2023 campaign was interrupted with an injury. Egbuka finished the season with 41 catches for 515 yards and four scores.
After Marvin Harrison Jr. was the primary target in 2023, now Egbuka is the leader of the unit and should be targeted by Howard early and often.
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Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Along with Egbuka, Ohio State has a number of exciting wide receivers in the pipeline. After getting his feet wet last year as a freshman, Carnell Tate will have a bigger role this season. Tate finished the 2023 season with 18 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore will also likely have plenty to prove after much of the talk surrounding the wide receivers this offseason has been about stud freshman Jeremiah Smith.
The two talented receivers are the future at the position for the Buckeyes and have the look of joining Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and others as Ohio State first round picks at wide receiver.
One noticeable hole from last year’s squad that has to be filled is the tight end position. Cade Stover finished his career as one of the top tight ends in school history, and was a security blanket for Ohio State quarterbacks over the last few years. With Stover now in the NFL, Gee Scott Jr., Bennett Christian, and Ohio transfer Kacmarek are all battling for playing time.
While the tight ends might not be targeted quite as much as Stover was, they’ll still play a huge role in the offense, especially with their blocking abilities in a Buckeye offense that should feature the run more this season.
On the defensive side of the football, Ohio State has starters returning at each level.
In the trenches, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau both are returning for one more season. Tuimoloau made a ton of noise in 2022 with one of the best games you’ll ever see from a defensive player in the win over Penn State, but the defensive end from Washington has been pretty quiet since. On the other end, Sawyer’s Ohio State career started slow but something started to click in the second half of last season, which was capped off with a three sack performance against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
Along with Tuimoloau and Sawyer, expect to hear defensive tackle Tyleik Williams’ name called often, as the big man does a tremendous job at causing havoc in the middle of the defensive line.
Linebacker is where Ohio State has the most to replace, as last year’s starters Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers are now playing professionally. Luckily for new linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, Cody Simon is back for one more season. Simon is coming off a career-high 12 tackle performance against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, and is the unquestioned leader of the group.
Next to Simon, safety Sonny Styles is making the transition to linebacker, and C.J. Hicks is hoping to finally flash the potential that made him one of the top linebacker recruits coming out of high school.
The most intriguing group on the defense is the defensive backs. Along with returning cornerbacks Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, and Jordan Hancock, the group added star safety Caleb Downs to pair with Lathan Ransom, who is returning to the field after he didn’t play after suffering an injury in late October against Wisconsin.
The X-factor of the group is undoubtedly Downs, who was one of the top safeties in the country last season despite only being a freshman. Opponents are going to have their work cut out for them if they try and attack the Buckeye secondary since there are so many experienced talents in the group.
The Akron Zips are coached by Joe Moorhead. The former Fordham and Mississippi State head coach is entering his third season in charge. Moorhead hasn’t found much success in his first two seasons, as the Zips are 4-20 during that span, with only two wins against FBS teams.
The last time Akron qualified for a bowl game was in 2017, when they lost the Boca Raton Bowl to finish 7-7.
The good news for Akron is things can’t really get much worse for them on offense after finishing 130th in scoring, 131st in rushing, and 129th in total offense in 2023.
New to the program is quarterback Ben Finley, who has played previously at NC State and Cal. Finley hasn’t played a whole lot in his first four seasons of college football, attempting 246 passes for nearly 1,500 yards, tossing seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Along with Finley, Tahj Bullock is in the mix for some playing time after attempting 66 passes last year. Bullock’s most notable performance came against Northern Illinois, throwing for 146 yards and recording the first passing touchdown of his career.
Unfortunately for Akron, Bullock is the only returning player from last year’s team with more than 14 yards rushing. The junior found the end zone four times on the ground in 2023.
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Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
One name to watch at running back for the Zips is Jordon Simmons, who transferred in the offseason from Michigan State. Simmons did rush the football 110 in 2020 and 2021 but was used sparingly the last two seasons, receiving just 11 carries. Marquese Williams is another running back joining Akron from a Big Ten program. Williams started his career at Minnesota, but didn’t see the field in his freshman year.
Not only will Akron need to find some new threats in their rushing attack, they also are pretty green at receiver. Gone are last year’s starters Daniel George and Jasiah Gathings, leaving Akron with their leading returning receiver with under 200 yards. Moorhead did bring in six transfers, highlighted by Old Dominion’s Ahmarian Grander. The biggest deep threat on the roster is Alex Adams.
If the Akron defense is going to be on the field a lot, at least they return four of their top five tacklers from last year. The leaders of the defense are linebackers Bryan McCoy and Antavious Fish, who each recorded over 95 tackles in 2023.
On the defensive line, C.J. Nunnally IV was a force last season, registering 15 TFLs and 7.5 sacks. Nunnally’s sack output accounted for nearly a third of Akron’s sacks last year.
In the defensive backfield, Davonte Golden-Nelson returns after picking off two passes last season, while Darrian Lewis made 74 tackles. Joining the secondary is Oregon transfer Daymon David, who came to Eugene as a four-star prospect. If David can tap into his potential after playing mainly special teams at Oregon, the secondary of the Zips could surprise some people.
The question isn’t whether Ohio State will win, it’s if they will cover as 50-point favorites. This game should look a lot like the 2021 meeting, where the Buckeyes won 59-7. It’s hard to see this game being close even after a quarter with the talent Ryan Day has put together in Columbus. The Buckeyes have an experienced quarterback. two outstanding running backs, some of the best receivers in the nation, as well as a defense loaded with returning talent.
What will be interesting to see is when he starts to bring his starters out of the game, especially with this year possibly having a number of added games with the expanded College Football Playoff. Day has been reluctant in the past to give his backups much rope when they enter games, and it definitely showed in the Cotton Bowl when Devin Brown left due to injury and Lincoln Keinholtz didn’t look ready for the moment.
If the Buckeyes are going to win it all this year, they need to have faith their backups can handle the pressure. The starters handle their business on Saturday, allowing those behind them on the depth chart plenty of run as Ohio State starts the season with any easy win.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The Buckeyes open their 135th season of college football against the Akron Zips.
Ohio State opens its 2024 season on Saturday afternoon when it hosts the Akron Zips. Expectations are high for the Buckeyes after not only a number of starters put the NFL on hold and decided to return to Columbus for one more season, head coach Ryan Day made a big splash in the transfer portal.
The Alabama trio of safety Caleb Downs, quarterback Julian Sayin, and center Seth McLaughlin joins the Buckeyes, and also in the fold is Kansas State quarterback Will Howard.
Ohio State’s history against Akron and the MAC
First up for Ohio State is the Akron Zips. This marks the ninth meeting between the in-state foes, with the Buckeyes holding an 8-1 edge in the series. The only win for Akron was a 12-6 victory all the way back in 1894.
The Buckeyes and Zips have battled four other times this century. The most recent meeting between the schools came in 2021, with Ohio State easily winning 59-7. Following the Buckeyes 28-14 win in 2001, Akron has failed to reach double figures on the scoreboard in each of the last three meetings.
Saturday’s game marks the first of two consecutive games for Ohio State against MAC teams, as they will host the Western Michigan Broncos next Saturday. The Buckeyes are 36-1 all-time against MAC schools, with the only loss being the setback to Akron 130 years ago.
Ohio State has still never lost to an Ohio team in Ohio Stadium, posting a 48-0-1 record since the opening of the legendary stadium in 1922. The last Ohio team to make the trip to Columbus was Youngstown State last year. Ohio State went on to win the game with the Penguins 35-7.
Will Howard leads an explosive Buckeye offense
Following the transfer of last year’s starting quarterback Kyle McCord to Syracuse, there were questions heading into the offseason on who would be the starter for the Buckeyes in 2024. Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholtz both played in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, but didn’t do much to stake their claim for the job. Along with Will Howard, the Buckeyes also brought in highly-touted recruit Julian Sayin from Alabama, while long-time commit Air Noland finally arrived in Columbus.
After spring practices didn’t really clear up what the pecking order for the Buckeyes was at quarterback, Day finally announced recently that Howard would go into the season as the starting quarterback. Last year Howard tossed 24 touchdowns passes for Kansas State, while adding another nine scores on the ground.
Even though Howard will be the starter, we’ll likely see Devin Brown and others if the Buckeyes are able to build a comfortable lead in the game. Since this season will be the longest ever seen in college football because of the expanded playoff, Day will have to make sure those behind Howard on the depth chart are ready to step in if needed.
Also new to the Ohio State offense is running back Quinshon Judkins, who will unite with TreVeyon Henderson to create one of the most feared running back duos in the country. In his first two seasons of college football at Ole Miss, Judkins has rushed for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The numbers for Judkins are similar to what Henderson has posted at Ohio State, with the only difference being Henderson has one more year of experience under his belt. It will be interesting to see how the workload is split between the two fantastic running backs.
One area where Ohio State has consistently churned out NFL talent recently is at wide receiver, and this year looks no different. After contemplating heading to the NFL, Emeka Egbuka decided to return to Columbus for one more season after his 2023 campaign was interrupted with an injury. Egbuka finished the season with 41 catches for 515 yards and four scores.
After Marvin Harrison Jr. was the primary target in 2023, now Egbuka is the leader of the unit and should be targeted by Howard early and often.
Along with Egbuka, Ohio State has a number of exciting wide receivers in the pipeline. After getting his feet wet last year as a freshman, Carnell Tate will have a bigger role this season. Tate finished the 2023 season with 18 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore will also likely have plenty to prove after much of the talk surrounding the wide receivers this offseason has been about stud freshman Jeremiah Smith.
The two talented receivers are the future at the position for the Buckeyes and have the look of joining Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and others as Ohio State first round picks at wide receiver.
One noticeable hole from last year’s squad that has to be filled is the tight end position. Cade Stover finished his career as one of the top tight ends in school history, and was a security blanket for Ohio State quarterbacks over the last few years. With Stover now in the NFL, Gee Scott Jr., Bennett Christian, and Ohio transfer Kacmarek are all battling for playing time.
While the tight ends might not be targeted quite as much as Stover was, they’ll still play a huge role in the offense, especially with their blocking abilities in a Buckeye offense that should feature the run more this season.
The “Silver Bullets” look dangerous
On the defensive side of the football, Ohio State has starters returning at each level.
In the trenches, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau both are returning for one more season. Tuimoloau made a ton of noise in 2022 with one of the best games you’ll ever see from a defensive player in the win over Penn State, but the defensive end from Washington has been pretty quiet since. On the other end, Sawyer’s Ohio State career started slow but something started to click in the second half of last season, which was capped off with a three sack performance against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
Along with Tuimoloau and Sawyer, expect to hear defensive tackle Tyleik Williams’ name called often, as the big man does a tremendous job at causing havoc in the middle of the defensive line.
Linebacker is where Ohio State has the most to replace, as last year’s starters Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers are now playing professionally. Luckily for new linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, Cody Simon is back for one more season. Simon is coming off a career-high 12 tackle performance against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, and is the unquestioned leader of the group.
Next to Simon, safety Sonny Styles is making the transition to linebacker, and C.J. Hicks is hoping to finally flash the potential that made him one of the top linebacker recruits coming out of high school.
The most intriguing group on the defense is the defensive backs. Along with returning cornerbacks Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, and Jordan Hancock, the group added star safety Caleb Downs to pair with Lathan Ransom, who is returning to the field after he didn’t play after suffering an injury in late October against Wisconsin.
The X-factor of the group is undoubtedly Downs, who was one of the top safeties in the country last season despite only being a freshman. Opponents are going to have their work cut out for them if they try and attack the Buckeye secondary since there are so many experienced talents in the group.
A rough start for Moorhead
The Akron Zips are coached by Joe Moorhead. The former Fordham and Mississippi State head coach is entering his third season in charge. Moorhead hasn’t found much success in his first two seasons, as the Zips are 4-20 during that span, with only two wins against FBS teams.
The last time Akron qualified for a bowl game was in 2017, when they lost the Boca Raton Bowl to finish 7-7.
Akron’s offense can only go up
The good news for Akron is things can’t really get much worse for them on offense after finishing 130th in scoring, 131st in rushing, and 129th in total offense in 2023.
New to the program is quarterback Ben Finley, who has played previously at NC State and Cal. Finley hasn’t played a whole lot in his first four seasons of college football, attempting 246 passes for nearly 1,500 yards, tossing seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Along with Finley, Tahj Bullock is in the mix for some playing time after attempting 66 passes last year. Bullock’s most notable performance came against Northern Illinois, throwing for 146 yards and recording the first passing touchdown of his career.
Unfortunately for Akron, Bullock is the only returning player from last year’s team with more than 14 yards rushing. The junior found the end zone four times on the ground in 2023.
One name to watch at running back for the Zips is Jordon Simmons, who transferred in the offseason from Michigan State. Simmons did rush the football 110 in 2020 and 2021 but was used sparingly the last two seasons, receiving just 11 carries. Marquese Williams is another running back joining Akron from a Big Ten program. Williams started his career at Minnesota, but didn’t see the field in his freshman year.
Not only will Akron need to find some new threats in their rushing attack, they also are pretty green at receiver. Gone are last year’s starters Daniel George and Jasiah Gathings, leaving Akron with their leading returning receiver with under 200 yards. Moorhead did bring in six transfers, highlighted by Old Dominion’s Ahmarian Grander. The biggest deep threat on the roster is Alex Adams.
The Zips on defense
If the Akron defense is going to be on the field a lot, at least they return four of their top five tacklers from last year. The leaders of the defense are linebackers Bryan McCoy and Antavious Fish, who each recorded over 95 tackles in 2023.
On the defensive line, C.J. Nunnally IV was a force last season, registering 15 TFLs and 7.5 sacks. Nunnally’s sack output accounted for nearly a third of Akron’s sacks last year.
In the defensive backfield, Davonte Golden-Nelson returns after picking off two passes last season, while Darrian Lewis made 74 tackles. Joining the secondary is Oregon transfer Daymon David, who came to Eugene as a four-star prospect. If David can tap into his potential after playing mainly special teams at Oregon, the secondary of the Zips could surprise some people.
Prediction
The question isn’t whether Ohio State will win, it’s if they will cover as 50-point favorites. This game should look a lot like the 2021 meeting, where the Buckeyes won 59-7. It’s hard to see this game being close even after a quarter with the talent Ryan Day has put together in Columbus. The Buckeyes have an experienced quarterback. two outstanding running backs, some of the best receivers in the nation, as well as a defense loaded with returning talent.
What will be interesting to see is when he starts to bring his starters out of the game, especially with this year possibly having a number of added games with the expanded College Football Playoff. Day has been reluctant in the past to give his backups much rope when they enter games, and it definitely showed in the Cotton Bowl when Devin Brown left due to injury and Lincoln Keinholtz didn’t look ready for the moment.
If the Buckeyes are going to win it all this year, they need to have faith their backups can handle the pressure. The starters handle their business on Saturday, allowing those behind them on the depth chart plenty of run as Ohio State starts the season with any easy win.
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 54, Akron 7
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