Ohio State’s quick-strike offense is elite, but Buckeyes have plenty of room to grow

For head coaches like Ryan Day, who oversee programs with such sky-high expectations that perfection is often viewed as the only acceptable outcome, non-conference games that follow a script similar to the one that unfolded at Ohio Stadium between No. 3 Ohio State and Marshall often resemble the best of both worlds for a team with national championship aspirations.

The broad strokes were fairly straightforward: a 49-14 win against an overmatched opponent that afforded Day and his assistants the chance to rotate personnel, rest a few starters in the second half and avoid the scrutiny of high-profile upsets that have rocked programs like Notre Dame and Mississippi State in recent weeks. Tailbacks Quinshon Judkins (14 carries, 173 yards, two scores) and TreVeyon Henderson (six carries, 76 yards, two scores) bolstered an offense that ripped off one chunk play after another with incredible efficiency. There’s little doubt the Buckeyes are among the most talented offenses in college football this season with Kansas State transfer Will Howard (16-of-20 for 275 yards, two TDs, one INT) running the show at quarterback.

But despite the lopsided scoring margin, the lopsided yardage total and the lopsided time of possession that reflected just how lethal Ohio State’s offense can be, there were plenty of miscues and mistakes for Day to address in the coming days and weeks: overthrows and underthrows by Howard, one of which resulted in an interception; multiple kickoffs out of bounds for penalties; clock management issues that prompted Day be flagged for arguing with the officials; a sporadic and inefficient pass rush.

In other words, even when the Buckeyes are pounding teams by four touchdowns or more, just as they did on Saturday, there is plenty of room for Ohio State to grow. And that’s a scary thought as the program chases its first Big Ten Championship since 2020 and its first national championship since 2014.  

Here are some quick takeaways from the game:

Early difference

An expectant Ohio Stadium crowd fell silent after Marshall, which entered the game as a 40-point underdog according to some oddsmakers, methodically and mechanically marched down the field with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on its opening possession to build an early lead. The Thundering Herd tore through defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit with timely third down conversions by quarterback Stone Earle, who found ways to move the chains with his arm and his legs alike.

As unexpected as Marshall’s 7-0 advantage might have been, the explosiveness of Ohio State’s offense ensured the scoreboard was corrected far sooner than later. Wideout Emeka Egbuka transformed a simple screen pass into a 68-yard touchdown in which he ran away from the Thundering Herd’s secondary. And two possessions later, after Howard underthrew a deep ball that was ultimately intercepted, the Buckeyes traversed 45 yards in six plays to add another touchdown that gave Ohio State an inevitable lead. Judkins and Henderson helped push Howard into the end zone for a 1-yard score reminiscent of the “Tush Push” popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles.

But what finally tilted momentum toward the home team was a potential game-changing special teams play for Marshall that was wiped away by an illegal procedure penalty. The Thundering Herd pounced on a muffed punt by Buckeye returner Brandon Inniss deep in Ohio State territory. Had the play stood, Marshall would have been afforded a chance to tie the game at 14-14 and expand the ever-mounting pressure on the Buckeyes to pull away from an overmatched opponent. Instead, the play was called back because the Thundering Herd didn’t have enough players on the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped.

Two plays later, Judkins tore through Marshall’s defense for an 86-yard touchdown that extended Ohio State’s lead to 21-7 and restored the balance of power.

Play of the game

Nearly three full quarters had elapsed before Marshall finally lost contain against star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, a five-star freshman and the former No. 1 overall player in the country. Smith managed only two catches for 17 yards through the bulk of Saturday’s game as the Buckeyes’ rushing attack, spearheaded by Judkins and Henderson, was responsible for powering the Ohio State offense. And in the moments when Howard did toss the ball downfield, more often than not he targeted Egbuka, who finished with five catches for 117 yards and a score.

But late in the third quarter, with the outcome of a mismatched non-conference game already decided, Smith reminded a national television audience why he’s fast becoming one of the best receiving prospects Ohio State has ever seen. Smith, who entered having caught 11 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ first two games, capitalized on the space vacated by a blitzing defensive back to snare a slant and scamper 53 yards for a score. So rapid was Smith’s acceleration that the adequate positioning of Marshall safety J.J. Roberts hardly mattered. Smith quickly reached top speed while racing toward the goal line untouched, unencumbered and unperturbed.

He has now found the end zone in each of his first three collegiate games. It’s hard to imagine anyone stopping him now.

Key stat

A glance through the statistics from Saturday’s game revealed an eye-catching discrepancy in the early stages of the third quarter, by which point the second touchdown run from Henderson gave the Buckeyes a runaway 35-14 lead. But at that moment — the 11:48 mark of the third quarter — Ohio State was still nearly doubled by Marshall in time of possession. The Thundering Herd had held the ball for more than 21 minutes to that point, much to the delight of head coach Charles Huff, who would have been overjoyed with that number before the game, compared to only 11 minutes and change for the offense run by first-year coordinator Chip Kelly.

But what that disparity failed to capture, and what the scoreboard most certainly did, was the quick-strike ability of Ohio State’s offense, the ruthlessness with which Kelly and Co. can turn a game on its head. Discounting a kneel-down shortly before the second quarter expired, the Buckeyes reached the end zone five times in the span of six possessions — and they did so without ever milking more than 3:30 off the clock.

There was a 42-second drive that ended with a 68-yard touchdown reception by Egbuka. There was a drive that spanned 2:26 and culminated with a short run from Howard. There was a 12-second drive in which Judkins scored on the very first play. There was a drive that spanned 3:30 and ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by Henderson. There was a drive that spanned 3:12 and reached the end zone when Henderson broke two tackles en route to a 40-yard score.

And suddenly, as if in an instant, the Buckeyes led by 21 points before the halfway mark of the third quarter.  

What’s next for Ohio State?

Not only did the Buckeyes ease into their 2024 campaign with a weak non-conference slate that included drubbings of Akron (52-6), Western Michigan (56-0) and Marshall (49-14) — the totality of which hardly troubled Day’s team for more than a quarter or two — but the Big Ten schedule makers also afforded Ohio State a manageable entry into conference play as well. The Buckeyes’ next three games include a trip to Michigan State on Sept. 28, a home date against Iowa on Oct. 5 and a marquee conference realignment showdown with Oregon on Oct. 12 at Autzen Stadium in the Pacific Northwest. That Day’s first three Big Ten opponents are neatly arranged from what should be the most straightforward result — against the Spartans — to the team’s most hearty challenge — against the Ducks — only extends what has felt like a lengthy ramping-up process for Ohio State, a program whose fans are expecting to win the national championship after an incredibly productive and expensive period of roster assembly throughout the winter and spring.

What’s next for Marshall?

After improving from seven wins during Huff’s first season to nine wins in his second, the Thundering Herd slipped back below .500 in 2023 with an overall record of 6-7 and a 3-5 mark in the Sun Belt, which was only good enough for a fifth-place tie in the East Division, though Marshall did qualify for a bowl game. The expectations for Marshall entering the 2024 campaign were similar, with Huff’s team picked fifth in the East behind Appalachian State, James Madison, Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern. But based on early results, including Appalachian State’s stunning blowout loss to South Alabama earlier this week, it’s certainly possible for the Thundering Herd to be aiming higher. They return home for a final non-conference game against Western Michigan next Saturday before welcoming Appalachian State to Joan C. Edwards Stadium for the conference opener on Oct. 12.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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