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Sep. 1—A grade card on Ohio State’s 52-6 win over Akron. It took a little longer than expected but it eventually turned into the blowout everyone predicted.
OFFENSE: B-
Will Howard’s first game as Ohio State’s quarterback was solid. He didn’t throw an interception and had the confidence that would be expected of a fifth-year player. But he completed only 10 of his first 21 passes, which might have contributed to OSU’s slow start. He also gets a demerit for what coach Ryan Day called “a crazy decision” when he threw a pass while being tackled which ended up going backward and could have been recovered for a fumble.
TreVeyon Henderson (8 carries, 65 yards) got the start at running back and showed a burst of speed on some carries. Quinshon Judkins (13 carries, 55 yard, 1 touchdown) showed some power and some speed.
Left guard Donovan Jackson did not play because of an undisclosed injury, which meant Ohio State had new starters at both guard positions and at center. That might have contributed to the Buckeyes permitting Akron to still be within a touchdown at 10-3 with five minutes left in the first half.
The best part of the offense was the receivers. Freshman Jeremiah Smith was spectacular with six catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Carnell Tate caught four passes, including a 34-yarder for a touchdown, and Emeka Egbuka also had four catches.
DEFENSE: A
It was an all-around good day for Ohio State on defense. The defense scored two touchdowns — on a fumble recovery by safety Lathan Ransom in the third quarter and on an interception by linebacker Gabe Powers late in the fourth quarter. It had five sacks and 10 tackles for losses and did not allow a touchdown. Akron’s points came on field goals of 49 yards and 48 yards, which meant the Zips’ two most successful drives ended more than 30 yards short of the goal…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/osu-grade-card-buckeyes-not-233200469.html
Author : The Lima News, Ohio
Publish date : 2024-09-01 23:32:00
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