A game between the best team in FBS and an FCS program played out pretty much exactly how you’d imagine it.
No. 1 Ohio State dominated Grambling State on Saturday afternoon, jumping out to an early 21-0 lead and never looking back en route to a 70-0 victory. The Buckeyes’ starters only needed to play in the first half, as Julian Sayin passed for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns in only two quarters.
Jeremiah Smith caught five passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns and Riley Pettijohn scored
a defensive TD as Ohio State was just far too much for the Tigers to handle in Columbus on both sides of the ball.
The Good
Julian Sayin
Ohio State’s new starting quarterback had a largely pedestrian game against Texas in Week 1. Ryan Day and Brian Hartline didn’t ask a lot of Sayin against the Longhorns, but he was still incredibly accurate with the football and did a good job of keeping the offense on schedule. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective, and at the end of the day he helped the Buckeyes earn an impressive victory.
Things were a little different this week against an FCS opponent, as Sayin got to sling the ball around at will. The sophomore set an Ohio State record for most consecutive completions to start a game, beginning his day 15-for-15. By the end of the first half, Sayin had thrown for more than 300 yards with four touchdowns, completing 18 of his 19 attempts.
The lone blemish on his performance was an interception in the end zone, which Day said at the half Sayin immediately came over to the sideline and recognized exactly what went wrong on the play.
Sayin still has room to grow, but it was a delight to watch him throw the football. Each and every pass was on the money, and he spread it around to seven different receivers in only a half.
Tight End U
Every offseason we talk about the Ohio State tight end room, and every year it doesn’t really seem to factor in to the Buckeyes’ game plan, at least from a receiving standpoint.
That was not the case on Saturday, as four different OSU tight ends got in on the action early.
Will Kacmarek opened up the scoring with a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown over the middle to give Ohio State an immediate 7-0 lead. Jelani Thurman got in on the action midway through the first quarter as well with a nice 26-yard catch.
All told, Buckeyes tight ends accounted for 89 yards on five receptions through the first 30 minutes of action, led by Kacmarek’s two catches for 55 yards. Thurman, Max Klare and Bennett Christian each hauled in a reception each to round out an impressive start for the position group. Thurman added a touchdown in the fourth quarter to punctuate the afternoon.
Outside of the big game through the air, the tight end room also played a factor in CJ Donaldson’s short touchdown run at the end of the first half, with FOUR tight ends on the field in a heavy goal line set to help punch the ball in from two yards out. That included freshman Nate Roberts, who also aided in one of the Buckeyes’ touchdowns against Texas as a fullback.
Freshman Frenzy
One of the most valuable parts of a college football blowout is getting to see some of your young talent in action. After the Buckeyes opened up the second half with a defensive score to make it 42-0, Ohio State played exclusively backups for the rest of the game, including a bunch of freshmen that put on a show.
Two different freshman running backs found the end zone for Ohio State, with Bo Jackson scoring from 11 yards out and Isaiah West from 12 yards. Jackson was especially impressive, leading the team in rushing with 108 yards on nine carries, good for 12 yards per attempt. West looked good as well, totaling eight carries for 42 yards (5.3 YPC).
On defense, first-year guys made plays all over the field. Pettijohn was the star with the TD, but linebacker TJ Alford laid the lumber on a tackle for loss and defensive end Zion Grady came away with a sack.
It was fun to watch so many young guys in their first Ohio State action making plays in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes’ future certainly looks bright, as is usually the case for a program that recruits among the best of them.
The Bad
Pass Rush
If there was one ‘area of concern’ in what was otherwise an expectedly dominant performance for Ohio State, it was the play of the Buckeyes’ starting defensive line — specifically on obvious passing downs. The D-line had trouble getting pressure on Grambling State quarterback C’zavian Teasett, and largely failed to win their one-on-ones against an FCS offensive line.
Ohio State was able to create pressure with some very creative blitz packages by defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, but it was noticeable how little penetration the defensive line got when coming at it with a straight four-down lineman rush.
It was a similar story against Texas, albeit far more explainable against the No. 1 team in the country. In a game where the Buckeyes’ talent alone should win out up front, it was a bit concerning that Ohio State wasn’t dominating in the trenches defensively.
Larry Johnson’s defensive line seems like it is still waiting for someone to step up. They’ve gotten some flashes thus far from guys like CJ Hicks, Beau Atkinson, Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry, but nobody has quite been all that consistent to this point.
That said, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Kayden McDonald, who forced the fumble that led to Pettijohn’s scoop-and-score touchdown in the third quarter.
Special Teams
The lone area I would say has been actively subpar through two games is the special teams unit, especially when it comes to the return game.
Ohio State did not have a banner day on special teams against Texas, with several short punts on one side and some puzzling ‘returns’ on the other where they let the ball bounce deep into their own territory. It was more of the same on Saturday, as the Buckeyes’ very first drive of the game began on their own 17-yard line following a short return.
There were several occasions where Ohio State let the ball bounce on punts rather than fair catching it further upfield, and Brandon Inniss looked like he was trying to do a bit too much in the backfield rather than just taking the ball north and south.
Whether it be a change in the return man or an increase in focus from a practice standpoint, the Buckeyes need to be a little cleaner on special teams. Games will be more hotly contested later in the season against more talent-equated opponents, and good special teams play could be the difference when the margins are thin.
Ohio State ALMOST had a great punt return early in the third quarter by Bryson Rodgers, but it was called back after officials ruled that he called for a fair catch, which was… questionable.
The Ugly
Leaving Jeremiah Smith open
As an Ohio State fan, I am all for opposing defenses leaving Jeremiah Smith wide open down the field.
As a fan of good defense, what are we doing here guys!?
