Football: No. 2 Buckeyes secure win in season opener against in-state competition Akron Zips

The majority of Ohio State’s starters are upperclassmen. But three touchdowns from two different freshmen helped propel the Buckeyes in their season opener.

Despite an inconsistent first half for the Buckeyes offense, No. 2 Ohio State (1-0) dominated the final two quarters en route to a 52-6 victory against the Akron Zips (0-1) in front of 102,011 fans Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith led the Buckeyes in receiving in his first career game, notching six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Graduate quarterback Will Howard completed 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns.

“He’s built different,” head coach Ryan Day said about Smith. “Just the way his approach is, you can see his size and speed.”

Defensively, graduate safety Lathan Ransom led Ohio State with nine total tackles, two for a loss. Senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau recorded a team-high 1.5 sacks in the contest. In 2023, the Buckeyes defense forced a lot of pressure but didn’t have the highest sack numbers.

“You have to just trust the defense, you got to trust the technique that Coach [Larry] Johnson is teaching,” Day said. “And those plays come when you’re not pressing. You got to play loose, you got to trust your teammates, and they’ll come. And they did today.”

The game didn’t start as expected for the Buckeyes.

After a nine-yard rush by Ohio State senior running back TreVeyon Henderson, the offense stalled.

On second down, Smith dropped a wide-open screen pass before committing a false start penalty, resulting in an Ohio State punt.

Smith said he stayed level-headed, despite the early mistake.

“When I came to the sideline, I was just mad at myself,” Smith said. “But I mean, it’s football, and when you play receiver, you’re going to drop the ball.”

Akron’s first offensive possession was not what the Buckeyes had hoped for either.

The first play of the drive resulted in Zips redshirt junior quarterback Ben Finley going down injured when Ohio State junior cornerback Davison Igbinosun delivered a late hit, forcing the Zips to turn to redshirt junior Tahj Bullock at quarterback.

Following the penalty, the Zips marched down the field into Ohio State territory. Ohio State’s defense bent, but it didn’t break.

Buckeyes senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau helped halt Akron’s offense with a sack on Bullock.

Akron’s field position was just enough to get the Zips on the board after redshirt junior kicker Garrison Smith barely put in a 48-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead with 8:44 to go in the first quarter.

The Zips’ lead didn’t last long.

Ohio State’s subsequent 14-play, 75-yard drive ended with a 16-yard touchdown back-shoulder catch from Smith, giving the Buckeyes a 7-3 lead with 2:44 remaining in the first frame.

“Just scoring that first touchdown felt so great,” Smith said.

Finley returned to the game for Akron on its second drive, but Ohio State’s defense didn’t waste much time before getting the ball back to its offense.

After a sack by junior linebacker C.J. Hicks on second down, the Buckeyes defensive line pressured Finley, forcing an incompletion that resulted in a Zips punt.

A fourth-down incomplete pass from Howard to senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka gave the ball back to the Zips moments later.

On Akron’s next offensive play, Buckeye senior cornerback Denzel Burke ripped the ball right out of Zips sophomore wide receiver Adrian Norton’s hands, counting as an interception against Finley.

The Buckeyes were forced to settle for a 40-yard field goal from junior kicker Jayden Fielding after only amassing 11 yards across five plays. The field goal put Ohio State’s lead to 10-3 with 11:23 remaining before halftime.

After a three-and-out forced by Ohio State’s defense, Howard found Smith yet again.

The freshman wideout reeled in a nine-yard touchdown catch in the middle of the end zone, despite Akron redshirt junior cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson being draped over the back of Smith. The freshman wideout’s second score put the Buckeyes up 17-3 with 4:30 remaining in the second quarter.

Akron’s next offensive drive spanned 12 plays, but after passing on a long field goal, senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams sacked Finley on a fourth-and-five.

With 1:04 left before the half, the Buckeyes went three-and-out and lost seven yards, although Ohio State still led 17-3 at the break.

Overall, the Buckeyes offense was inconsistent throughout the first two quarters.

“One of our goals within this game was to play clean, and I feel like we didn’t really do that in the first half,” Howard said.

Out of halftime, Akron put together yet another double-digit-play drive, but on 10 plays, the Zips could only muster 19 total yards before punting the ball back to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes only needed three plays to get back in the scoring column. Howard uncorked a 45-yard bomb on the left side of the field over a Zips defender to Smith, falling at Akron’s two-yard line. Junior running back Quinshon Judkins ran it in for Ohio State one play later, pushing its lead to 24-3 with 7:53 left in the third quarter.

On the Zips’ next possession, the Buckeyes defense forced another turnover.

On third down, the Akron pocket collapsed on Bullock, forcing him to take off. Ohio State junior defensive end Caden Curry knocked the ball free and into the hands of senior safety Lathan Ransom, who returned the fumble for a score, growing the Buckeyes’ lead to 31-3 with 7:35 remaining in the third frame.

“I almost dropped it at first,” Ransom said. “I was so excited because I knew that if I could catch it, I could get to the end zone. When it hit my hands, big smile on my face running down the field, so it felt amazing.”

Garrison Smith added three more points for the Zips after converting a 49-yard field goal with 3:37 left in the third, inching Akron closer at 31-6.

Still, the Buckeyes continued to put their foot on the gas.

Ohio State freshman running back James Peoples took his first career carry four yards for a touchdown as time expired in the third quarter, increasing the Buckeyes’ lead to 38-6.

With 10:16 left in the game, Howard threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Carnell Tate, making the score 45-6.

With 2:25 left, a deflected ball set up a 29- yard return by sophomore linebacker Gabe Powers to finalize the score at 52-6.

“A win is a win, and when you win by as much as we did, it’s good,” Howard said. “I’m happy that we won, but there’s still a lot of stuff to clean up.”

Ohio State will continue its home stand in Columbus, taking on Western Michigan next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.