Ohio State’s season opener against Ball State eventually went
as planned despite a slow start to the running game as the Buckeyes netted a
mere 35 yards on the ground in the first half.
The second half was a different story as the Ohio State offense finished
with 237 yards on the ground. Bo Jackson
and newcomer Ja’Kobi Jackson led the way with 83 yards and a touchdown
each. Legend Bey saw his first action and
despite getting off to an unsure start with kick returns, Bey managed 37 yards
rushing and a receiving touchdown.
Isaiah West contributed 27 yards on the ground as well. The passing game was clicking on all
cylinders from the start as Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards. Backups Luke Fahey and Tavian St. Clair got
into the game; each was five out of six.
Jeremiah Smith led the receivers with eight receptions for 151 yards,
picking up right where he left off last year.
His two touchdown receptions came against tight coverage with the defender
all over him. Newcomer Devin McCuin had
an outstanding first game, catching six passes for 97 yards and a TD while
Brandon Innis and Isaiah West each contributed three receptions.
Riley Pettijohn led the defensive effort with six tackles as
Matt Patricia’s rebuilt defense held Ball State out of the end zone and
provided game experience to a lot of young players. T.J. Alford had an outstanding game with five
stops, a tackle for loss, and an interception and Beau Atkinson continued his improvement
with four tackles and a TFL.
Despite the dominant performance, there are things to work
on for both sides of the ball. The
aforementioned running game didn’t get it in gear until the second half, and
the defense recorded just one quarterback sack.
Both of these issues will need to be solved if the Buckeyes are to come
out with a win at Texas next week.
