The Ohio
State Buckeyes followed up their win over Notre Dame with a 45-12 victory over
Sun Belt Conference opponent Arkansas State. C.J. Stroud continued his
efficient play by throwing for 351 yards and four touchdowns. On a couple of
plays, he managed to scramble away from pressure and complete passes for first
downs. Marvin Harrison Jr. is taking advantage of the temporary absence of
Jaxon Smith-Njigba with his outstanding play. Against the Red Wolves, Harrison
led the way by hauling in seven catches for 184 yards and three touchdowns and
the officials screwed him out of a fourth TD. Showing a blend of speed and good
hands, Harrison showed he will be a serious threat to opposing secondaries from
here on out. Emeka Egbuka and Xavier Johnson were not to be left out as they
hauled in four and three catches respectively. Egbuka had a 51-yard touchdown
reception. TreVeyon Henderson led the way on the ground with 87 yards and two touchdowns,
while Miyan Williams contributed 46 yards. Backup Dallan Hayden got into the
game and had four carries for 13 yards and caught two passes out of the
backfield for 13 yards. Steele Chambers and Cody Simon led the way on defense
with six tackles apiece with Chambers getting a sack. Cameron Brown and Tommy
Eichenberg continued their stellar play, with five stops apiece. I was hoping
the ground game would produce more yards. But it was still impressive that two
receivers had over 100 yards each, despite the absence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba
and Julian Fleming, who should be back soon.
The
defensive front seven continues its improved play under new DC Jim Knowles. They
were swarming and diverse in their schemes, holding the Red Wolves out of the
end zone and their ground game to a paltry 1.6 yards per carry. Steele Chambers
and Cody Simon led the way with six tackles apiece. The cornerbacks struggled
at times, allowing the Red Wolves to have more tie of possession. But the
Buckeyes helped out the Red Wolves at times with dumb penalties, such as the
one on Teradja Mitchell leaping over the punt shield nullifying an Emeka Egbuka
punt return for a touchdown. Several offside penalties and pass interference resulted
from lack of concentration and kept the defense from getting off the field;
mistakes that could be costly against a better opponent.
Next week, Ohio
State finishes the non-conference part of the season in The ‘Shoe against
Toledo.
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