COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Week 2 saw No. 5 Notre Dame fall to Northern Illinois and eighth-ranked Penn State avoid a scare from Bowling Green. They were results that reinforced the notion that anything can happen in college football.
The Buckeyes made sure that such a shocker wasn't going to happen on Saturday night.
"To me it goes back to our week of practice. We practiced strong and physical. Had good intent," head coach Ryan Day said. "I felt like we were coming into a game where we were going to dominate like this."
No. 2 Ohio State put on a dominant performance from start to finish. In fact, it was so dominant that the Buckeyes wished they didn't have a bye next week and could instead return to the field to ride the momentum of a 56-0 win.
But alas, the Buckeyes will have two weeks to bask in the glow of its second victory of the season. Here are three takeaways from the Week 2 victory over the Broncos.
Much of the criticism from Ohio State's season opener was how long it took for the Buckeyes to get going. Not this week. The defense quickly forced a three-and-out on Western Michigan's opening possession. And then in less than three minutes, TreVeyon Henderson found the endzone for the first of his two touchdowns. By the end of the first quarter, OSU already owned a 21-0 lead over the Broncos.
It's clear that the Buckeyes were ready and focused from the opening kickoff. Quarterback Will Howard found a groove that reverberated throughout the entire team.
"I am so much more comfortable finally settling into a routine. We have so many new people here between the new players and even new coaching staff," Howard said. "Everyone is finally figuring out their own way, which led to a really good week."
For the first time since 2019, six of Ohio State's eight touchdowns scored on Saturday came from the run game, led by the two-headed monster that is Quinshon Judkins and Henderson. Together, they combined for 174 yards on 19 carries with four touchdowns. Any concern or questions about sharing time on the field melted away after the numbers this duo put up against the Broncos.
Even Howard got in on the ground game with a rushing score of his own. But while he said that was a great feeling, the "run game coordinator" had just as much fun handing the ball off to Judkins and Henderson.
"They are so interchangeable, it is unbelievable. The really cool thing about those two is there is no ego from those two. They are both very tight and get along very well," Howard said. "Those two embody what this culture is about. They work together and don't care who gets the most rushes or who scores more touchdowns. They are not only fast and quick but are also strong. They will both run around and through guys."
It hurts to think that Judkins could have had a third touchdown from 80 yards out if the officials didn't call a holding penalty against Bryson Rodgers in the second quarter.
Not only did Ohio State not allow a single point, but the Buckeyes limited Western Michigan to just 99 yards of total offense. It marked the first time since 2017 that OSU allowed an opponent to gain less than a hundred yards.
"We're always trying to get a shutout game. It hurts when you let up anything," linebacker Cody Simon said. "I think it's a great goal for us. We want to dominate. We want to know the end goal in mind."
Last week against Akron, the defense came up with two touchdowns. Against Western Michigan, the Buckeyes shut the opposing offense down. It makes you wonder what Jim Knowles has up his sleeve against Marshall. It's just too bad we have to wait two weeks to find out.
