After two sluggish wins to start the season, Ohio State looked to advance to next week’s showdown at Notre Dame with a dominating performance against Western Kentucky.
The Buckeyes did just that.
Their offense was explosive and their defense made big plays and limited the Hilltoppers’ high-octane attack in a 63–10 victory in front of 100,217 at Ohio Stadium.
No one was satisfied with the way the Buckeyes played the first two games. As a result, coach Ryan Day increased the intensity in practice this week.
“We had some guys come to practice and say, ‘Boy, this was as physical a practice as I’ve seen in a long time,’” Day said. “We knew we had to turn it around, and we needed to build some momentum into next week. I think you saw our play today, and that’s what we need to carry forward.”
Ohio State football: Kyle McCord handles early adversity well as Ohio State football beats Western Kentucky
In his first game since being named the No. 1 quarterback outright, Kyle McCord was nearly flawless. He completed 19 of 23 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns.
Against Indiana and Youngstown State, Ohio State’s offense was on edge. The Buckeyes made up for it against Western Kentucky (2-1).
Ohio State needed eight and 12 plays to score its first two touchdowns, which Trevion Henderson accomplished with runs of 21 and 7 yards. The Buckeyes’ last four touchdowns of the first half came in an 8-minute flurry, ending whatever hopes the 30-point-underdog Hilltoppers had.
Western Kentucky scored its only touchdown of the first half to make the score 21–10 with 8:10 left in the second quarter, then McCord connected with Marvin Harrison Jr. on OSU’s next snap for a 75-yard touchdown.
After a fourth-down stop by its defense, Ohio State scored on the next play when Chip Traynum ran 40 yards.
The Buckeyes defense then fumbled and Ohio State took advantage with a four-play drive that ended with McCord throwing to Emeka Egbuka for a 15-yard score to make it 35–10.
Ohio State football: Ohio State realizes need for momentum, big win against Western Kentucky
OSU was not done. After stopping WKU on downs, the Buckeyes took over at their own 42-yard line with 28 seconds remaining. McCord threw to tight end Cade Stover for a 40-yard gain and then threw to Egbuka for a 14-yard touchdown with 8 seconds remaining to formalize the second half.
McCord completed 13 of 15 passes for 271 yards in the first half. The Buckeyes’ offense did not score a touchdown only once in the first two quarters, when McCord was stripped of the ball on OSU’s second possession. Ohio State gained 294 yards in the second quarter alone.
September 16, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) celebrates his touchdown catch with Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord (6) during the second quarter of their game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Ohio Stadium.
“I feel like we’ve always had that in the tank,” Egbuka said. “It just comes down to effort and execution. When we don’t put points on the board, it’s probably something we did. It’s probably not something the defense did. It’s probably not something we did. There’s a lack of execution because we believe we have the best offensive line and the best players in the country.”
As impressive as the offense was, the Buckeyes were expected to turn the ball over against the Hilltoppers’ weak defense. The real challenge in this game was for the OSU defense.
WKU quarterback Austin Reed led the nation in passing yards last year and showed Saturday that it was no fluke. He has a quick release and sees the field well, limiting opportunities for sacks for OSU.
But the Buckeyes pass-rushers put pressure on him, and their defensive backs did a good job of breaking up passes or limiting yards after the catch. Reed completed 21 of 37 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown.
More importantly, the Buckeyes also provided the havoc that was missing in their first two games. They forced four turnovers, two for scores. Cornerback Denzel Burks was forced to recover a fumble in the end zone by Tylik Williams for a third-quarter touchdown. Freshman cornerback Jermaine Matthews capped the scoring with a 42-yard interception on a pass thrown by backup Bronson Barron.
“Obviously the business in the second half was huge,” Day said. “I thought they hung in there (in the first half). When they were stalling at the end of the first half and getting the ball back on offense, they got fed up with it. We had really good momentum. , Good passion, a group of guys playing fast and violent.”
Devin Brown replaced McCord at the end of the third quarter. Brown threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate for the promising freshman receiver’s first career score.
“We need to take the next step,” Day said. “We know what we’re going to do here in the middle of the season.”
Notre Dame waits, and the Buckeyes head to South Bend feeling a lot better about themselves.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football picks up big win, looks ahead to Notre Dame
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