The Ohio State Buckeyes easily overwhelmed their first two opponents of the 2024 college football season, outscoring Akron and Western Michigan by a combined 108-6. However, despite their impressive performance in Columbus, the lack of strong competition has led to Ryan Day’s Buckeyes dropping one spot in the AP Top 25, where they began the season ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs currently rank above Ohio State as Week 4 approaches.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt believes the Buckeyes have improved notably in one key area this season, regardless of the talent level of their opponents, due to the influence of new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. The former Oregon and UCLA head coach joined Columbus this offseason to reconnect with Day, his former quarterback at New Hampshire.
“(Ohio State was) a little too reliant on the drop back pass,” Klatt mentioned on “The Joel Klatt Show.” “Now you’ve got Chip Kelly, and what I think is the biggest development of the season for Ohio State is what he’s doing in the run game.” In addition to securing transfer quarterback Will Howard from Kansas State, the Buckeyes made a significant improvement in the running back department by acquiring Ole Miss star Qunishon Judkins.
The duo of Judkins (7.4 yards per carry) and returning starter TreVeyon Henderson (7.3 yards per carry) has proven to be a formidable combination early in the season. The Buckeyes rushed for 170 yards against Akron and 273 yards against Western Michigan. “Obviously the competition has not been great but it’s signs of improvement,” Klatt stated.
Ohio State will face Marshall this week before traveling to Michigan State in Week 5. It’s unlikely that the Buckeyes’ offense will face a serious challenge until they host Iowa in Week 6, as the Hawkeyes are currently allowing only 56 rushing yards per game, the seventh-best in the nation.
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