Here are five takeaways from this game.
1. The offense won.
Despite four turnovers, the offense (wearing the scarlet jerseys) was outscored by 34 against a more veteran defense in a game that utilized a scoring system that allowed both sides to score on a variety of plays. He won with 33.
The defense led 17-13 at halftime after holding the offense to one touchdown, forcing two punts and throwing two interceptions.
The offense led the scoreboard with three touchdowns in the second half, as the reserves took most of the snaps and were allowed full tackles.
2. The ground game made the difference in the second half, as three different Buckeyes ran for touchdowns.
All-conference rushers Treveillon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for 11 touches, which is probably more than expected, leaving plenty of opportunity for the other running backs remaining on the roster. has been done.
Junior walk-on TC Caffey and true freshmen James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon ran for touchdowns in the second half as the offense got better on the ground.
Williams-Dixon had the longest run of the day (22 yards), gaining a game-high 75 yards on 11 carries, while Peoples ran 10 times for 36 yards and Judkins had 31 yards on four carries. , Henderson ran for 18 yards on four carries and Caffey ran for 16 yards on five carries.
“I thought all of our running backs did a good job today,” Day said. “Obviously it was good for James and Sam to get the first opportunity to get tackled.”
3. The veteran quarterback only played half the game.
This was a bit of a surprise, as Day said he wanted to maximize the opportunity to evaluate everyone before the game.
Will Howard, a transfer from Kansas State University, made his first appearance with the first team. He ended up completing 9 of 13 passes, with a long of 18 and a gain of 77 yards.
Next up was rising sophomore Devin Brown. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 66 yards and his only touchdown pass of the game, a slant to walk-on receiver Brennan Schramm.
Redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz completed 10 of 17 passes for 71 yards with two interceptions, and true freshman Julian Thain completed 10 of 17 passes for 85 yards and a pick. , classmate Air Noland completed 5 of 7 for 47 yards.
4. The offense consisted primarily of zone runs and short passes.
That may or may not be an indication of what new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has in store this fall.
Day said he didn't arrive until just before spring practice began, so the focus of those 15 practices was on evaluating the talent on the Buckeyes' roster.
This summer, the coaching staff will work on how to make the most of it.
“Some of those passes are like long handoffs for us,” Day said. “We want to be able to expand the field horizontally, and we want to be able to expand the field vertically as well. We didn't have a lot of opportunities to do that today, but they took off from there. There were some play-action passes like that, so we looked at that.”
5. The backup defensive lineman had some moments.
Senior Jack Sawyer recorded one of the team's six sacks, but the rest went to reserves who will have depth this fall.
Senior end Mitchell Melton provided significant pressure throughout the afternoon, recording one sack among four tackles.
Kayden Curry, Herro Kanu, Jason Moore and Edric Houston also had sacks this afternoon, but Day said afterward that the right side of the line still hasn't gelled.
Game status: 4
Four interceptions could be a good thing or a bad thing. Ohio State has been working on developing its secondary and producing more points, some of which were throws that looked questionable. Springfield College true freshman Aaron Scott Jr. was looking for a potential fifth interception, but he couldn't get it.
game ball
Williams-Dixon was the most productive offensive player, averaging 6.8 yards per carry, and Alter native C.J. Hicks recorded a game-high eight tackles from his position as first-team linebacker.
