Ohio State vs. Akron score, takeaways: Buckeyes shake off sluggish start for blowout victory over Zips

Buckeyes defense does what it needs to 

While it took Ohio State's offense time to really find its footing, the Buckeyes' defense was dominant from wire to wire. It certainly should be, given the talent that Ohio State has on that side of the ball -- it's loaded with draft picks from top to bottom. 

The Buckeyes defense outscored Akron on its own. Safety Lathan Ransom housed a 26-yard fumble return in the third quarter and linebacker Gabe Powers snagged a tipped pass from the air to score Ohio State's last touchdown of the game. Ohio State's stars made their presence known. 

Cornerback Denzel Burke benefitted from a dropped pass to log an interception of his own. JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer each had at least half a sack. Top transfer addition Caleb Downs had a half-sack of his own. 

Akron managed just 1.3 yards per carry and less than 10 yards per reception. The Zips played three different quarterbacks -- starter Ben Finley left early in the second half with injury -- and they combined for just 130 yards passing. Akron never made it into the red zone, as its only points came on two field goals of 45-plus yards. 

Again, this was the debut Ohio State's defense needed against a hopelessly overmatched opponent. 

Will Howard shakes off slow start, but questions remain 

Quarterback Will Howard's Ohio State debut could best be described as "rollercoaster." The former Kansas State starter has never been the flashiest passer -- he completed just 58.7% of his career passes with the Wildcats -- and he came out flat against Akron, missing on each of his first three attempts. 

That inaccuracy stretched into a 6-of-16 start, though one of those completions was a nice back-shoulder throw to Jeremiah Smith for a 16-yard touchdown. After a quarter and a half of lackluster play, though, Howard turned it on. He completed 11 of his last 12 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, delivering to all levels of the field with confidence. 

His only questionable throw during that span was a 45-yard completion to Smith that, with a little bit more air under it, should have been a walk-in touchdown. Howard deserves credit for clearing the shaky start from his mind and finishing strong. Some growing pains can be expected since this was his first game in an entirely new system. 

The question now is whether he can find a bit more consistency in the future. It's fine to come out cold against teams like Akron, but early struggles could put the Buckeyes in a hole against better competition. 

Jeremiah Smith as good as advertised 

Ohio State made some huge additions to the roster this offseason, but none generated as much preseason buzz as freshman Jeremiah Smith. The No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class stepped into an immediate starting role on the Buckeyes' offense and drew comparisons to Alabama legend Julio Jones, who had over 900 yards receiving in his first year with the Crimson Tide. 

So to say that expectations were high for Smith's Buckeyes debut would be an understatement. And it looked, for a brief moment, that it may have all been a bit overblown. Smith dropped his first target -- what should have been an easy catch on a tunnel screen -- and then got called for a false start on two of Ohio State's first three days. 

Luckily, football games last 60 minutes. Smith shook off the lackluster start to emerge as the most impressive player, for either team and on both sides of the ball, Saturday. He caught six of quarterback Will Howard's 17 completions for a game-high 92 yards and two touchdowns. 

He proved his ability to stretch the field, making a nice adjustment on an underthrown 45-yard completion, and lined up all over the field to flash his versatility. Perhaps it was ability to bounce back after a rough start that was most impressive, given that this was his first collegiate game. Smith was as good as advertised -- and then some. Early signs show he's the next great wideout to glide through Columbus. 

Buckeyes defense puts more points on the board 

Q4: No. 2 Ohio State 51, Akron 6

Ohio State's defense has now outscored Akron. Following the Buckeyes' fumble returned for a touchdown in the third quarter, Ohio State linebacker Gabe Powers just intercepted a tipped pass and took the ball 25 yards to give his team a 45-point lead with less than three minutes to play. It was the first interception of the year for Powers, a Marysville, Ohio product. 

Howard's day is done

With a comfortable lead and time running low in the fourth quarter, Ohio State has decided to give starting quarterback Will Howard the rest of the day off. Former 2022 signee Devin Brown, who battled to lead Ohio State's offense in the offseason, entered the game in his stead. After a slow start, Howard completed 11 of his last 12 pass attempts for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including a 34-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate. 

Ohio State has other 5-star WRs, too 

Q4: No. 2 Ohio State 45, Akron 6 

Don't let Jeremiah Smith distract you from that fact that almost every single wide receiver on Ohio State's roster is a former blue-chip prospect. That includes multiple other five stars, one of which -- Carnell Tate -- just caught a touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter to extend Ohio State's lead even further. Tate hauled in a deep post over the middle of the field from Will Howard and did the rest of the work, taking it 34 yards to the house. 

Howard has now completed six of his last even passes and has scored three touchdowns in his Ohio State debut. 

Ohio State taking full control 

End 3Q: No. 2 Ohio State 38, Akron 6 

Ohio State is starting to pull away in its 2024 season opener. The Buckeyes' defense has been dominant the entire game and, though it took some time for the offense to follow suit, Chip Kelly's unit is starting to find its footing. Ohio State was able to generate several significant chunk plays in the third quarter, including a 45-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith that teed up Quinshon Judkins' first touchdown in a Buckeyes uniform. 

Smith has been Ohio State's most impressive player thus far, on both sides of the ball. He has six of the Buckeyes' 14 catches and a game-high 92 yards. He's also caught both of quarterback Will Howards' touchdown catches. 

The Buckeyes closed the third quarter on a high note with a 4-yard touchdown run from James Peoples, who's a nice third option behind Ohio State's dynamic duo of Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. 

Akron gets back on the board 

3Q: No. 2 Ohio State 31, Akron 6 

Akron is still battling, though the Zips lost their starting quarterback to injury and have seen momentum slip away during the third quarter. They just parlayed their biggest gain of the game -- a 29-yard pass to tight end Jake Newell -- into a 49-yard field goal from Garrison Smith. Akron still has yet to move the ball inside Ohio State's 20-yard line. 

Ohio State's defense gets in on the scoring fun

Q3: No. 2 Ohio State 31, Akron 3 

Ohio State's finally starting to blow this one open after a relatively quiet first two quarters. This time, the Buckeyes' defense is getting in on the scoring. Zips quarterback Tahj Bullock took off on a designed quarterback run but lost the ball just after making it past the line of scrimmage. Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom was in the right spot to collect the ball off one hop and took off running, housing the turnover from 26 yards out to extend the Buckeyes' lead. 

It was the second turnover Ohio State's defense has forced, following cornerback Denzel Burke's first-half interception.

Big Smith catch leads to Buckeye TD 

Q3: No. 2 Ohio State 24, Akron 3 

Oh hey, Jeremiah Smith again. This time the freshman was on the receiving end of Ohio State's most explosive offensive play of the day, creating separation from a defensive back and hauling in a 45-yard catch from quarterback Will Howard. It was nice to see the Buckeyes hit on an explosive play after not taking many downfield shots through the first few quarters. 

Ole Miss transfer running back Quinshon Judkins capitalized off the spark and finished the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown one play later. It was his first touchdown in a Buckeyes uniform. 

Ohio State in business after nice punt return

Wide receiver Brandon Inniss hasn't had a huge impact on the offensive side of the ball, but the former top-40 prospect is still bringing a spark. He just came close to breaking a huge punt return for the Buckeyes, wiggling around defenders to bring a 52-yard punt back 36 yards to Ohio State's 40-yard line. It's been a lackadaisical game for Ohio State's offense thus far, so that could give the Buckeyes the energy they need to get going and hit on some shot plays. 

Akron QB situation worth watching 

Akron hasn't shied away from playing two quarterbacks thus far, though Cal transfer Ben Finley has handled a majority of the work. Finley's clearly banged up. He hurt his shoulder early in the first quarter when he took a big hit from Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun on a slide and has been dealing with some pain since. The four sacks that Ohio State's defense have logged certainly aren't helping, either. Akron also has Tahj Bullock, who has rushing upside and is often used on gadget plays. 

Smith making waves in Ohio State debut 

Turns out the preseason hype for Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was warranted. The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class already has two touchdown catches for the Buckeyes. He's the first freshman with multiple receiving touchdowns in his Ohio State debut since Michael Wiley in 1996, who had two touchdown catches against Rice. Wiley went on to earn two separate All-Big Ten honors for the Buckeyes.  Looks like Smith should follow a similar path. 

Ohio State defense as good as advertised so far

Sure, the competition may not be the best, but Ohio State's vaunted defense has buckled down in the first half. Akron's field goal drive was aided by a 15-yard personal foul penalty and the fact that Akron got a different look at quarterback. Other than that, the Zips have been held largely in check. 

They just tried to go for it on fourth-and-5 from Ohio State's 34-yard line, but Ohio State pressure got to Akron quarterback Ben Finley early; he was forced out of bounds for a loss of a yard. The Buckeyes secondary has limited Akron's downfield passing. Denzel Burke already has an interception, benefitting from an Akron wide receiver bobbling a pass. 

It's the Jeremiah Smith show in Columbus 

2Q: No. 2 Ohio State 17, Akron 3

Ohio State is still trying to get into the groove of this game. Maybe it should just feed the ball to Jeremiah Smith some more. It seems like a long time ago that he dropped his first target in a Buckeyes uniform. The freshman phenom just hauled in his second touchdown catch. This one was a 9-yard strike from quarterback Will Howard, who fit the ball into a tough hole as Smith ran a slant route into the end zone. 

Smith is now up to four catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns. For those keeping track, he's been responsible for almost half of Howard's 113 passing yards and both of his touchdowns through the air. 

Ohio State tacks onto lead 

2Q: No. 2 Ohio State 10, Akron 3 

Ohio State was able to turn Denzel Burke's interception into three points, courtesy of a 40-yard field goal from kicker Jayden Fielding. The Buckeyes likely would have wanted more. The turnover gave them the ball on Akron's 33-yard line and an 11-yard rush from TreVeyon Henderson put the ball right outside the red zone. 

But then quarterback Will Howard threw three straight incompletions to set up fourth-and-10 for the Buckeyes. It's been a shaky start for Howard, who has now completed just six of his first 16 pass attempts. One of those completions was a nice back-shoulder touchdown throw to freshman Jeremiah Smith, so it hasn't all been bad. 

There's Ohio State's secondary 

Ohio State's vaunted secondary, which is loaded with NFL Draft prospects, just made itself known. Preseason All-American Denzel Burke snatched the ball from an Akron wide receiver's hands to give the Buckeyes the ball on Akron's 33-yard line. It was a head's up play, as the Zips would have had a nice 11-yard gain with Burke taking advantage of a bobbled pass. 

Akron makes a stand

Credit to Akron for hanging around so far. The Zips just made a huge fourth-down stand on defense to bring Ohio State's 6-play drive to a screeching halt. The Buckeyes tried to slip the ball in the flats to wide receiver Emeka Egbuka on fourth-and-5 from Akron's 25-yard, but Akron defensive back Aman Greenwood sniffed it out and broke up the pass with a big hit on Egbuka. Egbuka's absorbed a couple big hits on short passes in the early goings. 

Ohio State shakes off slow start to take lead

End 1Q: No. 2 Ohio State 7, Akron 3 

The first drive of Ohio State's much-anticipated 2024 season didn't go to plan. The Buckeyes had a nice run, a dropped pass, a false start and an incompletion to go three-and-out. That slow start was compounded by a field goal drive from Akron, which took an early 3-0 lead -- even without starting quarterback Ben Finley leading the offense. 

But the Buckeyes have finally started to find their footing. Their second drive went 14 plays and traveled 75 yards, capped by a stellar touchdown catch from freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Quarterback Will Howard, one of the Buckeyes' most important transfer additions, made a few impressive throws to finish the first frame with 60 yards passing. Smith had three catches and 35 of those yards. 

Ohio State strikes back 

1Q: No. 2 Ohio State 7, Akron 3 

Talk about Jeremiah Smith finding his footing. The Ohio State freshman wide receiver just scored his team's first touchdown of the season on a phenomenal 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will Howard. Smith ran a simple fade route to the end zone, putting him into one-on-one coverage with an Akron defensive back, and Howard through the ball back-shoulder to give Smith a chance to frame it. 

The former No. 1 overall prospect did just that, leaping into the air and getting two feet down in-bounds to secure the score. Smith is now up to three catches for 35 yards after dropping his first target in a Buckeyes uniform. 

Smith finding his footing 

After a rough start, Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is finally starting to find his footing. He just tip-toed the sideline to haul in an 8-yard reception to convert a third-and-4 for the Buckeyes. That was his second catch of the drive, as he now has 19 yards in his Buckeyes debut. It didn't take him long to shake off any jitters 

Akron takes an early lead

1Q: Akron 3, No. 2 Ohio State 0 

Following a sloppy start from Ohio State's defense, Akron was able to march down the field -- largely without starting quarterback Ben Finley -- and nail a 48-yard field goal to take an early lead against the Buckeyes. Credit to Zips backup quarterback Tahj Bullock, who came into the game cold and tallied 34 total yards to get his team in striking distance. Ohio State already has two penalties for 20 yards, including a personal foul that aided Akron on its scoring drive. 

Akron quarterback exits early in first quarter

Akron quarterback Ben Finley, who has Power Four experience from stops at NC State and California, exited Saturday's game early after taking a big hit from Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. Finley slid after rushing for a gain of five on Akron's first drive and Igbinosun collided with him as he went to the ground. Igbinosun was flagged for a personal foul. Former Virginia Tech quarterback Tahj Bullock entered the game for Finley. 

Sloppy start for the Buckeyes 

Not the most inspiring series of plays for Ohio State's offense. After a nice game-opening run from TreVeyon Henderson, the Buckeyes lost their momentum on second-and-1. It was a particularly rough sequence for Jeremiah Smith, who dropped a tunnel screen -- that would have gone for a huge chunk of yardage -- to set up third-and-1. He was then called for a false start that backed the Buckeyes up to third-and-6, where Will Howard was unable to connect with Emeka Egbuka. It was a quick three-and-out for Chip Kelly's squad. 

New-look Ohio State offense will get things started 

There's plenty to keep an eye on as Ohio State's offense takes the field for the first time in 2024. New quarterback Will Howard is in the spotlight after transferring in from Kansas State. Buckeyes fans hope that he can revitalize OSU's passing attack after it took a slight step back in 2023. One of his top targets is sure to be true freshman Jeremiah Smith, one of the most ballyhooed first-year players in college football. He'll also be handing the ball off to the dynamic duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinson Judkins, another key transfer addition from Ole Miss. 

Oh, not to mention there's a new face calling the shots: Chip Kelly, who left his position as UCLA's head coach to come to Columbus and direct Ryan Day's offense. 

Ohio State vs. Akron prediction 

This game has a huge spread. To call the Buckeyes heavy favorites would be the understatement of the year. But it makes sense when you dive into the numbers. Akron had the MAC's second-worst scoring offense (16.3 points per game) and fourth-worst scoring defense (28 ppg) a year ago. In two games against power-conference competition last season, the Zips scored a combined 30 points -- 27 of which came against a hapless Indiana squad -- and allowed 64. Ohio State should be able to score at will while its ridiculously loaded defense keeps Akron on its side of the field for most of the game. Pick: Ohio State (-50) 

Ohio State dominant against in-state foes

You would have to go back to 1921 to find the last time Ohio State lost to a team from Ohio. The Buckeyes dropped a tight 7-6 contest against Oberlin, a team that they previously outscored 211-0. Since then, Ohio State has won 52-straight games against in-state foes. It hasn't even come within one score of losing to an Ohio team since 2011, when the Buckeyes eked out a 27-22 win against Toledo.   

Downs a focal point of the defense

Ohio State has superstars all over the field. Few shine brighter than safety Caleb Downs, another newcomer set to make his Buckeyes debut against Akron. Downs was a rare true freshman starting defensive back at Alabama, where he more than lived up to the task. He was the SEC Freshman of the Year after amassing 107 total tackles. He was the first freshman in program history to lead the Crimson Tide in tackles. Now he steps into a loaded Buckeyes secondary filled with NFL talent -- and he may just end up being the best of the bunch. 

Jeremiah Smith ready to steal headlines 

Talk about hype. Few freshmen in recent memory have generated as much buzz as Jeremiah Smith, who's poised for a starting role in Ohio State's offense and will be a featured option despite never taking a collegiate snap. It's a rare position for a first-year Buckeyes player to be in, reminiscent of program legend Cris Carter. It's certainly not surprising to see Smith in this position, since he was the first wide receiver in 247Sports history rate as the nation's No. 1 overall prospect. All eyes will be on the heralded offensive weapon as he takes the field Saturday. 

QB Howard ready to lead new-look Buckeyes offense

Chip Kelly is sure to introduce his own wrinkles into Ohio State's offense. Those plans will center on getting the most out of Kansas State transfer Will Howard, who's set to make his first start for the Buckeyes Saturday afternoon. Howard may not fit the mold of the gunslingers we're used to seeing don the scarlet and grey -- he had a 58.8% career completion rate with the Wildcats -- but he is a punishing runner that brings the physicality Day has desired in recent years. He's also one of the many gems in what turned out to be a transfer class stacked with quality.