Western Michigan (0-1) at No. 2 Ohio State (1-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Ohio State by 38 1/2.
Series record: Ohio State leads 1-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Ohio State should have a slightly tougher time against Western Michigan than it did against Akron last week, when the Buckeyes started slowly but then rolled to a 52-6 win. The Broncos looked good at times in an opening loss to Wisconsin that was much closer than the 28-14 final score. The No. 2 Buckeyes get a second Mid-American Conference team in a row and will have another chance to tune up against Marshall before getting to the Big Ten schedule at Michigan State on Sept. 28. Ohio State will try to iron out some of the miscues in the passing game and get offensive linemen working together better.
KEY MATCHUP
Ohio State’s passing game vs. Western Michigan’s defense. The Broncos held the Badgers to 192 yards passing and just 5.3 yards per pass. Ohio State’s passing attack directed by QB Will Howard looked clunky at times, but the Buckeyes’ receivers are too good to be harnessed for long.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Western Michigan: RB Jalen Buckley rushed for 64 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Wisconsin.
Ohio State: Freshman WR Jeremiah Smith had six catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns in his highly anticipated debut last week against Akron.
FACTS & FIGURES
Ohio State beat Western Michigan 38-12 in their only meeting in 2015. … The Buckeyes’ 170 yards rushing included 65 yards by TreVeyon Henderson and 55 yards and TD by Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. … Broncos’ fifth-year QB Hayden Wolff was 12 for 18 for 141 yards and an interception against Wisconsin. … Buckley was one of five 1,000-yard rushers in the MAC last season (1,003), averaging 5.3 yards per carry, and ran for 10 touchdowns. … Western Michigan finished 4-8 overall and just 3-5 in the conference in 2023. … Wolff distributed passes to eight different receivers against Wisconsin. … Broncos LB Donald Willis and CB Bilhal Kone led the Broncos in tackles with 10 each last week. … Ohio State is 37-1 all-time vs. MAC schools and has won 34 straight since losing to Akron in 1894. … The Buckeyes are off next week before hosting Marshall Sept. 21. The off week after the second game of the season is the earliest off week for Ohio State since 1999.
___
AP college football: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
