Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws during the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 52-6.
Western Michigan could be forgiven for feeling like it was part of the Big Ten’s most recent expansion, which increased membership to 18 schools.
The Broncos (0-1) will face their second straight Big Ten opponent when they play No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus, following a 28-14 loss at Wisconsin last Friday. The Broncos held a 14-13 lead entering the fourth quarter.
For second-year Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor, it was confirmation that his program is headed in the right direction after a 4-8 record in 2023.
“We have to learn how to finish, but I think sometimes you learn more from defeat than from victory, and it’s only a failure if we don’t learn from it,” he said. “We have a group of guys who want to take responsibility for what we’re doing. They believe in what we’re doing and they’re committed.”
Trying to win under the lights in Madison, Wisconsin, was tough, but the challenge is even greater in the prime-time matchup against the Buckeyes (1-0).
Ohio State started slowly but eventually beat Akron 52-6 in its opener and hopes to be more accurate against the Broncos, who have played a Big Ten opponent in 18 of the past 20 seasons. This is the seventh time during that span that they have played two Big Ten teams in one season.
“I think it’s good for us to see them play another Big Ten opponent, just to compare what we’re seeing,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “I think they played well in that game. They were tough and they have a good team.”
The Buckeyes introduced their final star receiver, rookie Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s top recruit in the class of 2024. He got off to a poor start against Akron by dropping the first ball thrown to him and then getting flagged for a false start on the next play.
He rebounded to make six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, making life easy for quarterback Will Howard in his Ohio State debut after four seasons at Kansas State.
“Jeremiah is a guy,” Howard said. “If you cover him one-on-one, he’s going to win, and in the end, this is just the beginning for him.”
Howard missed his first four passes, but completed 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards and three TDs.
“He’s got a lot of experience and I think that shows,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “He still needs to get experience in what we’re doing and that’s part of the process.”
Day has stressed the importance of not overlooking any opponent with the new 12-team College Football Playoff system.
The Buckeyes have a bye the week after Western Michigan, then play Marshall on Sept. 21 before opening conference play at Michigan State on Sept. 28.
It’s a considerably softer preconference schedule than the past two seasons, when Ohio State played Notre Dame.
“When you look at what the CFP looks at in terms of your ranking, I think every little thing is going to matter,” Day said. “So whether you’re a top-four team, or a fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth team, you want to do everything you can to put yourself in the best position possible going forward.”
“Now when we talk about 1 through 12, there’s a lot more conversation and I think we certainly control our own destiny in terms of every game we play, and we’re going to do that.”
–Field level media
