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AKRON |
OHIOST |
Freshman Jeremiah Smith makes 2 TD catches, No. 2 Ohio State beats Akron 52-6 in opener
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Freshman Jeremiah Smith caught two touchdown passes and No. 2 Ohio State overcame a sluggish start to bury Akron 52-6 in the opener for both teams Saturday.
Under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Buckeyes needed nearly all of the first half to start running smoothly against the overmatched Zips.
Smith dropped the first pass thrown to him on the opening drive. The Buckeyes punted, leading to an Akron field goal.
Smith redeemed himself, however, turning around to make a slick catch in the end zone of a 16-yard pass from Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard for a touchdown.
Late in the first half, the much-hyped receiver from South Florida caught a 9-yard pass in the end zone with cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson draped all over him. That put the Buckeyes up 17-3 at the half.
A 45-yard contested catch in the third quarter set up a 2-yard scoring run by Quinshon Judkins, the first as a Buckeye for the Mississippi transfer.
“I just want to go out and play football and play my game,” said Smith, the top player in the 2024 recruiting class. “I know all the hype around me was crazy coming in. I just wanted to come in and be a guy (who’s) just working.”
Akron coach Joe Moorhead said Smith “is as advertised.”
“Just to see that kid playing in person, after all the kind of pomp and circumstance leading up to it, he lived up to the billing," Moorhead said.
Howard finished 17 for 28 for 228 yards and three TDs.
The Zips got field goals of 48 and 49 yards by Garrison Smith.
The Buckeyes were seven-touchdown favorites, but didn't look like it for most of the first half. The offensive line, especially, seems to still be a work in progress. They finally started to tune up and roll in the second half.
“I thought we were a little uptight early on, and we can’t play like that,” Day said.
Akron’s starting quarterback, Ben Finley, was shaken up in the first offensive series on a late hit by Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. The Cal transfer was spelled for a series by backup Tahj Bullock but at times after that seemed in distress. He exited the game for good in the third quarter with what Moorhead described as a lower-body injury. Bullock, who also lined up elsewhere on offense when Finley was in the game, recorded 68 passing yards, 42 rushing yards and even caught two passes for four yards.
Ohio State called for a moment of silence before the game for Johnny Gaudreau, the Columbus Blue Jackets star who died along with his brother in a bicycling accident on Thursday night.
Akron: At Rutgers next Saturday.
Ohio State: Hosts Western Michigan next Saturday.
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T. Bullock
12 QB 68 PaYds, 42 RuYds |
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W. Howard
18 QB 228 PaYds, 3 PaTDs, 18 RuYds |
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 10 | 23 |
Rushing | 4 | 11 |
Passing | 5 | 11 |
Penalty | 1 | 1 |
3rd Down Conv | 4-16 | 9-14 |
4th Down Conv | 2-3 | 0-1 |
Total Net Yards | 177 | 404 |
Total Plays | 64 | 64 |
Avg Gain | 2.8 | 6.3 |
Net Yards Rushing | 47 | 170 |
Rush Attempts | 35 | 33 |
Avg Rush Yards | 1.3 | 5.2 |
Yards Passing | 130 | 234 |
Comp. - Att. | 18-29 | 18-31 |
Yards Per Pass | 3.1 | 7.5 |
Penalties - Yards | 5-35 | 7-45 |
Touchdowns | 0 | 6 |
Rushing TDs | 0 | 2 |
Passing TDs | 0 | 3 |
Other | 0 | 1 |
Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
Fumbles - Lost | 1-1 | 1-0 |
Int. Thrown | 2 | 0 |
Punts - Avg | 6-48.2 | 3-44.7 |
Return Yards | 0 | 86 |
Punts - Returns | 0-0 | 4-60 |
Kickoffs - Returns | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Int. - Returns | 0-0 | 2-26 |
Safeties | 0 | 0 |
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Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
T. Bullock
12 QB
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T. Bullock | 9/13 | 68 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Finley
10 QB
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B. Finley | 8/14 | 53 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Roggow
6 QB
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B. Roggow | 1/2 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
T. Bullock
12 QB
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T. Bullock | 14 | 42 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Kellom
22 RB
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C. Kellom | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Williams
24 RB
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J. Williams | 3 | 8 | 0 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Simmons
8 RB
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J. Simmons | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Finley
10 QB
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B. Finley | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
J. Newell
88 TE
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J. Newell | 3 | 2 | 41 | 0 | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Golden
4 WR
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B. Golden | 5 | 3 | 32 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Simmons
8 RB
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J. Simmons | 4 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Kellom
22 RB
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C. Kellom | 6 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Cravaack
85 TE
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C. Cravaack | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I. Polk
5 WR
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I. Polk | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Bullock
12 QB
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T. Bullock | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
P. Davis
16 WR
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P. Davis | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Rush
3 WR
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J. Rush | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A. Norton
15 WR
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A. Norton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
D. David
2 S
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D. David | 4-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Lewis
24 CB
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D. Lewis | 3-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
P. Lewis III
9 DB
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P. Lewis III | 3-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Nunnally IV
19 DL
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C. Nunnally IV | 2-3 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Golden-Nelson
3 CB
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D. Golden-Nelson | 2-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Greenwood
26 DB
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A. Greenwood | 2-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Adler
1 DL
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B. Adler | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. McCoy
40 LB
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B. McCoy | 1-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Dall
41 DL
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B. Dall | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Cooper
7 LB
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S. Cooper | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Cheatom
22 DL
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K. Cheatom | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Spriggs
42 LB
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M. Spriggs | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
N. Roach
14 S
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N. Roach | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Anderson
4 CB
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J. Anderson | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Fish
10 LB
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A. Fish | 0-5 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. White
21 DB
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C. White | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Murphy
54 DL
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K. Murphy | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
N. Kapongo
99 DL
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N. Kapongo | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
L. Lavea
5 DL
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L. Lavea | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
G. Smith
37 K
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G. Smith | 2/2 | 49 | 0/0 | 6 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
A. Book
45 P
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A. Book | 6 | 48.2 | 2 | 60 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
T. Henderson
32 RB
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T. Henderson | 8 | 65 | 0 | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Q. Judkins
1 RB
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Q. Judkins | 13 | 55 | 1 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Peoples
20 RB
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J. Peoples | 6 | 30 | 1 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
W. Howard
18 QB
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W. Howard | 4 | 18 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Williams-Dixon
24 RB
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S. Williams-Dixon | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
J. Smith
4 WR
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J. Smith | 9 | 6 | 92 | 2 | 45 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Tate
17 WR
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C. Tate | 5 | 4 | 58 | 1 | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
E. Egbuka
2 WR
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E. Egbuka | 7 | 4 | 51 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Henderson
32 RB
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T. Henderson | 2 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Rodgers
13 WR
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B. Rodgers | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Ballard
9 WR
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J. Ballard | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Inniss
11 WR
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