Quinshon Judkins rushed for 108 yards and scored two touchdowns, while freshman Jeremiah Smith caught a 119-yard touchdown pass as No. 2 Ohio State scored 35 points in the first half and defeated Western Michigan 56-0 on Saturday.
Will Howard, making his second start for Ohio State, completed his first 10 passes and ended the game with 18 completions on 26 attempts for 292 yards, adding a rushing touchdown before being substituted late in the third quarter.
“I think we played well tonight, but there’s still some plays we left out there, some meat we left on the bone,” Howard said. “I think that’s the exciting thing about this team. We have so many guys that are doing so many good things, but we can still build on it and grow and become a better team.”
Judkins scored on two end-around runs of 26 yards each, and TreVeyon Henderson also added two rushing touchdowns.
Smith, who is the top recruit for the 2024 class, made a standout play by catching a seven-yard pass from Howard and turning it into a 70-yard touchdown in the first quarter. He had two touchdown catches in his debut last week against Akron.
Ohio State gained 683 yards while limiting Western Michigan to just 99 yards. The Broncos managed only five yards in the second half. Twelve players caught passes, and eight, including quarterbacks, carried the ball.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day values the experience gained in such games and does not apologize for large margins of victory.
“We try to be respectful, and there’s no question about that,” Day said. “But we also have to let our guys learn and make mistakes because as we know, down the road we’re going to need these guys in a game. The only way to figure it out is to get them in the game (now).”
