Ohio State is looking good through the first two weeks of the season, and the Buckeyes improved on the slow start that plagued the unit in Week 1.

Facing Western Michigan in Week 2, the Buckeyes rolled out to a massive lead with touchdowns on 5 of their first 6 offensive possessions. It seemed nothing could slow down Ohio State as Ryan Day watched his team build a 35-0 halftime lead.

Things did not change in the 3rd quarter with Ohio State pulling all of its starters before the game even reached the 4th. It was the definition of a game with Ohio State in total control, and the final score ultimately turned into a 56-0 rout.

Here are the key takeaways from the win:

Rushing TDs pave the way

While the passing attack did rack up over 400 yards, most of the scoring came via the ground game. In fact, Ohio State finished the game with 6 rushing touchdowns, tied for the most in a single game since 1987.

Making things more impressive is that those touchdowns were spread across 4 players. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, the 2 leaders in the backfield, both scored a pair of touchdowns, and it was Judkins who rushed for 108 yards for his first 100-yard outing with the Buckeyes.

James Peoples, a true freshman, also saw extensive action in the 2nd half and scored a touchdown in the win. Starting quarterback Will Howard added a rushing touchdown of his own to bring the total to 6.

Jeremiah Smith ties elite OSU freshmen

Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State’s star freshman receiver, is not slowing down. In fact, Smith punctuated his evening with a 70-yard touchdown and registered his first 100-yard game in college with 5 catches for 119 yards.

Combined with his Week 1 numbers, Smith already has 11 catches — 3 of which have gone for touchdowns. That means he has already tied Chris Olave and Marvin Harrison Jr. for 5th on the freshmen TD list with 3.

The single season record for TD catches by a freshman? That belongs to NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter with 8 during the 1984 season.

Teams will start to adjust and account for Smith as the competition gets tougher, but it would seem unwise to bet against Smith hitting 8 touchdowns from what we’ve seen in his first two games.

Penalties remain a concern

When you are dropping 50 points on your competition, it can feel like nitpicking to harp on any issues. However, penalties pose a potential problem for Ohio State in the first two weeks.

In the season opener vs. Akron, Ohio State had 7 penalties, and the Buckeyes followed that up with 6 penalties for 58 yards against Western Michigan. On the surface, that’s not a major issue, but it is the one thing Day circled during his radio show this week.

Day said he wanted to see a clean game from the Buckeyes this weekend, and there are certainly a few areas to clean up after Week 2. Ohio State gets one more tune-up game in Week 3 vs. Marshall before the B1G slate kicks in at the end of the month.

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