Buckeye junior running back Quinshon Judkins (1) scores a touchdown against Marshall University Saturday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
The Buckeye offensive attack that many fans hoped for all offseason was showcased against the Thundering Herd Saturday.
No. 3 Ohio State beat Marshall University 49-14 thanks to a pair of rushing touchdowns from senior running back TreVeyon Henderson and junior running back Quinshon Judkins.
Judkins led all rushers with 173 yards on the ground, also adding two catches for 14 yards in the air.
“I think what you’re seeing is an identity that’s slowly getting molded here, where we are explosive on the perimeter,” coach Ryan Day said. “I don’t think it was perfect, but I see our receivers blocking on the perimeter in some of these screen plays.”
Marshall opened with an efficient drive thanks to redshirt senior quarterback Stone Earle, who completed five of six passes, throwing for 43 yards on the opening drive. The drive was capped off by Marshall senior running back Ethan Payne, who rushed up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown.
It wouldn’t take long for the Buckeyes to strike back.
After a 2-yard rush by Henderson, graduate wide receiver Emeka Egbuka took a short pass from graduate quarterback Will Howard 68 yards to the house, tying the game at 7-7.
Less than two minutes later, a three-and-out by the Buckeye defense gave Ohio State the ball back.
Howard and the Buckeyes marched down the field again, but this time it didn’t result in a touchdown. Instead, Howard unleashed a bomb to freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith that was intercepted by Marshall junior defensive back Josh Moten, marking the quarterback’s first pick of the year.
“I’m going to trust No. 4 every day of the week, and he’s going to make that play,” Howard said. “Sometimes things happen, it’s football. And you know what? We had to come back and bounce back.”
An eight-play, 39-yard drive set the Herd up with a fourth-and-one on its own 48-yard line, but Stone slipped for a 3-yard loss and forced a Marshall turnover on downs.
Ohio State quickly capitalized off this turnover, with Howard beginning the Buckeyes’ drive with a 11-yard checkdown to Judkins.
The Buckeyes’ run game took it from there.
A 29-yard rush from Judkins placed the ball inside the 5-yard line, followed by a short rush by Henderson and a 1-yard sneak by Howard, which gave Ohio State a 14-7 lead just three minutes into the second half.
Judkins said he’s trying to take this season one game at a time, improving himself as much as possible throughout the process.
“I approach the game in a way to be better with my coaches,” Judkins said. “That’s what you’re here for, to help me improve, and go out and make my game better on a day-to-day basis, so I’m trying to prove that.”
After an Ohio State three-and-out, Buckeye senior wide receiver Jayden Ballard muffed a punt that was recovered by the Thundering Herd, though an illegal formation on Marshall negated the play.
The following play, Judkins broke free for a 86-yard touchdown, tying the third-longest rush in Ohio State football history and giving the Buckeyes a 21-7 lead.
The Buckeye defense got off the field yet again, and Howard completed two passes to Egbuka for 36 total yards. Just moments later, Henderson juked his way to the endzone for a 14-yard touchdown rush, putting the Buckeyes up by 21.
“With [Henderson] being in there, I was super excited to see how he ran, just supporting him from afar,” Judkins said. “So, it was pretty successful and I enjoyed it.”
On the following kickoff, junior kicker Jayden Fielding kicked the ball out of bounds for the third straight time, earning both a penalty and boos from the Buckeye crowd.
The Herd capitalized, swiftly driving down the field. For the second game in a row, a targeting penalty disqualified a Buckeye defender, this time junior defensive lineman Caden Curry.
The next play, Thundering Herd redshirt junior wide receiver Elijah Metcalf hauled in a 13-yard pass from Earle to cut Ohio State’s lead to 14 with six seconds left in the half.
Out of the break, Ohio State cruised down the field with a six-play drive. Henderson capped off the drive once again, using a stiff arm on his way to a 40-yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes a 35-14 lead.
After an unsuccessful Marshall drive, a 21-yard punt return by Ballard gave Ohio State possession near midfield. One play later, Smith took a pass from Howard and sprinted 53 yards to the endzone, extending the Buckeye lead to 28.
The Buckeye defense’s third three-and-out of the game gave Ohio State the ball back with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate hauled in 13- and 30-yard grabs to push Ohio State into enemy territory. After multiple short gains by the Buckeye offense, Judkins finished off the drive with a 6-yard dive into the endzone to finalize the team’s 49-14 lead.
“I think the mindset of me and my teammates as a whole is to play with bad intentions,” Judkins said. “I think that’s the mindset; I’m going to do my job, I’m going to try to score every time I get the ball.”
This story was updated at 9:41 a.m. on Sept. 23 to correct “reign” to “rein” in the headline.
