Ryan Day leads the Buckeyes across the field and into the locker rooms prior to Ohio State’s Saturday game against Akron. The Buckeyes went on to win 52-6. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor
The No. 2 Buckeyes will seek their second consecutive victory over a Mid-American Conference opponent Saturday, as they welcome the Western Michigan Broncos to Ohio Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
The Buckeyes are on the heels of a 52-6 victory over the Akron Zips. Western Michigan, on the other hand, is coming off a 28-14 loss against the Wisconsin Badgers, in a game that was initially predicted to be much worse for the Broncos.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said seeing Western Michigan compete with another opponent in the Buckeyes’ conference was helpful for the team.
“I think it is good for us to see them play another Big Ten opponent, just to compare what we’re seeing,” Day said.
In the Broncos’ first game — which took place in Madison, Wisconsin — their defense played well. Despite what their film showed from 2023, Western Michigan’s new defensive coordinator Scott Powers has brought a new look to the defensive roster.
Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said he believes the Broncos, despite losing to the Badgers, had the element of surprise on their side.
“If you ask Wisconsin, I think Western Michigan changed defensively from the year before really drastically,” Kelly said. “They were a 3-3 stack team, and they did not play 3-3 stack against Wisconsin.”
Ohio State graduate starting quarterback Will Howard said, after reviewing film, he’s noticed the Broncos’ defensive scheme is pretty standard.
“It’s not gonna try to fool you a lot with what they’re doing on our eyes,” Howard said. “But they’re pretty good at what they do, and I think they did a pretty good job against Wisconsin last week. They fought hard. I think they have some decent players.”
Howard said he believes the Buckeyes need to limit overthinking in their second game of the season.
“I think this week, we need to reframe our minds and just attack them however they give us opportunities,” Howard said.
Kelly said he knows his offense must be ready for anything and adapt on the fly. Though Kelly wants Ohio State to go out and win all four quarters, he also stressed that at the end of the day, it’s just a football game.
“You gotta go off of what they do for film, but you have to be prepared for everything,” Kelly said. “It’s still 11-on-11, so I think they can draw up some things, and do some different things and they may catch you with something, but there’s still a dynamic to how they’re gonna do it.”
In the end, Day isn’t worried about the other team as much as he is about his own.
“Ultimately, it comes to not your opponent, but you,” Day said. “I’ve been there before on both sides of this, and you just gotta come in and do what your guys know, and it comes back to your training in the end. We know that there’s certain things that we need to work on and improve on across the board, and that’s what we’re gonna focus on.”
