Three important statistics: Ohio State has a nearly 50/50 passing and running attack and the Buckeyes dominate defensively in the second half of the win over Marshall
Things looked easy for Ohio State through the final three quarters of its final non-conference game of the season on Saturday afternoon.
After a slow start on both sides of the ball, Ohio State picked up pace in the second quarter and held Marshall scoreless in the second half to dominate in a 49-14 victory over the Thundering Herd.
We looked at three important statistics from the Buckeyes’ third win of the season.
289 passing yards, 280 rushing yards
50-50 seems ideal for any offense, and many offenses desire it, at least on paper. The running game opens up the passing attack and vice versa. Although this rarely comes to fruition, Ohio State’s offense came as close to 50-50 as it could get against Marshall on Saturday afternoon.
With Will Howard (275 passing yards) and Devin Brown (14), Ohio State threw for 289 yards, while five Buckeyes ran for a combined 280 yards. OSU’s 280 rushing yards are the most since November 11, 2022 (340 against Indiana).
12.45 yards per run and four touchdowns for Q and Tre
In case it wasn’t known during the first three weeks of the season, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are the best running back duo in the country and two of the best running backs in college football.
In just over two quarters, the two combined for 202 yards and three touchdowns in twelve attempts, with only a paltry two rushing yards in the entire first quarter.
Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson on the opening drive of the third quarter: 202 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) 21 September 2024
After rushing for 108 yards in OSU’s final game, Judkins’ first 100-yard game as a Buckeye, the standout running back posted 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Marshall, his best mark since Sept. 30, 2023 (177 against LSU). Judkins’ 12.4 yards per carry was a career high, surpassing the 12.0 yards per carry he averaged against Western Michigan two weeks ago.
This cut from Quinshon pic.twitter.com/qXb373tK05
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) 21 September 2024
Quinshon Judkins pic.twitter.com/vTEISqCZfZ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) 21 September 2024
Quinshon Judkins sent a Marshall defender into the dirt on this touchdown run pic.twitter.com/jirE9b5Szm
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) 21 September 2024
Henderson, meanwhile, made the most of his opportunities. Despite only having six carries against Marshall, Henderson managed 76 total yards and two touchdowns. His 12.7 yards per carry was a career high, as he never averaged more than 11.7 yards per carry (September 18, 2021, against Tulsa).
He is called Touchdown Tre for a reason. pic.twitter.com/M85uEWziNJ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) 21 September 2024
TreVeyon Henderson provided the bang and momentum on this 40-yard touchdown run pic.twitter.com/cXruK5eJAS
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) 21 September 2024
61 yards allowed in the second half
The first half was certainly not the best performance from the Ohio State defense, especially this season. After allowing just six points (no touchdowns) in the first two games of the season, Marshall managed to gain two touchdowns and 202 yards in the first half against Ohio State, including 121 in the first quarter. Of the 15 minutes in the first quarter, the Thundering Herd had the ball for 13:01, dominating time of possession.
Marshall’s 203 yards in the first half are already the most Ohio State’s defense has allowed in a game this season.
The Buckeyes held Akron to 177 total yards and Western Michigan to 99 total yards.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) 21 September 2024
Whether it was due to the halftime adjustments or simply Ohio State waking up a little, the Buckeyes played much better defensively in the second half. OSU held Marshall scoreless over the final two quarters, while Ohio State limited the Thundering Herd to just 61 yards in the final two quarters of the game.
