By Danielle Daniels
Buckeyes are 2-0 on the season and coming off a bye week
FIRST AND TEN
- Ohio State, 2-0 and ranked No. 3 in the each of the Associated Press and coaches Top 25 polls, hosts the Marshall Thundering Herd Saturday in a Big Noon Kickoff game at Ohio Stadium.
- Marshall is 1-1 on the season with a 45-3 win over Stony Brook and a 31-14 loss at Virginia Tech.
- Both schools had off weeks this past weekend.
- Ohio State is seeking a 10th consecutive win in Ohio Stadium and head coach Ryan Day looks to improve his record to 20-5 vs. non-conf. foes.
- Day’s Buckeyes are off to a fine start as the team is eighth nationally in total offense at 543.5 yards per game and No. 1 nationally in total defense allowing just 138.0 yards per game. Ohio State is one of three teams – Tennessee and Louisville are the others – to rank in the Top 10 nationally in both total offense and total defense.
- Ohio State has experience: 21 players have made at least 10 starts (11 on defense; 10 on offense) and nine have made at least 20 starts. Leaders: CB Denzel Burke (37), RB TreVeyon Henderson (31), QB Will Howard (30), DE JT Tuimoloau (28).
- Ohio State opens Big Ten play next week at Michigan State. Game time is 7 p.m. EDT and it will be streamed on Peacock.
BY THE NUMBERS
1950: Six points allowed through the first two games is the third-fewest allowed by an Ohio State defense in 75 years … or since 1950. The OSU “D” did not give up a point through two games in 1963 or 1960.
6: Six rushing touchdowns vs. Western Michigan ties for the most under Ryan Day (Maryland; 2019). The last time Ohio State scored seven rushing touchdowns: 1986 in a 64-6 win over Utah.
+3: Ohio State is plus-3 in turnover margin with three takeaways (2 INTs; 1 FR) and no turnovers. A Buckeye has recovered each of the team’s three fumbles to date. The team is tied for 14th nationally in turnover margin.
.16: Ohio State’s defense has allowed an opponent’s offense to reach Ohio State territory only four times in 24 series (16 pct.) and it has currently stopped 10 consecutive drives from crossing the 50.
SCOUTING MARSHALL
- Like Ohio State, Marshall had last weekend off and is 1-1 entering today’s game. It was last in action on Sept. 7 when it lost to Virginia Tech, 31-14.
- Quarterback Stone Earle has started each of Marshall’s first two games and his stat line includes 228 yards passing and three touchdowns. His top target has been Christian Fitzpatrick, who has hauled in eight passes for 170 yards and a pair of scores.
- Running back A.J. Turner already has two 100-yard games to his credit and is averaging 15.9 yards per carry. He ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run in the season opener versus Stony Brook.
- Head coach Charles Huff is in his fourth season leading Marshall. In 2022, his Thundering Herd finished 9-4 overall, including a road win at No. 8 Notre Dame. Huff came to Marshall from Alabama where he was the Crimson Tide’s associate head coach and running backs coach in 2019-20.
A LIMITED HISTORY
- Despite being separated by only 136 miles, Ohio State and Marshall have a very limited history on the gridiron.
- The teams have met twice. The first game, in 2004, was won by Ohio State on an Ohio Stadium-record 55-yard Mike Nugent field goal as time expired.
- Ohio State was able to prevail that game despite three fourth quarter turnovers: two interceptions and a fumble.
- The second meeting, a 45-7 Ohio State win, is no longer a win as the game was vacated because of NCAA sanctions.
- Ohio State, thus, officially leads the series, 1-0.
- The 2010 game was played on a Thursday evening … the team’s first weeknight game since 1997.
BUCKEYE/HERD THUNDER
- Marshall University First Lady, Alys Smith, is an Ohio State graduate, as is one of Alys and Marshall President Brad Smith’s daughters: Devon.
- Some additional ties to the two schools: Marshall baseball coach Greg Beals coached 12 seasons at Ohio State (2011-22); former Marshall head coach Frank Ellwood (1975-78) was a quarterback and punter at Ohio State from 1954-56 and also coached for four years under Woody Hayes.
- Ellwood’s granddaughter is Jordyn Ellwood (Diebler), the wife of current Ohio State basketball coach Jake Diebler; another former Marshall head coach, George Chaump (1986-89), was an assistant under Woody Hayes at Ohio State for 11 seasons, including the 1968 national title year.
- Longtime WCMH-TV sports employees Jerod Smalley and Mike Klug are Marshall graduates. Smalley, in fact, grew up in Huntington, W.Va. and ran track for the Thundering Herd; WBNS-TV videographer Tim Flaherty is a Marshall graduate and he also played football for the Herd; and Columbus Blue Jacket host and announcer Dave Maetzold covered Ohio State for years after previously covering Marshall for a decade at WOWK-TV. (Special thanks to Jerod Smalley for his people insight and his cool school spirit.)
COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
