College Football

No. 2 Ohio State cruises to 56-0 win over Western Michigan

Published Sep. 7, 2024 11:38 p.m. ET

Quinshon Judkins rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns, freshman Jeremiah Smith had 119 receiving yards and a touchdown, and No. 2 Ohio State scored 35 points in the first half on the way to a 56-0 rout of Western Michigan on Saturday.

Will Howard, in his second start for Ohio State, completed his first 10 passes and finished 18 for 26 for 292 yards and ran for a score before he was relieved late in the third quarter.

Both of the end-around scoring runs for Judkins went for 26 yards. TreVeyon Henderson also rushed for two touchdowns.

Smith, the top-rated recruit in the 2024 class, had one of the most thrilling plays of the night. He caught a seven-yard pass from Howard and outran defenders to turn it into a 70-yard TD in the first quarter. He had two touchdown catches last week against Akron in his debut.

Ohio State rolled up 683 yards while holding the Broncos to just 99. Western Michigan managed only five yards in the entire second half.

The takeaway

The Broncos played Wisconsin tough in Week 1, staying in the game until almost the end. The Buckeyes were a much tougher customer.

Unlike in Week 1 when Ohio State came out a little clunky, the Buckeyes rolled over the Broncos from the start. Six different players scored touchdowns.

Western Michigan Broncos vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Highlights

Poll implications

The Buckeyes looked powerful and showed off all their weapons against a mismatched team. But with No. 3 Texas beating No. 10 Michigan 31-12 on the road, the Longhorns made a case for moving up.

Western Michigan will host FCS squad Bethune-Cookman next Saturday. Meanwhile, Ohio State has a week off. It'll continue its tune-up schedule by hosting Marshall from the Sun Belt Conference the following Saturday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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