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Bottom line: How did the Buckeyes grade vs. Western Kentucky? How did OSU's offense grade?

brian white, columbus dispatch
·2 min read

A pass-happy Western Kentucky team was grounded and overpowered. Ohio State ran and threw the ball at will.

Now it's time for a tasty matchup with Notre Dame.

For now, though, how did the Buckeyes grade in their win over Western Kentucky? Leaves are awarded on a zero-to-five basis.

Ohio State's Marvin Harrison's 75-yard touchdown against Western Kentucky is the Buckeyes's longest scoring play of the season.
Ohio State's Marvin Harrison's 75-yard touchdown against Western Kentucky is the Buckeyes's longest scoring play of the season.

Ohio State offense (5 leaves)

The Buckeyes rolled up 562 yards of offense, with quarterback Kyle McCord leading the way by completing 19 of 23 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns. They also averaged 6.5 yards per rush.

A 50% effort on third downs can be improved, but they were 2 for 2 on fourth downs.

Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers' interception was one of four turnovers the Buckeyes forced against Western Kentucky.
Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers' interception was one of four turnovers the Buckeyes forced against Western Kentucky.

Ohio State defense (5 leaves)

Ohio State held Austin Reed, last year's national leader in passing yards, to 207 yards on 21-for-37 passing. A big factor was the Buckeyes holding the Hilltoppers to 3 of 16 on third-down attempts and 3 of 6 on fourth downs. Interceptions by Steele Chambers and Jermaine Matthews (for a TD) were key, and Josh Proctor dropped a chance at another pick. The defensive highlight was big man Tyleik Williams recovering a fumble for a touchdown after a big hit by cornerback Denzel Burke.

Ohio State special teams (3 leaves)

Not much going on here. No field goal tries, and Ohio State punted only twice, both in the second half, with Jesse Mirco averaging 37 yards per try. Xavier Johnson returned two kickoffs for 40 yards.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day celebrates with quarterback Kyle McCord during the Buckeyes' 63-10 win over Western Kentucky.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day celebrates with quarterback Kyle McCord during the Buckeyes' 63-10 win over Western Kentucky.

Ohio State coaching (5 leaves)

Ohio State could have overlooked a third consecutive outmanned opponent, but Ryan Day's staff had the Buckeyes focused. Perhaps the struggles of the first two games helped that.

Western Kentucky dropped to 2-1 with their 63-10 loss to Ohio State.
Western Kentucky dropped to 2-1 with their 63-10 loss to Ohio State.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2 leaves)

The Hilltoppers showed spark at the outset, and Reed looked like he was heading for a big day. But in the end, Reed threw for only 207 yards on 37 passes, an average of 9.3 yards per completion. On defense, WKU was simply out-talented by OSU receivers.

There were 100,217 fans in attendance to watch Ohio State top the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky 63-10.
There were 100,217 fans in attendance to watch Ohio State top the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky 63-10.

Fun factor (4 leaves)

The high-flying Ryan Day offense returned, the defense was playing fast and the weather was perfect.

Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock jars the ball loose from Western Kentucky wide receiver Blue Smith. OSU recovered the resulting fumble.
Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock jars the ball loose from Western Kentucky wide receiver Blue Smith. OSU recovered the resulting fumble.

Officials (4 leaves)

Officials missed Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers being held on Western Kentucky's first touchdown, but got a holding call correct on OSU's Emeka Egbuka, negating a big run by Marvin Harrison Jr.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football grades after OSU win over Western Kentucky