Halftime Analysis: C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr. Look Completely Unstoppable Against Toledo
Halftime Score: Ohio State 42, Toledo 14
It was my hope this week that Ohio State would have a clinical performance after two straight games of mostly high execution.
It sure seems they've settled into an offensive rhythm as they prepare for Big Ten play to begin next week.
The Buckeyes racked up a ridiculous 287 yards of total offense IN THE FIRST QUARTER. C.J. Stroud was nearly perfect in the opening 15 minutes, going 12-for-14 for 211 yards and two touchdown passes.
By halftime, the offense had run 42 plays, scored 42 points, accumulated 25 first downs and didn't run a single play for negative yardage.
Complete and total domination.
The biggest storyline for Ohio State leading into the game was the anticipation of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming returning to the field, but it's becoming obvious that Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are seemingly impossible to cover.
It's also becoming clear that Cade Stover is a legitimate weapon at tight end and Ryan Day is having fun dialing up some plays for him.
TreVeyon Henderson left the game with an apparent left leg injury after scoring a touchdown on the opening drive. He went to the locker room for about 15 minutes before coming back to the sideline, still in full pads. But he hasn't returned to the field since that first drive.
In his stead, Miyan Williams has seen increased touches and has looked terrific.
For as completely overwhelming as the offense has looked, the Buckeye defense has had its hands full with a solid, dual-threat quarterback in Dequan Finn. He extended the pocket and threw a bomb for a 50-yard TD pass in the first quarter, then he scrambled for a touchdown in the second quarter. He also picked up some critical yardage with his feet on non-scoring plays.
He's a very good player and has been problematic at times for the Buckeyes.
Perhaps the most notable absence wasn't in the secondary, where we found out within an hour of kickoff that Josh Proctor and Tanner McCalister were unavailable tonight. Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr., who has arguably been Ohio State's best defensive player so far this season (and whom several teammates have referred to as Aaron Donald in the making), was in full uniform on the sideline but never saw the field in the first half.
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