The Ohio State football team enters week four after taking a break during week three.
The Buckeyes are coming off a 56-0 win over Western Michigan in Week 2 and will host Marshall at Ohio Stadium.
OSU and Marshall scored early touchdowns, with the Buckeyes’ touchdown coming on a quick 68-yard pass and catch by Emeka Egbuka.
Ohio State last faced Marshall on September 2, 2010, winning 45-7, but the victory was overturned due to NCAA sanctions.
Scoreboard:
4:32, first quarter: Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw to Jeremiah Smith short as he ran down the right sideline. Although the freshman visibly tried to take the ball away from him, it landed in the arms of Marshall’s Josh Moten.
5:49, first quarter: The Buckeyes defense was much more successful in its second outing. Ohio State forced Marshall back three yards on the Herd’s final drive. OSU got the ball on the 24 after a short punt that Marshall luckily rolled.
7:32, first quarter: Emeka Egbuka caught a short pass, turned forward and followed a convoy of blockers before turning on the jets and racing past the Marshall defense to tie today’s game.
It was a 68-yard touchdown. Egbuka has caught a pass in each of the 27 games he has played for the Buckeyes.
8:14, first quarter: Ohio State’s streak of eight consecutive quarters without a touchdown ended with a 1-yard run by Ethan Payne. The Buckeyes’ defense played so dominant in 2024 that this drive also marked the first time in 10 drives that an OSU opponent even made it to the Buckeyes’ side.
Marshall converted all three third downs they faced. Thundering Herd quarterback Stone Earle completed 5 of 6 passes for 43 yards on a 75-yard touchdown drive.
Marshall called tails. The coin came up heads. Ohio State elected to defer and Jayden Fielding will kick toward the south end zone to begin the game.
- Referee: Bryan Banks
- Referee: Tim Gover
- Linesman: Gary Jagodzinski
- Back Judge: Jake Kemp
- Field Judge: Justin Nelson
- Assistant Judge: John Hayes
- Head Judge: Jason Nickleby
Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams will not be available for Saturday’s game against Marshall.
Williams was listed as unavailable on the availability report the Buckeyes sent to the Big Ten before kickoff, which did not specify any type of injury or illness. During warmups, Williams jogged around a bit with his teammates, though he was not wearing pads and sat out position/team drills.
The absence means they are without one of their best defensive players. With his 1.5 sacks, he is tied with JT Tuimoloau as the Buckeyes’ best player after two games.
In a season that saw him named to the All-Big Ten second team as a junior last fall, Williams led all Ohio State linemen with 53 tackles and is again the most successful this year with nine.
Because of his size and weight of 325 pounds, it is a challenge for opposing offensive linemen to block him on the inside.
Instead of Williams, the Buckeyes are expected to use either Kayden McDonald or Hero Kanu as the starter alongside Ty Hamilton.
More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman and Adam Jardy.
Kanu is the most experienced returning reserve defensive tackle, but McDonald has also impressed the team, playing 31 snaps in the wins over Akron and Western Michigan, nearly twice as many as the reserve interior linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. Kanu has logged 16 snaps.
After a week off, the Buckeyes are largely healthy. Williams is the only scholarship player unavailable for Marshall.
Donovan Jackson, the starting left guard who missed the first two weeks with an unspecified injury, remains on track for his season debut.
Jayden Bonsu, a redshirt freshman safety, and Devontae Armstrong, a freshman offensive lineman, are also available for the first time.
Watch Ohio State vs. Marshall live on Fubo (free trial)
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of September 21, 10:20am.
- Spread: Ohio State -39.5
- Over/Under: 53.5 points
Ohio State 52, Marshall 7: Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch says, “The Thundering Herd have shown some explosiveness in the running game, but a quarterback with a 44% completion rate doesn’t bode well against the Buckeyes’ stifling defense. Consider this the third straight warm-up before Big Ten play begins next week.”
Ohio State 48, Marshall 0: Joey Kaufman of The Columbus Dispatch says, “The most intriguing question is whether the Buckeyes can knock off a second straight opponent. They last did that in 2009, when they held Toledo and Illinois scoreless for two weeks in a row. That’s a real possibility, given Marshall’s offense, which ranks at the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision by most modern metrics. They rank 94th in expected points per game (EPA).”
Ohio State 56, Marshall 7: Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch says, “Now that Ohio State has gotten the hang of starting fast — heads are still spinning in Western Michigan — I expect the Buckeyes to go from 0 to 60 mph in a flash every week, or at least until the game against Oregon on Oct. 12.”
The Philadelphia Eagles sent two representatives to Ohio State’s game against Marshall on Saturday. The Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Chicago Bears also have representatives at Ohio Stadium.
What you need to know before Ohio State-Marshall:
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How Arvell Reese rose in Ohio State football’s linebacker rotation
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Ohio State vs. Marshall predictions, odds: Who will win the week 4 college football game?
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Ohio Stadium could be warm on Saturday for Ohio State’s game against Marshall. The high temperature on Saturday is expected to be 31 degrees, and sunny weather is forecast.
Series record: 1-0 Ohio State
Last Ohio State win: September 11, 2004: Ohio State 24, Marshall 21. Note: Ohio State beat Marshall 45-7 in 2010, but that is no longer considered a win because the game was canceled due to NCAA sanctions.
Western Michigan’s last win: N/A
- Date: Saturday, September 21
- Time: Noon
- Location: Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State vs. Marshall will air nationally on FOX during Week 4 of the 2024 college football season. Gus Johnson and Joel Klattt will provide commentary from the booth at Ohio Stadium, while Jenny Taft will report from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include the FOX Sports app and Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.
Ohio State University football games are broadcast live on WBNS-FM/AM (97.1/1460).
Here are the commentators for the Ohio State-Western Michigan game:
- Paul Keels (match report)
- Jim Lachey (analysis)
- Clay Hall (side job)
- August 31: Ohio State 52, Akron 6
- September 7: Ohio State vs. Western Michigan
- September 21: Ohio State vs. Marshall; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- September 28: Ohio State at Michigan State; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
- October 5: Ohio State vs. Iowa; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- October 12: Ohio State at Oregon; Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
- October 26: Ohio State vs. Nebraska; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- November 2: Ohio State at Penn State; Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
- November 9: Ohio State vs. Purdue; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- November 16: Ohio State at Northwestern; Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- November 23: Ohio State vs. Indiana; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- November 30: Ohio State vs. Michigan; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Record: 2:0
- August 31: Marshall 45, Stony Brook 3
- September 7: Virginia Tech 31, Marshall 14
- September 21: Marshall at Ohio State University, 12pm, FOX
- September 28: Marshall vs. Western Michigan, 3:30 p.m.
- October 5: Marshall vs. App State
- October 12: Marshall at Georgia Southern
- October 17: Marshall vs. Georgia State, 7 p.m.
- November 2: Marshall vs. ULM
- November 9: Marshall at Southern Miss
- November 16: Marshall vs. Coastal Carolina
- November 23: Marshall at Old Dominion
- November 30: Marshall at JMU
- Record: 1-1
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