The Buckeyes remain undefeated against the MAC all-time at 31-0, handing WMU its largest margin of defeat since 2013.
There is no bully more threatening to the Mid-American Conference than the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State entered Saturday night 30-0 all-time vs. the MAC, and the Buckeyes doubled down on their dominance under the lights at the Horseshoe to improve to 31-0, taming the Western Michigan Broncos in a 56-0 shutout.
After defeating Akron 52-6 in the opening week, the Buckeyes improved to 2-0 over the conference this year with an aggregate score of 108-6. Western Michigan’s 56-point shortcoming wasn’t exactly unique, but more of the standard result in the one-sided Ohio State vs. MAC series as the Buckeyes have won six consecutive games over the conference by more than 45 points.
The Broncos suffered their first shutout since falling 24-0 to Northern Illinois last November, but it was their largest margin of defeat since 2013 when they lost 56-3 to Iowa.
Ohio State scored its first touchdown four minutes in and the scoring barrage didn’t subside until the final five minutes of action. The Buckeyes held a 21-0 advantage after the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime, effectively putting the game away early, one week after Western Michigan battled to the wire against another Big Ten opponent.
The Buckeyes out-gained Western Michigan 683-99, nearly outdoing the Broncos’ offensive production by sevenfold. The Broncos couldn’t establish a ground game and averaged fewer than a yard per attempt, generating 28 yards on 31 rushes in the blowout. Not much more progress was had through the air, as quarterback Hayden Wolff completed 8-of-15 passes for 71 yards, and the Broncos remain just one of five FBS teams without a passing touchdown in 2024.
Western Michigan attempted one field goal from 42 yards out in the middle of the first quarter. Outside of the missed kick, every single Broncos possession concluded in a punt. They sent out the punting unit 11 times and 10 of those were to wrap up three-and-out drives.
Ohio State essentially outplayed the Broncos with a slew of talented players, ranging from running back Quinshon Judkins who posted 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns on nine carries to true freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith who totaled 119 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions.
If there’s any silver lining of a brutal defeat for Western Michigan, it’s that the Broncos didn’t commit self-inflicted errors to beat themselves. Western Michigan avoided a single turnover and only committed one penalty in the defeat. It was a stark contrast to the Week 1 matchup, however, when the Broncos held a 14-13 fourth quarter lead over Wisconsin before turnovers doomed them down the stretch.
Ohio State (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) takes a bye week before hosting Marshall to conclude its non-conference slate, while Western Michigan (0-2, 0-0 MAC) is one of four MAC programs still in search of its first win. The Broncos receive their best opportunity at a win column appearance next Saturday, hosting FCS opponent Bethune-Cookman at Waldo Stadium.