Ohio State Buckeyes' Ryan Day Reveals Key To Fast Start vs Western Michigan

Unlike last week, the Ohio State Buckeyes got off to a very quick start in their win over the Western Michigan Broncos in Week 2.

Sep 7, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day applauds his defense during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ohio State Buckeyes hammered the Western Michigan Broncos by a score of 56-0 on Saturday, and while the score looked similar to their 52-6 win over the Akron Zips in Week 1, there was a massive difference in how things panned out from start to finish.

Unlike last weekend, Ohio State got off to a terrific start against Western Michigan, scoring 21 points in the first quarter.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day explained how he knew his team would have much more early success this time around.

“It was just the way we practiced this week. There was good energy in practice," Day said, via Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors. “Attention to detail was good. ... All of it was sharp. ... It was an energy about it.”

Clearly, something was different for Ohio State in Week 2.

Perhaps the Buckeyes merely had some jitters against Akron. They fell behind 3-0 in the early going and didn't score until the 2:44 mark of the first period. They then took a rather underwhelming 17-3 into halftime.

That was night and day from the Western Michigan matchup, when Ohio State built a resounding 35-0 after two quarters of play.

Day made it very clear all week that he expected a much better effort from the Buckeyes versus the Broncos, and obviously, his players answered the bell.

Ohio State outgained Western Michigan in total yards 683 to 99 and racked up 31 first downs compared to just six for the Broncos. The only blemish was that the Buckeyes were penalized seven times.