Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Jeremiah Smith is the truth.
He dropped a screen pass on the second play of the game and drew a 5-yard penalty for lining up in the backfield on the third, but Smith also left no doubt why he was the No. 1-rated recruit in the class of 2025.
Not only does the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder look the part of a college receiver, he displayed an impressive ability to track the ball on more than one catch.
Smith’s first touchdown came on a back-shoulder fade in which he turned and snatched the pigskin out of the air behind a defender in the end zone in the first quarter. In the third quarter, he was able to locate and go get a rainbow pass from Will Howard that looked like it might be too far inside for him to get to. That 45-yard play set up another OSU touchdown.
The last Ohio State true freshmen to enjoy such a debut was Michael Wiley, who touched the ball three times and scored touchdowns on all three in 1996 against Rice. He caught two long passes and scored on a 49-yard run to finish with 160 all-purpose yards.
2. The offense got off to a slow start.
Smith’s drop contributed, but the Buckeyes needed some time to get into gear.
They drove 75 yards in 14 plays for a touchdown on their second possession then had a turnover on downs and had to settle for a field goal on a possession that started at the Akron 33-yard line.
They found the end zone late in the second quarter then scored touchdowns on the first three possessions of the second half to win going away, however.
“I think just across the board they were a little uptight early on,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “They were kind of worked up, and you saw a couple things off and we got ourselves off schedule. I thought (offensive coordinator Chip Kelly) did a nice job of continually pushing the run. You can see that start to take its effect in the second half. Then I thought we started to settle in and started to have more fun. We started to play a little looser, which is the way we need to play.”
3. The defense locked in after one drive and scored twice before the day was over.
Akron drove 47 yards for a field goal on its first possession but only crossed midfield twice after that.
The first and second-team units both outscored the Zips as a whole as Lathan Ransom returned a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter, and reserve linebacker Gabe Powers returned an interception for score in the fourth quarter.
Making big plays was a point of emphasis all offseason, and the Buckeyes finished with five sacks among 10 tackles for loss.
C.J. Hicks, a junior linebacker from Alter High School, started at linebacker in place of an injured Cody Simon and finished with one of those sacks and six tackles overall.
The Zips might end up having the worst offense Ohio State sees all season, but every journey has to start somewhere.
4. The offensive line left something to be desired.
Donovan Jackson, the best returning player on the unit, missed the opener with an unidentified injury. That meant the interior line was all new with Lakota East grad Austin Siereveld taking his place at left guard, Seth McLaughlin at center and Lakota West alumnus Tegra Tshabola at right guard.
While McLaughlin was a two-year starter at Alabama, the other two were both making their first starts.
The Buckeyes were 2 for 5 in short-yardage situations but allowed no sacks and averaged over five yards per carry.
“When I looked at the numbers at halftime, I thought it was going to be much worse than it was,” said Day, whose team finished with 170 yards on 33 carries. “And then it looked much better in the second half. I just think there were some things off in there in the interior where guys were just not quite fitting it up right. Schematically we had some good ideas in what we were doing, and there were a couple of runs we could have hit better at running back. I thought they really settled in a little bit.”
5. Will Howard enjoyed the moment.
The Kansas State transfer said he planned to drink it all in when he made his first appearance in a real game at Ohio Stadium, and he did just that.
Then he completed only 48 percent of his passes in the first half.
The senior finished strong, though, going 7 for 7 in the second half to end with a line of 17-for-28 for 228 yards and 18 yards rushing.
“It’s cool man,” Howard said. “It’s a pretty friction cool stadium and the fans and the band. I’ve never been a part of so many different traditions, and it’s cool, man. It’s fun. It makes it more engaging for everyone involved, and just getting to experience all the stuff I’ve heard about was really fun. Now that I’ve got it all under my belt it’s business as usual from now on, but it’s still cool and still fun to appreciate it. I only have 12 opportunities guaranteed as a Buckeye so I’ve gotta soak it all in and enjoy it while I’m here.”
He also tossed three touchdown passes while learning to play with a bunch of guys who can do much of the work if he gives them the chance.
“It’s a freeing feeling when you know you can kind of just put the ball up and let those guys make adjustments, and you don’t have to be as perfect,” Howard said. “And that’s nothing against my guys. I had a ton of playmakers at K-State, and I love those guys, and those guys were making plays for me, too. But I’m just trying to talk about the dudes we got here, man. We got some dudes, and it showed out today.”
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