Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State recognizes players of the game from Youngstown State victory

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Ohio State recognizes players of the game from Youngstown State victory

Ohio State took care of business in its home opener against FCS Youngstown State over the weekend, 35-7. The Buckeyes still don’t have finality on their quarterback situation and are a work-in-progress on the offensive line, where they had to replace three NFL draftees this offseason.

But, most importantly, Ohio State is 2-0 and has one more game before its highly-anticipated Week 4 matchup at No. 9 Notre Dame.

First, however, there’s more to break down from the Buckeyes’ blowout win this past Saturday. Ohio State’s been doing that, anyway. The program announced its players of the game Sunday: wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (offense), linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (defense), cornerback Denzel Burke (defense) and linebacker Cody Simon (special teams).

Egbuka: Like his partner in crime, Marvin Harrison Jr, Egbuka got back on track against the Penguins after a quiet Week 1. Egbuka caught five passes for 94 yards, including 28 of which came on a second quarter, catch-and-run touchdown. Remember, Egbuka reeled in five or more passes in nine of the Buckeyes’ 13 games last season.

Eichenberg: It’s early, but Eichenberg is playing like an All-American again. He was rock solid in the second level for the second week in a row, this time piling up six total tackles, most notably three solos and a sack. Early in the third quarter, Eichenberg and safety Sonny Styles came crashing in on a Youngstown State RPO, and Eichenberg got home for a seven-yard sack of Penguins quarterback Mitch Davidson.

Burke: One of the most improved Buckeyes players this offseason, Burke continued a potential breakout junior season against Youngstown State. He allowed only one catch on five targets and ended up the Ohio State cornerbacks’ drought without an interception that dated back to the 2021 season.

Simon: Ohio State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jim Knowles made it clear this offseason that Simon would see the field more. He meant at linebacker, and Simon did get more run at his natural position in Week 2 than he did in Week 1. But he also made an impact on special teams. Simon finished with four total tackles, including two solos, this past Saturday.

Notes, observations from rewatch of Ohio State win over Youngstown State

Lettermen Row rewatched the Buckeyes’ Week 2 rout of Youngstown State, and beat writer Spencer Holbrook collected his notes and observations from that rewatch in one place.

He ran through each position, highlighting top performers, important storylines and potential concerns.

You can get it all here.

RELATED

PFF grades, snap counts from Youngstown State game

Ohio State drops in Week 3 AP Poll after FCS win

Ohio State has slid one spot in the AP Top 25 for the second week in a row.

The Buckeyes started the season No. 4 in the country, then dropped to No. 5 after scoring only 23 points in the opener at Indiana and then fell to No. 6 following their four-score victory over Youngstown State this past weekend.

Here’s what the top five looks like at the moment:

GeorgiaMichiganFlorida StateTexasUSC

The week’s biggest winner was Texas, which climbed from No. 11 to No. 4 with its upset win over then-No. 3 Alabama.

For the complete AP Top 25, go here.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Western Kentucky: 5 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 75 days

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