Will Howard, Ohio State Rout Marshall as Quinshon Judkins, Emeka Egbuka Wow CFB Fans

Ohio State's high-powered offense was on full display once again Saturday, as the No. 3 Buckeyes defeated the Marshall Thundering Herd 49-14 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

Led by quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, OSU racked up 569 yards of total offense and outscored the Herd 21-0 in the second half after taking a 28-14 lead into halftime.

While Howard put up solid numbers Saturday with 275 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception and one rushing touchdown, his job was made much easier thanks to dynamic plays by Egbuka and Judkins.

On Ohio State's first offensive drive of the game after Marshall took a 7-0 lead, the Buckeyes responded with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Howard to Egbuka on a screen:

Egbuka did essentially all of the work on the play, leading to praise on X regarding his speed and prospects for the 2025 NFL draft:

Egbuka, who finished with five receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown in the game, somewhat surprisingly decided to return for his senior season, but it could prove to be the best possible move for him and his NFL future.

In 2022, Egbuka was a dominant force as a sophomore, registering 74 catches for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also rushing for two scores. However, injuries severely limited him last season, causing him to miss three games and resulting in a significant drop in production to 41 grabs for 515 yards and four touchdowns.

Egbuka still may have been a high draft pick due to his impressive skill set, but by returning this season and potentially putting up some huge numbers, he could solidify himself as a first-round pick.

After Egbuka's touchdown, Howard put the Buckeyes on top 14-7 with a quarterback sneak for a touchdown, but it was set up by an explosive run for Judkins, who bounced it outside and gained 29 yards:

On the ensuing Ohio State drive, Judkins took it 86 yards on the first play for a score, extending the Buckeyes' lead to 21-7:

That 86-yard dash contributed heavily to a stat line of 173 yards and two touchdowns for Judkins on the day, giving him his second consecutive 100-yard effort.

For good measure, Judkins added his second touchdown early in the fourth quarter, extending the OSU lead to 49-14:

Like Egbuka, Judkins was showered with compliments on social media for his electric runs and the boost he has provided to the Ohio State offense since transferring from Ole Miss:

Judkins was spectacular over his first two collegiate seasons at Ole Miss, rushing for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman, and following it up last season with 1,158 yards and 15 scores.

It was fair to wonder how Judkins would fit in at Ohio State due to the presence of TreVeyon Henderson, who piled up 3,314 total yards from scrimmage and 37 touchdowns over his first three seasons with the Buckeyes.

Judkins and Henderson have seemingly been perfect complements to each other, though, and that was apparent again Saturday, as Henderson rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and gave Ohio State a 28-7 lead in the second quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run:

If that wasn't enough, Henderson found pay dirt again on Ohio State's first drive of the third quarter, scoring from 40 yards out:

Over the first two weeks of the season, OSU had little issue taking down a pair of MAC opponents, beating Akron 52-6 and Western Michigan 56-0.

While Marshall represented a step up in competition for head coach Ryan Day's team, the talent differential was obvious, and it never felt like the Buckeyes were in danger.

Following a fairly straightforward non-conference slate, the remainder of the season figures to be a much tougher challenge for Ohio State, as the Big Ten schedule could be a gauntlet.

It starts next Saturday when the 3-0 Buckeyes go on the road to face a Michigan State team that entered play this week with a 3-0 record.

Meanwhile, Marshall will attempt to rebound from Saturday's loss and improve on its 1-2 start when it hosts Western Michigan next Saturday.