Welcome to DTE Helmet Stickers. Since 1968, Ohio State has rewarded its top performers with stickers for big plays, wins and key milestones. We at Dotting the 'Eyes can't physically reward any stickers but we're doing our part to highlight the players that stood out the most in every Buckeyes contest, win or lose.
COLUMBUS—in some ways, the Ohio State season opening 52-6 win over Akron was a reminder of the talent the Buckeyes brought back from their 2023 football team.
If that's the case then Saturday night's 56-0 win over Western Michigan was a more emphatic introduction to some of the newest Ohio State stars.
The Buckeyes ran over, through and around the Broncos from the opening whistle and didn't let up, recording their first shutout since a 42-0 win over Cincinnati exactly five years earlier.
It was a complete and dominant performance from No. 2-ranked Ohio State on a day when a number of its northern counterparts struggled to take care of business.
Business was good for the Buckeyes, who outgained Western Michigan 683-99. The Broncos gained just five yards—total—in the second half, primarily against the second and third team Ohio State defensive line and linebackers.
But this game was over well before then as the Buckeyes offense leaned heavily on two new Ohio State standouts.
Dotting the 'Eyes is passing out helmet stickers for the big win, starting with the Buckeyes new quarterback.
Offensive Player of the Game: QB Will Howard
After a "slow" start to his Ohio State career against Akron, Will Howard came out of the gates firing against the Broncos, completing his first 10 passes and providing a glimpse of what the Buckeyes offense can look like when everything is clicking.
"I really, truly, don't think there is [a limit,] you know," Howard said postgame. "I think we played well tonight. But the thing is, there's still some plays that we left out there. [There are] still some some plays that—[we left] some meat we left on bone, you know? And I think that's the exciting thing about this team. We have so much talent and so many guys that are doing so many good things but we still can build on it and grow and become a better team. I think that's the exciting thing, we're never satisfied."
Howard can be, at least somewhat, satisfied with his second outing at Ohio State. He finished with 292 yards passing and a touchdown while running in another and leading the Buckeyes offense to 9.5 yards per play against Western Michigan. Ohio State was 4-4 in the red zone and rushed for six touchdowns in a game for the first time since 2019 but it was Howard's poise, decision making and his ability to dictate terms to the defense that opened the door for Ohio State's big day.
Defensive Player of the Game: DT Ty Hamilton
Ohio State's defense smothered an overwhelmed Western Michigan team. The shutout felt like a true team effort from the starters down through the players in the depth who closed things out. So you could go a few directions with a player who stood out most. We'll go with Ty Hamilton, who made his presence felt early by dumping Western Michigan's center three yards in the backfield.
Hamilton finished with four tackles, tying for team lead, adding a half tackle for loss and a half sack to what was a solid outing across Ohio State's defensive front. The Buckeyes' didn't need an other-worldly individual effort from anyone to keep Western Michigan off the board, but Hamilton reminded everyone why he's one of the more consistently reliable players on the defense.
X-Factor of the Game: RB Quinshon Judkins
Even for somebody who has played as much high-level football as Quinshon Judkins, a new experience was understandably going to lead to a bit of nerves. But the benefit of his extensive background in the backfield is that adjusting to life at Ohio State wasn’t going to take too long.If his debut was relatively underwhelming based on his standard and the expectations, Judkins more than made up for that a week later in his second outing with the Buckeyes.
The Ole Miss transfer was explosive hitting the hole, his vision put him in position to unleash that athleticism and Judkins helped elevate the rest of the rushing attack with the way he approached his workload while racking up 108 yards and two scores on just nine carries.Judkins is settling in quickly for the Buckeyes, and the best is surely still to come.
