Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes kicked off their 118th season of football with a 38-6 victory over Youngstown State Saturday afternoon before 105,038 sun-drenched fans in Ohio Stadium. The win was Ohio State’s 29th-consecutive to open a season.

“I thought we came out and played against a good football team,” Jim Tressel, Ohio State head coach, said. “I thought we did some good things. The most important thing is now we’ll have an opportunity to study real game football. Our guys will have a chance to learn a great deal and to have an opportunity to get better.”

Quarterback Todd Boeckman, a junior making his first start, looked comfortable in the pocket all day as he led the offense to 417 total yards. Boeckman found seven different receivers as he completed 17-of-23 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Brian Robiskie, who had a terrific day with nine receptions for 153 yards.

“I thought Todd did a lot of good things today,” Tressel said. “I don’t know if you’d call it a winning performance because that’s pretty hard to get as an Ohio State quarterback. He did have excellent command. He had a good completion percentage. There are some things we’ll need to work on, but his performance was solid.”

Boeckman, Robby Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton all played at quarterback for Ohio State. The trio combined for 31 pass attempts. Henton connected with freshman Taurian Washington on a 37-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter for Ohio State’s final points.

“We went into the game wanting to work on the pass,” Tressel said. “We have new quarterbacks. We can’t ask them to pass only when we’re ahead or only when we’re behind. We went in knowing we were going to throw a lot and not just on significant downs.”

The Buckeyes gained 147 rushing yards but did not have their way against the Penguins, the two-time defending Gateway Football Conference champion who were formidable for 15 years while under Tressel’s leadership. Still, there were some highlight runs for the Buckeyes: Maurice Wells had a 26-yarder; Beanie Wells ripped off a 20-yarder that included two 360-degree spins; and Brandon Saine had an 18-yard burst between the tackles on his first collegiate carry.

Ohio State’s defense looked solid in keeping the Penguins out of the end zone all afternoon. James Laurinaitis, Anderson Russell and Adam Spitler led the defenders with seven tackles apiece. Although void of any turnovers, the defense allowed only 176 total yards including just 85 rushing yards.

The game, though, was about the Ohio State quarterbacks and how they would lead Ohio State in the post-Troy Smith era. Boeckman started off hot by leading Ohio State into the end zone on the team’s initial offensive possession of the season. He was accurate on all four of his pass attempts on the drive, including three completions to Robiskie for 64 yards. His three-yard strike to true freshman Dane Sanzenbacher, who was crossing over the middle, capped a nine-play, 70-yard drive and gave Ohio State an early 7-0 lead. 

The Buckeyes cashed in early in the second quarter to make the score 14-0. Sophomore Beanie Wells scored from one-yard out to cap a six-play, 27-yard drive. A tipped punt handcuffed the Penguins and gave Ohio State possession on the YSU 27. After a penalty moved the ball back to the 32, the heralded freshman Saine sparked the scoring drive by carrying four times for 28 yards.

Youngstown State moved into Ohio State territory for the first time with just over eight minutes to play in the second quarter. An 18-yard pass from Tom Zetts to Da’Michael Horne gave YSU a first down on the Ohio State 34. The two hooked up again on first down for seven yards, and two plays later YSU was looking at a first-and-10 at the Buckeye 19. Two rushes for 15 yards by Jordan Edwards set up a first-and-goal from the four. The Buckeye defense held from there, and YSU settled for a 21-yard field goal from Brian Palmer that made the score 14-3. 

Boeckman brought the Buckeyes right back, marching them 75 yards in 10 plays with Saine going over from the one to give OSU a 21-3 lead at the intermission. Boeckman found Robiskie three times on the drive for 49 yards and he connected with Maurice Wells for 20 to set up Saine’s first collegiate touchdown.

The two teams traded field goals in the third quarter. Ryan Pretorius hit from 24-yards out to cap an 11-play drive. Two series’ later, Youngstown State’s defense forced a fumble by sacking Boeckman. Starting at the OSU 27, the Penguins gained only three yards against Ohio State’s defense. Kicker Stephen Blose connected from 41 yards to make the score 24-6.
 
Ohio State extended its lead to 31-6 early in the fourth quarter. Boeckman showed that he can find more than Robiskie as he completed passes to six different receivers during the 14-play drive that ended with a one-yard Boeckman-to-Trever Robinson touchdown pass.

Another season of football, another season-opening win and Ohio State is now 115-10-4 in September home games. Up next: Akron Sept. 8 in Ohio Stadium.