Ohio State football: What to know about the Akron Zips

We did it. We finally made it. It's game week for the Ohio State football team. They will take on the Akron Zips on Saturday for their 2024 season-opener. It's the first game that we will get to see the new offense led by Will Howard. We'll also get to see new running back Quinshon Judkins.

As far as the Zips go, they have a big challenge in front of them. Taking on the second-ranked team in the country in their first game of the year is about as hard as it gets. Add in that the Buckeyes are in a national title-or-bust mentality for this season, and the challenge is almost impossible.

Still, the Zips will fight. They will bring in a new starting quarterback, Ben Finley. Finley will get his first start against what might be the best defense in the country. He is in his fifth year with the Zips and will get a chance to start an entire season for the first time.

What to know about Ohio State football opponent Ben Finley

On offense, the Zips aren't exactly the best offense in college football. As a team in 2023, they couldn't even rush for over 1,000 yards. They threw for just 2,731 yards as a team too. Ohio State shouldn't have too many problems shutting them down either.

Defensively, the Zips were much better. They only allowed 335 yards per game, which was 31st in the country. Unfortunately, they lost some of their key contributors, so I wouldn't expect the Buckeyes to have too much trouble moving the ball or scoring points on Saturday afternoon.

The Ohio State Buckeyes shouldn't have too many troubles in the first game of the year. We'll likely see the backups get some playing time in the fourth quarter because this game should get out of hand fairly quickly.