Three keys to victory for the Ohio State football team vs. Marshall

After having one of the earliest bye weeks they've had in years, the Ohio State football team is ready to keep their season going. They are 2-0 after two very large blowouts of inferior teams. They look like one of the best teams in the country and look like the best team in the Big Ten.

In comes the Marshall Thundering Herd with a big upset on their mind. This is the same team that took down Notre Dame two years ago in South Bend, so they know what it takes to beat a good team on the road. It's something that Ryan Day has been emphasizing for the last couple of weeks.

On the surface, there's no reason why the Buckeyes should lose this game. They are clearly the more talented team, and they have better coaching too. They're much bigger, faster, and stronger than Marshall. But those teams don't always win these kinds of games.

There are three keys for the Ohio State Buckeyes to make sure that they walk out of the Shoe with the win that everyone expects them to get. If they are able to execute these three things, there's no reason that they should leave Saturday with a loss.

The first key has to do with staying sharp coming out of the bye week.

1. Ohio State must keep their strong level of sharpness they had in Week 2

Against Western Michigan, the Buckeyes had a strong level of sharpness to their game. They started fast, scoring a touchdown on their first three drives. That was a big change from the season opener against Akron when they only scored once in their first three drives.

Starting fast was a big point of emphasis for Ryan Day in the lead-up to the clash with the Broncos. I'm sure he has the same message this week against Marshall. How well they are able to do that coming out of the bye week remains to be seen though.

Will the Buckeyes start sluggish after a week of rest? Or will they be as sharp as they were before the bye week came? That will be the first challenge that the Buckeyes have. A fast start would bury Marshall immediately and keep them away from having any sort of chance to pull the upset.

I'm not just talking about a fast start on offense, either. Having the defense come out and smother the Thundering Herd would be a great way to start the game. If they keep Marshall from scoring early in the game, their confidence could erode and that could lead to a big win for the Buckeyes.

The next key to a win for the Buckeyes has to do with the turnover margin in this game.