COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Freshman Jeremiah Smith caught two touchdown passes and No. 2 Ohio State overcame a slow start to beat Akron 52-6 in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

Under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Buckeyes needed most of the first half to get a smooth play against the outmatched Zips.

Smith dropped the first pass thrown to him on the opening drive. The Buckeyes punted, leading to an Akron field goal.

However, Smith has redeemed himself, turn around to make a smooth catch in the end zone from a 16-yard pass from Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard for a touchdown.

Late in the first half, the highly touted South Florida receiver caught a 9-yard pass in the end zone with cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson all over him, giving the Buckeyes a 17-3 lead at halftime.

A contested catch of 45 yards in the third quarter led to a 2-yard scoring run by Quinshon Judkins, the first as a Buckeye for the transfer from Ole Miss.

Howard completed 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns.

The Zips scored field goals of 48 and 49 yards by Garrison Smith.

Main conclusion

The Buckeyes were seven touchdown favorites, but that didn’t seem to be the case for most of the first half. The offensive line in particular still seems to be a work in progress. They finally started to warm up and roll in the second half.

Next

Akron: Next Saturday at Rutgers.

Ohio State: hosts Western Michigan next Saturday.

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