Defensive notebook: Buckeyes show flashes of dominance at every level

COLUMBUS — Ohio State opened up the season with a clunky, but ultimately easy 52-6 win over Akron inside the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes offense was shaky at times, especially in the first half, but the defense was, well, dominant at nearly every stop. Akron had just 177 total yards of offense. The Zips came up with just two field goals and were held out of the end zone as the Buckeyes keep searching for their first shutout since 2019. At times, this defense might feel boring because it's so good and smothering. It's hard to contextualize how well the defense played on Saturday, and that might be the norm for Ohio State this fall.