Western Michigan Broncos vs Ohio State Buckeyes Match Player Stats On Sep 26, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 26, 2015

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cardale Jones threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns as No. 1 Ohio State beat Western Michigan 38-12 on Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes (3-0) have won 17 straight.

Jones completed 19 of 33 passes and had a third-quarter interception. He also had an intentional grounding penalty that snuffed a drive to complete the first half.

J.T. Barrett replaced Jones with 6:34 to play and the game in hand and threw an interception on his first drive.

Jones fired a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Thomas on Ohio State's first series and connected with wide receiver Jalin Marshall for 37 yards early in the second quarter to put Ohio State ahead 14-0.

Western Michigan (1-3) came up empty on two sustained drives because of penalties. The first resulted in a blocked 37-yard field goal attempt by safety Tyvis Powell and the second was a 47-yard field goal miss by Andrew Haldeman.

The Broncos got on the board with 8:19 to go before the half when quarterback Zach Terrell found wide receiver Daniel Braverman along the right side on a third-and-11 for a 55-yard touchdown, but Haldeman's point-after try hit the left upright.

Braverman's reception put the Broncos at 155 yards through the air, the first time that Ohio State allowed more than 100 passing yards in the past three games. Terrell finished with 169 yards on 18-of-33 passing.

For the third straight game, the Ohio State defense scored when tackle Adolphus Washington snagged a flare screen and used all of his 6-foot-4, 290-pound body to barrel 20 yards for a 24-6 lead with 4:02 left in the first half.

Washington's touchdown came seven seconds after Ohio State had to settle for 30-yard field goal by Jack Willoughby after a first-and-goal at the 8.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for an Ohio State score to start the third quarter to go up 31-6, but Western Michigan went 57 yards on the ensuing series, capped by Terrell's 1-yard pass to tight end Jeremiah Mullinax. The two-point conversion failed.

Elliott finished with 144 rushing yards, including 80 in the second half, for his ninth straight game of 100 or more.

Ohio State running back Curtis Samuel ran for a 40-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to make it 38-12.

NOTES: Ohio State is 32-1 all time vs. MAC opponents with the win. The Buckeyes also beat MAC foe Northern Illinois 20-13 on Sept. 19. ... Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck started his career as an Ohio State graduate assistant to Jim Tressel in 2006. ...The only previous game for the Broncos against a No. 1 team was Sept. 14, 1991, when they played at Florida State and lost 58-0. Western Michigan finished 6-5 that season.