The virtual Buckeyes take on the virtual Thundering Herd in Week 4.
College football finally returned to the virtual world in 2024 with the release of EA Sports College Football 25, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game,
The new game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our Week 4 sim:
Ohio State 48 – Marshall 0
Ohio State got off to a slow start in this week’s simulation, but the end result was a 48-0 blowout. Somewhat puzzlingly, the Buckeyes decided to run the ball 50 times (!!) while only attempting 15 passes, resulting in 392 total yards — 236 of which came on the ground. The defense, meanwhile, forced four turnovers and held Marshall under 300 total yards.
The first quarter ended just 7-0 on the strength of a 1-yard touchdown by Quinshon Judkins. Ohio State added a field goal to begin the second quarter, and from there started to find its footing with a 6-yard touchdown catch by Emeka Egbuka and a 22-yard TD run by Will Howard to make it 24-0 at the half.
Out of the break, the Buckeyes added yet another field goal before hitting on their biggest play of the afternoon — a 52-yard catch-and-run score by Egbuka. From there Ohio State kept things on the ground, with Judkins adding another two scores on a 35-yard run and an 11-yard run while the Silver Bullet pitched a shutout in the 48-0 victory.
As previously stated, it was a quiet day through the air for Howard, who completed 9-of-15 pass attempts for 141 yards and two touchdowns. TreVeyon Henderson led the way on the ground with 23 rushes for 106 yards, while Judkins had the three scores on 16 carries for 91 yards. Egbuka had nearly all the teams yardage through the air, catching three balls for 79 yards and two TDs, with Jeremiah Smith being held to two catches for 13 yards. Jelani Thurman recorded one 15-yard grab and Judkins also had a catch for 20 yards.
Defensively, Cody Simon led the way in the tackles department with eight, followed by Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom with five apiece. Jack Sawyer, Caden Curry and Hancock each recorded a tackle for loss, while “Tyler Bourne” (AKA J.T. Tuimoloau) tallied the team’s lone sack. The Buckeyes recorded a whopping four interceptions by four different players — Davison Igbinosun, Sonny Styles, Hancock and Sawyer — and Caleb Downs forced a fumble, but the Herd recovered it.
Ohio State did not perform well on third down, converting on only 8-of-17 tries, but Marshall was even worse at 3-for-15. The Thundering Herd actually managed more first downs than the Buckeyes, 12 vs. 11 in that category, but overall averaged less than three yards per rush and less than six yards per pass while also failing to even reach the red zone.
The virtual Buckeyes move to 3-0 on the year. Check back next week to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and see how they fare in our Week 5 simulation against Michigan State.