Here are three keys for No. 2 Ohio State against Western Michigan on Saturday:

Start fast

Coach Ryan Day chalked up the early sputtering in his team’s season-opening win over Akron to being uptight. But slow starts have been an ongoing trend since late last season. The Buckeyes have averaged just 5 points in the first quarter over their past four games. Only once in that span has an opening drive resulted in any points. Western Michigan hung around at Wisconsin last week by shutting out the Badgers in the first quarter and holding them to 10 points in the second. The Buckeyes can avoid a similar upset scare by putting their foot on the gas early on.

Watch out for trickeration

When the Broncos grabbed a 14-13 lead over Wisconsin early in fourth quarter, it was the result of a fake field goal. Lining up for a 47-yard attempt, kicker Palmer Domschke took a pitch from Ryan Millmore, the holder who lobbed the ball over his head, and ran to the 4-yard line, a gain that allowed them to move into the end zone three plays later. It’s not uncommon for teams to pull out all the stops in attempt to upset Ohio State. In recent years, Rutgers has often dipped into a bag of tricks. The Buckeyes will need to be mindful as a result.

Contain Jalen Buckley

In his debut season last fall, Buckley was one of two freshmen in the FBS to rush for more than 1,000 yards, and the Broncos went as he went. In their four wins in 2023, he averaged 125 yards on the ground. To begin this year at Wisconsin, he finished with 88 all-purpose yards, including rushing for 64 yards and two touchdowns and catching a 24-yard pass on a wheel route in the second quarter. As Western Michigan’s most dangerous weapon on offense, the Buckeyes will need to limit Buckley’s impact and swarm the backfield.

Key matchup

Ohio State offense vs. Western Michigan defense

Though the Broncos’ defense ranked near the bottom in the Mid-American Conference last fall, it showed signs of improvement in its opener at Wisconsin by limiting big plays. Western Michigan was one of only nine out of the 133 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision that did not allow a play from scrimmage of 20 yards or more during Week 1. A 17-yard completion by Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was the longest play it surrendered. If Ohio State is to connect on big plays after missing some last Saturday, it won’t be a walk in the park.

Key stat

13: Since an unbeaten regular season in 2016 that included two wins over Big Ten teams, the Broncos have lost 13 of 14 games against Power 4 conference opponents, the sole win at Pittsburgh in 2021.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football hosts Western Michigan Michigan: 3 keys to victory