After a tough loss to Wisconsin, Western Michigan moves on to the powerhouse No. 2 team, Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin in Week 1 was more even than the final score of 28-14.

The Broncos played hard almost until the very end.

No. 2 Ohio State is no Wisconsin, of course, but the Buckeyes certainly took notice of what a Mid-American Conference team that was 4-8 last year was able to do in its opener against a Big Ten rival.

“I think it’s good for us to see them play another Big Ten opponent, just to compare what we’re seeing, so that was good,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “I thought they played well in that game. They were strong and they’ve got a good team.”

The Broncos will still be five-plus touchdown underdogs when they visit Ohio Stadium for a night game on Saturday. They can expect a “Hang on Sloopy” after the third quarter instead of a “Jump Around,” but the Buckeyes faithful will be just as enthusiastic.

Last week, Ohio State started off poorly in its opener against Akron at the Horseshoe, then thrashed the Zips 35-3 in the second half. to finish 52-6. Day said the Buckeyes will look to get off to a faster start.

“The workload across the board has been solid,” he said. “We’ve got a long way to go and we want to keep pushing. There were definitely some great clips (last) Saturday, but we’re a long way from where we need to be. We’ve got to keep building. It’s a long season.”

Second-year Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor lamented that his team “lacked the killer instinct” against Wisconsin.

“When you look at that game, for three and a half quarters, we played really well,” Taylor said. “Disciplined, smart, solid football. The last 10 minutes, we didn’t. We did some things we didn’t do in other parts of the game. And ultimately, that cost us the game.”

Taylor knows what she’s getting into this week.

“They’re not only really good players, but they’re a disciplined football team,” he said of the Buckeyes. “They’re not beating themselves up, they’re where they need to be and they’re playing the way they need to play. Really good football teams do that. So that’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

Jeremiah’s watch

Announced rookie Jeremiah Smith had quite the debut last week, leading the Buckeyes with six receptions for 92 yards and two contested TD receptions against Akron. Carnell Tate had four receptions for 58 yards and a TD.

Focus on the positives

Taylor believes Western Michigan could have won the game against Wisconsin if three plays had gone differently. The key this week will be getting his players to survive that.

“Really, as a football coach, you try to point out the positives and show how you can learn and grow from the things you didn’t do so well and need to do better,” Taylor said. “But because they care so much, sometimes they dwell on the mistakes.”

Let’s get to the movie!

Both coaches said this week that having electronic video panels on the sidelines to review plays is a huge advantage, as are new helmet radios that allow coaches to call plays on the field.

“Everybody gets the real information, they see exactly how it happened, and that doesn’t happen until we have access to it, so that really helps,” Day said. “It really helps the players. They see it and they get the communication about what they’re dealing with.”

Broncos to watch

Quarterback Hayden Wolff was 12 of 18 for 141 yards and an interception against Wisconsin. Jalen Buckley carried the ball 16 times for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Donald Willis and cornerback Bilhal Kone had 10 tackles each.

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