Off a 56-0 shutout of Western Michigan winning the bye week, OSU takes on Marshall. 

Coming Into Week 4

• Ryan Day on "Improvement Week" - Ryan Day sees opportunity to work on fundamentals and practice things that may come in handy in the future. I wonder if any wrinkles we saw in the future were created and installed during these practices. Knowles wants to correct errors that we got away with against WMU and adapt to any weaknesses spotted. 
• Will CJ Hicks succeed at LB? OSU coaches think so. A recruiting fan favorite, many of us were wondering if CJ Hicks would finally break out at LB. Seeing a decrease in snaps despite starting the season as first off the bench in Cody Simon's absence and eventually being utilized as a down lineman, he is now fully in the DE room and we wonder, in 2025, if CJ Hicks will finally break out at DE. 
• Kayden Macdonald emerges as reliable backup DT. Behind the dynamic TNT duo, Kayden Macdonald emerged as a disruptive force along the line. He would go on to make some crucial plays last season, but we'll get there soon enough. But at this point, in time his stock was on the rise. 
• Ty Hamilton is dominant thanks to hard work and patience. 
• The OL showed great improvement in Week 2 against WMU, but was about to receive another boost with Donovan Jackson returning to the lineup. Keep in mind, at this point in time, Donovan Jackson was thought of by many as a good player, but maybe not quite the elite player his 5* ranking indicated. 
• Trailer Vol 3: Block O DNA
• Last Call - Garrick Hodge predicts that OSU's defense will deny each of its non-conference opponents even a single touchdown. Dan Hope posits the possibility of OSU ending its kick return TD drought 10 years after the last one. He wasn't quite right, but he might have been onto something. 

OSU vs Marshall in 40 Minutes

Open Threads: Q1 | Q2 | Halftime | Q3 | Q4 

Coming out of Week 4

• Game Summary - Opinions come a bit down to earth this week as, despite winning by 5 touchdowns thanks in large part to 249 yards put up by our starting RB tandem, there is some criticism of the defense, due to early game struggles. Marshall put together a 75-yard TD drive which contained some rather impressive plays to open up the game. Howard would have an underthrown deep ball to JJ in a one-on-one situation intercepted and perhaps this is the start of our QB being questioned nationally about his deep ball abilities. Overall, the offense remained efficient, scoring 49 points in only 23 minutes of possession. 
• Post-Marshall Forum Thoughts - A large focus from commenters on defensive shortcomings, with some users blaming the DL, others blaming the LBs. Overall, we remain happy with the offense.
• Ryan Day Presser - complimented the offense and their execution with a more uptempo attack. Running game was strong and Howard made good decisions. Was not happy with the three consecutive out-of-bounds kickoffs. Defense needs to improve how it responds to teams spreading them out and utilizing an athletic QB's legs. 
• Three Key Stats - 12.54 ypc, 4 TDs: Q and Tre are pretty, pretty, pretty good. Despite a criticized first half, the defense only allowed 61 total yards in the second half.  
• Care/Don't Care - A lot of opinions on the defense, special teams, and officiating. Hey, this OL might be pretty good!

Marshall would end up 10-3 on the season and Sun Belt champions before pulling out of their bowl game when their head coach left and many of their starters subsequently entered the transfer portal. 

Up Next: @ Michigan State at Night!