COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — It might have taken a few minutes, or an entire quarter, for the Buckeyes offense to really get going. But in the end, Ohio State is off to a 1-0 start after a dominating 52-6 win over in-state opponent Akron in the season opener on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

Over 102,000 fans packed the Horseshoe to witness the Buckeyes’ return to the gridiron and catch a glimpse of several new faces on the roster who shined in week one. There were a lot of questions surrounding this team that entered the year with sky high expectations. And many of them were answered in the opening contest.

Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes’ performance as they move forward to Week 2.

Ohio State overcomes a slow start

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Ohio State’s newest faces needed a bit of time to adjust to its new surroundings. Saturday marked the first game in the scarlet and gray for several important characters, including transfers Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins as well as true freshman Jeremiah Smith. After a long offseason full of anticipation, head coach Ryan Day noticed that his players were tight.

“I think they were kind of worked up. You saw a couple of things off and we got ourselves off schedule. I thought Chip (Kelly) did a nice job of continuing and pushing the run, and you can see that start to take its effect in the second half,” Day said. “I thought we settled in and started to have more fun. We started to play looser, which is the way we needed to play.”

But the Buckeyes know they won’t have that much of a margin of error moving forward. Howard, who threw for three touchdowns in the win, used the opener to get acquainted to being an Ohio State quarterback.

“It’s a pretty freaking cool stadium. I’ve never been a part of so many different traditions. It makes it more engaging for everyone involved. Getting to experience all this stuff that I’ve heard about for the first time was really fun,” Howard said. “Now that I’ve got it all under my belt, it’s like, alright, now I’ve done it, and now it’s business as usual from now on.”

Jeremiah Smith is the real deal

There was a lot of hype going into the season surrounding freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Miami, Florida native was named a preseason freshman All-American by several media outlets and is on the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Watch List. But on Saturday, he certainly lived up to the hype.

Smith caught six passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first OSU freshman since 1996 to haul in a pair of scores in his debut. It was a memorable performance, even after dropping Howard’s first throw to him.

“When I came back to the sideline, I was just mad at myself. I mean, it’s football,” Smith said. “If you play receiver you’re going to drop the ball. So, I just moved on.”

The target on his back will certainly grow after his first game as a Buckeye. But Smith isn’t feeling any pressure either heading into Week 2.

“I just want to go out there and play football and win games. I know all the hype around me was crazy coming in,” Smith said. “I just wanted to come in and be a guy who works and just not be about all hype. So, I just wanted to impress my coaches, impress my peers around me and my teammates.”

Defense delivers in Week 1

While Ohio State did allow Akron to light the scoreboard first, the defense buckled down and didn’t allow a touchdown the entire afternoon. Instead, the unit delivered plenty of highlights that added to the Buckeyes’ point total.

Lathan Ransom took advantage of an Akron fumble in the third quarter, using a scoop and score to give Ohio State its second touchdown in the span of 18 seconds and extending the OSU lead to 31-3. Then toward the end of the game, Marysville native Gabe Powers added a pick-six, providing the exclamation point to Ohio State’s 25th consecutive season opening victory.

“I think that’s what so special about our defense. That by just us doing our job, you never know who’s going to make a play,” Ransom said. “There’s always an opportunity for any of us to make a big play in the game. I mean everyone just does their job.”

The Buckeyes return to Ohio Stadium next Saturday for a primetime match-up against Western Michigan with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.