After forcing a three-and-out, the Buckeyes got the ball at their 45 and went 55 yards in six plays for a touchdown.
TreVeyon Henderson capped the drive with a 3-yard run up the middle, but the big play was a 21-yard pass from Will Howard to Emeka Egbuka on a shallow crossing route.
The Broncos responded with a strong drive but came up empty when Luka Zurak missed a 42-yard field goal.
They soon found themselves down 14-0 as Howard hit Jeremiah Smith on a short pattern and watched Smith outrun the Broncos for a 70-yard score.
The Buckeyes added seven more on their next drive when Quinshon Judkins took a toss 23 yards over right tackle to the end zone with 1:02 left in the first quarter.
He scored again for 23 yards on an outsize zone run midway through the second quarter to make it 28-0.
Howard did the honors on the Buckeyes’ fifth touchdown, keeping on a zone read and outracing two defenders to the goal line for a 6-yard score with 4:20 left in the first half.
Howard completed his first 10 passes before having a deep pass down the seam intended for Jalani Thurman broken up.
He finished the half 15 for 22 for 274 yards with one touchdown through the air and six yards and another score on the ground.
Judkins ran for 82 yards on six carries in the first half while Henderson added 44 yards on seven carries.
Smith recorded his first 100-yard receiving game in the first half, finishing the first 30 minutes with 119 yards on five receptions while Egbuka had 98 yards on five grabs.
The Broncos, who played with Wisconsin into the fourth quarter a week earlier, had only 94 yards in the first half.
The drive that ended with the missed field goal was their only foray into Ohio State territory all night.
Henderson added another touchdown run in the third quarter when he took a handoff and went untouched around right end, finding a wide open seam for a 16-yard score.
Freshman James Peoples got in on the act with five seconds left in the third quarter when he followed blocks by Patrick Gurd and Luke Montgomery into the end zone from 12 yards out to make it 49-0.
The reserve offense found the end zone again with 5:01 left when third-string quarterback Julian Sayin found Bennett Christian wide open for a 55-yard score as the Broncos were geared up to stop the run on fourth-and-1.
Howard finished 18 for 26 for 292 yards and a touchdown through the air plus his first Ohio State rushing touchdown.
Quinshon Judkins hit the century mark for the first time in his Ohio State career, finishing with 108 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns, while TreVeyon Henderson added 66 yards on 10 carries.
Smith caught five passes for 119 yards, posting the first 100-yard receiving night of his career in his second game.
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