Three things to watch when Ohio State plays Western Michigan on Saturday

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- They say the biggest improvement for a football team is made between Weeks 1 and 2.

We'll see if that holds true at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when the Buckeyes play Western Michigan at Ohio Stadium. No. 2 Ohio State is coming off a season-opening victory over Akron when it overcame a slow start to win 52-6.

This week marks the first meeting between the programs since 2015, when Ohio State was ranked No. 1 and the defending national champion in the College Football Playoff. OSU won that game 38-12. The Broncos enter this week after a 28-14 loss last Friday to Wisconsin.

Here are three things to watch when Ohio State takes the field.

Day seeks faster start in Week 2

Now that the Buckeyes got their first-week jitters out of the way, coach Ryan Day wants his team to get off to a faster start against Western Michigan than it did against Akron, when it led 7-3 after the first quarter.

"This is a long road to where we're going," Day said. "You just have to focus on right now. You have to be in the present."

Day said he doesn't expect his team to go out there and win the game in the first quarter. But he needs his players to stay focused on each play and each drive.

"Stay focused on the now and ignore everything else," Day said. "When we come into the stadium, we have to come in with the mindset that we get to play this game. This is fun. This is a chance to play. Fun is winning, executing. Fun is scoring touchdowns. Fun is getting stops."

Kelly wants to run the ball more

In Week 1, Ohio State put up 404 yards of total offense. Of that total, 170 yards came on the ground from five players, with the tandem of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson taking most of the carries.

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said that he doesn't have to customize a play call depending on the running back.

"We feel like the two of those guys can run inside the tackles," Kelly said. "They're both tough, hardnosed physical runners. But they both have speed and athletic ability to get to the perimeter."

He also said he'd love for them to get around 40 snaps a game each, but realistically, it might be a stretch to run that many plays.

"The unique thing about both those guys is sometimes you have two different type backs," Kelly said. "I think with both those guys you can call a similar game plan."

Better decision-making from Will Howard

Quarterback Will Howard emphasized the importance of getting settled in a game, knowing his performance sets the tone for the rest of the offense.

The Kansas State transfer said he was proud of his decisiveness once he found his rhythm against Akron.

"Once I did make decisions, I pulled the trigger and I was ready. Sometimes I didn't make the perfect decision. But if you're on time and you're decisive with it, then that can make up for mistakes sometimes," Howard said.

Day said Howard has plenty of potential both in the air and on the ground, noting his confidence. His speed, presence in the pocket and his footwork can allow the Buckeyes to convert some third downs or extend plays to allow receivers to get down the field.

"He has to make good decisions when he's doing that. The play at the end of the half really put the ball in jeopardy, that was a poor decision," Day said. "That's part of it. You got to take care of the football."