Julian Sayin of Ohio State (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
Ohio State started their season 1-0 with their win over Ball State. The Buckeyes beat the Cardinals by 53!
#2 Ohio State 56, Ball State 3
The Buckeyes picked up where they left off last season. In their great ways, and in the ways they need to improve, too. The passing game was elite. Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith looked even better than last year. Sayin showed his willingness to run a little, getting his first rushing touchdown as a Buckeye. The running game was complementary, but not nearly as good as the passing game and took more time to get rolling. Sayin and Smith were sensational, though. Sayin was 21 of 25 for 320 yards and three touchdown passes. He also had a rushing touchdown on a scramble in the Red Zone. Smith had eight catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns all in the first half.
Some areas of struggle from last year were still there, too. Ohio State’s offensive line was allowing Ball State to get home on defense, and that’s concerning. The Buckeyes gave up five tackles for a loss and two sacks in the first half to Ball State. They also only had 35 rushing yards in the first half. If Ball State could do that well against the Buckeye offensive line, then they should be worried about Texas next week. They should also be worried about teams like Oregon, Indiana, and that team up north. But give the OSU linemen credit: after halftime, they settled in and were opening up rushing lanes for Bo and Ja’Kobi Jackson! They gave up only one tackle for a loss in the second half, and opened lanes for 202 second-half rushing yards!
The Silver Bullets
The defense was quietly great. They had one interception and one sack, but played great. They got a lot of pressure and penetration in attacking the football, but they’ll need to finish better against Texas. Still, they do what they’ve been doing for the last two years, regardless of coaches and players. They lost eight starters, just like last year, but were dominant. They gave up only 45 yards rushing and 120 yards passing. Like the 2025 defense, they didn’t allow much in the way of the two most important stats: points and yards. Anytime your defense can hold an opponent to 3 points and 165 total yards, you’ll take it.
New Stars
While familiar guys like Sayin and Smith shone bright, some new stars got off to good starts for Ohio State, too. Devin McCuin the UTSA transfer had three catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, showing why he’s WR2 at the moment. Some true freshmen were great today as well. Chris Henry Jr. and Legend Bey both started a little rocky. CHJ had some drops and Bey brought some kicks out of the end zone when he shouldn’t have, but they settled down in the end. Chris Henry Jr. would make a touchdown catch, and Legend Bey would have a fantastic catch and run for a touchdown.
Ohio State Heisman Watch
Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith will be Heisman candidates, maybe even Heisman finalists. Their stats above speak for themselves. Ryan Day has had seven Heisman finalists as a head coach and offensive coordinator at Ohio State, but none of them ever finished in the top two in the votes. Coach Day’s philosophy, right or wrong, is to preserve his players and keep their wear and tear low and fresh, as opposed to playing at their most optimal level all season.
Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney were playing most of their game against Stanford. Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith were done essentially by halftime. Smith didn’t get another target the rest of the game, and Sayin only threw two more passes for 30 yards in the second half. Toney and Mensah were playing the whole third quarter. I’m not pointing this out to say one school of thought is more correct than the other, just that these different overall strategic mindsets will heavily impact these four players in their Heisman pursuits.
Honoring Ohio State History
Ohio State honored their current seniors, having Senior Day in the first game of the season instead of the final home game of the season. Ohio State also honored legendary head coach Jim Tressel. Coach Tressel was put in Ohio State’s ring of honor, right next to Woody Hayes, joining Hayes and Paul Brown as the Ohio State coaches who are so honored. The school put the wrong numbers on the sign, though. They said one national championship and six Big Ten championships for Tressel. The school bureaucrats need to recognize the 12-1 2010 Big Ten and Sugar Bowl Champions and tell the NCAA to eat it. That spineless organization that has no integrity should be ridiculed at every opportunity. Ohio State made some more history, winning their 27th straight season opener, which is tied for second all-time. The record is currently 29.
Up Next, Texas!
Ohio State will head to Austin next week to take on the Texas Longhorns. Ohio State has beaten Texas twice in the past two seasons. 20 years ago, Troy Smith led Ohio State to a 24-7 win at Texas that propelled his Heisman campaign and had Ohio State go 12-0 and play for a national championship. Sayin and Smith will look to do what Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. did 20 years ago. Jeremiah Smith was utilized as a decoy in his first two Buckeye victories over Texas, so you know he’ll be determined to show up big against the Longhorns.
