Jeremiah Smith makes Ohio State history (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
The Ohio State Buckeyes took steps toward redemption from their historic meltdown in Austin
Ohio State 59, Kent State 3
The Ohio State Buckeyes would take out their frustrations from the biggest blown fourth-quarter lead in school history against Texas on Kent State. They did just that in a 59-3 crushing of the Kent State Golden Flashes. Yet, despite the 56-point victory, the Buckeyes continued to have some concerns that could cost them again in this still very young season.
I’m a save-the-best-for-last kind of guy, so I’ll go after the struggles the Buckeyes had first. They had trouble in the offensive trenches, Julian Sayin was still missing some open throws as he did against Texas, and they don’t have much of a pass rush. All three issues that cost them a huge game against Texas were still problematic in a 56-point win a week later.
Areas of Concern
Ohio State’s struggles on the offensive line may be the scariest because they’re the hardest to address. They also have a strong connection to Sayin’s struggles. Ohio State giving up five tackles for a loss and a sack to a team that entered this year with a 6-30 record over their previous three seasons is concerning. The Buckeyes only averaged 3.8 yards per carry in the rushing game.
Sayin missed some big throws in the second half against Texas. Yes, he was under pressure and made some great throws then and this week, but these are throws you expect an experienced star like him to make. The same was true against Kent State. In back-to-back possessions, he missed key throws. On a third and five in the Red Zone, he threw a ball to the left corner of the end zone when the receiver was running toward the goal posts. On the very next play, Ohio State went for it on fourth down, and he ate a sack. The next possession, near midfield, OSU would go for it again, and Jeremiah Smith was open, but Sayin just overthrew him, much like he did Devin McCuin last week.
The defensive pass rush wasn’t as much of a factor as you’d hope it would be against this level of an opponent. The Buckeyes only got one sack, and it was by reserve defensive linemen Will Smith and Jason Moore. They also only got four total tackles for a loss against Kent State.
A Win is a Win
All of that said, they won by 56 points! The offense had seven touchdowns and 527 yards of total offense. Three different players rushed for touchdowns and three different players caught touchdowns. Julian Sayin was 18 of 22 for 241 yards and two touchdown passes. Ja’Kobi and Bo Jackson combined for 120 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Jeremiah Smith made history. His five catches for 85 yards set a new Ohio State record for career receiving yards, breaking Michael Jenkins ‘ 22-year-old record. Smith currently sits at 2,958 yards.
Ohio State’s Youth Movement
Some very young Buckeyes made some very big plays, too. On both sides of the ball, Ohio State was seeing the beginning of some legendary careers for young players. Three of the four biggest plays of the game were made by freshmen. Chris Henry Jr. showed his tremendous potential when he took a Luke Fahey pass 75 yards to the house. Brock Boyd made a ridiculous sideline grab on a pass by Fahey. Fahey himself looked sharp and completed four passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Riley Pettijohn made a huge interception, and Jamir Perez showed off at defensive line. Perez deflected a pass that forced a Kent State punt, then Henry had his touchdown, and on Kent State’s first following play, Perez scooped up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd are pushing for more first-team reps and being part of the offense all game long, and in this win they looked the part. The same is true of Riley Pettijohn, who is making a great case to be played more at linebacker. While it was a dead heat in fall camp, Luke Fahey is becoming Ohio State’s clear QB2 behind Sayin right now.
Up Next, Illinois
Ohio State will host Illinois this week at noon in the Shoe. Illinois is 2-1 and lost out of conference in Week 2 as well. It will be a bitter Battle for Illibuck since both of these teams are 2-1 and desperately need to avoid a 2-2 and 0-1 Big Ten start to the season.
