Jeremiah Smith scores for Ohio State (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
Ohio State’s skid is snapped thanks to Jeremiah Smith
Ohio State 28, Northwestern 19
The Buckeyes’ defense started the game well, forcing a Northwestern three-and-out. The offense started the drive near midfield and had a couple of good plays before the worst throw from Luke Fahey in the last three games. Fahey gunned the ball early on a crossing route from his receivers and hit Chris Henry Jr. in the back of the head. The ball doinked into the air, and a Northwestern defender came down with the ball.
Northwestern converted three third downs before Will Smith Jr. got a sack on Northwestern’s fourth attempt at a third-down conversion of the drive and forced a 44-yard Wildcats field goal. Northwestern would take a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. To Luke Fahey’s credit, he settled in and led Ohio State on a good drive. He went to Jeremiah Smith three times for 35 yards, and Isaiah West and Bo Jackson worked hard to help, too. On third and three at the five, Northwestern had good coverage, and Fahey started to run. Northwestern started to track him down, abandoning their coverage, and Fahey found Isaiah West in the end zone for a touchdown, and Ohio State took a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.
The Jeremiah First Offense
Ohio State’s defense would keep trying to find their footing. Northwestern would convert a big third down to get inside the Buckeye 30-yard line. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. would get the second Buckeye sack of the game, Jackson’s 4.5 of the year. This would set up another third-and-long for NU. The Wildcats would play it safe with a screen and settle for another field goal, and the 46-yarder would cut the lead to 7-6.
The Buckeyes seemed to learn their lesson from last week. They went back to Jeremiah Smith again on this drive. Right off the bat, he had the first three catches. The Jeremiah First Offense opened up the running game for Fahey and the running backs. A 14-play, 82-yard touchdown drive would give the Bucks the 14-6 lead. That would be the lead for the Bucks at the half. By my count, Jeremiah Smith was targeted 12 times and had 7 catches for 67 yards in the first half for the Buckeyes.
Second Half
The second half got off to a rough start. Luke Fahey missed a wide-open Jeremiah Smith with a poor throw and then, on third down, had Chris Henry Jr. drop a wide-open pass on a perfect throw. Ohio State had to punt. Ohio State’s defense would continue to struggle. Northwestern would score on a 58-yard touchdown drive to cut the score to 14-13.
After help from a controversial call, Ohio State’s responding drive would stall out inside the Northwestern 10-yard line. The Buckeyes would face a fourth-and-one, and Luke Fahey would roll out to his left and find Devin McCuin for an 8-yard touchdown pass, and Ohio State would lead 21-13.
Fourth Quarter
The final quarter would begin with Northwestern facing a huge third-and-long. Rough throws from Fahey would lead to both teams exchanging punts. Ohio State would move the ball in Northwestern territory before having to punt, but a muffed punt would get OSU the ball back at the Wildcats’ 10-yard line. On third-and-goal, the GOAT would do it himself. Jeremiah Smith would make his 11th catch of the game over the middle for a touchdown, and OSU would lead 28-13.
Ohio State’s fifth sack of the game would force a 4th and 21, and Qua Russaw would knock it down for the turnover on downs. OSU would start at the Northwestern 38-yard line. Ohio State would keep the ball on the ground with eight straight runs and were in the process of running the clock out when Isaiah West fumbled the ball. Fortunately, the 15-point lead would be too much for Northwestern to overcome. The Wildcats would get a garbage touchdown at the gun, and Ohio State would win 28-19.
The Buckeyes Best Ever
Jeremiah Smith was the difference maker, and unlike against Oregon, they went to him early and often and ran what I call the Jeremiah First Offense. Smith had 11 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown and was targeted 19 times (18 if the one he was drew a penalty flag isn’t counted). After going over half the game against Oregon without a target, Ohio State learned their lesson for at least a week. Smith has 80 catches for 1,317 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
Up Next, Nebraska
The Huskers also stopped their losing streak with a 31-0 defeat of Rutgers in New Jersey. Ohio State will be in Lincoln next week for Nebraska’s home finale of 2026. ANY major hopes for Ohio State will require a road victory in a very tough environment. A Heisman for Jeremiah Smith, Big Ten, the College Football Playoff, and another possible 10-plus-win season will all be on the line
The Lunatic Fringe was Right
All of us couch coaches in Ohio were right. Having the offense run through Jeremiah Smith works. It opens everything else up. The rushing attack had 168 yards and a touchdown. The rest of the passing attack had 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. The young quarterback’s struggles were endurable because Jeremiah Smith led the way and opened up everything else. On defense, finding a way to get a pass rush (and ending the constant drops into coverage of your best edge rushers) worked, too! Ohio State’s defense had five sacks and seven tackles for a loss while holding Northwestern to 278 total yards and 19 points. It wasn’t the rocket science the top of the chain of command would have people believe.
