Jeremiah Smith wasted no time reminding everyone why Ohio State opened at No. 1.
In Columbus on Saturday, Smith caught two touchdown passes as the Buckeyes rolled past Ball State 56-3 in their season opener. The performance doubled as a loud tune-up for next week’s showdown at No. 5 Texas, and Ohio State looked sharp from the start.
Julian Sayin was in complete control for the Buckeyes. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and he also added a rushing score.
Smith finished with eight catches for 151 yards, while Devin McCuin hauled in six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State put together three scoring drives of at least 90 yards and another that went 83, while holding Ball State to just 165 total yards.
For the Cardinals, Keldric Luster went 18 of 33 for 89 yards and an interception. Brody Boehm provided Ball State’s only points with a 54-yard field goal at 1:17 left in the first half.
Elsewhere, No. 6 Indiana kept its run going with a 52-16 win over North Texas.
Josh Hoover, making his debut as the heir to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, threw a touchdown on his first pass attempt and helped the Hoosiers extend the FBS’s longest winning streak to 17 games. Indiana also stretched its home winning streak to 16 straight.
Charlie Becker caught two touchdown passes for the defending national champions, and Hoover finished with his ninth career game of at least four touchdown passes. Becker’s diving grab pushed Indiana ahead 21-3 three plays after Hoover had his nose bloodied on a 15-yard facemask penalty on North Texas’ Udoka Ezeani.
No. 13 Alabama opened with a 48-10 win over East Carolina by scoring on its first five possessions and piling up 480 total yards.
Sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell made his first career start and delivered 249 passing yards, 86 rushing yards and a touchdown. He and Ryan Coleman-Williams connected five times for 130 yards, even with a pair of drops and a lost fumble.
Alabama led 38-7 at halftime.
No. 23 Houston also survived a tougher test, beating Oregon State 33-20.
Conner Weigman broke the tie with a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:01 remaining, and the Cougars leaned on a 533-yard offensive night to finish the job. Weigman completed 20 of 30 passes for 305 yards and an interception.
Amare Thomas caught eight passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, and Makhi Hughes ran for 98 yards and a score on 17 carries.
Oregon State stayed close behind Braden Atkinson, who went 29 of 48 for 376 yards and a touchdown. He spread the ball around to nine different receivers, and freshman Jesse Legree led the way with five catches for 136 yards and a score.
In Other News...
Houston Fans Have A New Reason To Question ESPNs Big 12 Respect
Houston fans got another reminder of how precarious their place can feel in the TV pecking order late in the game against Oregon State, when ESPN shifted the broadcast over to ESPNews with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. The network wanted to roll into coverage of Texas vs. Texas State, and the switch was enough to spark immediate pushback from viewers who felt a Big 12 game should not be shoved aside that quickly, especially with Houston now part of the conference.
The optics were hard to miss for Big 12 supporters, because ESPN is supposed to be one of the leagues major media partners. College sports columnist John Canzano was among the critics, and the frustration carried extra weight given Texas departure from the Big 12 for the SEC. For Houston backers, it was less about one broadcast hiccup than the broader question of how much respect the league really gets when the schedule starts to crowd in. [Read more 🡒]
Kelvin Sampson Just Called Out Houston Fans Over One Program
Kelvin Sampson is asking Houston fans to show up for the football program now, not later, as Willie Fritz tries to build momentum in his first year at the helm. Sampson pointed to the returning pieces and the new transfers as reasons for optimism, and he made it clear he believes the Cougars have enough to give the season real energy if the stands start filling up for Big 12 games.
For Sampson, the message was less about waiting for a playoff-level breakthrough and more about helping create the kind of home-field environment that can push the program forward. Houston has a chance to turn interest into something more meaningful this fall, and the basketball coach is reminding fans that support matters before the wins become impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Houston's Encouraging Start Comes With One Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Houston opened with a confident 33-20 win over Oregon State, and the early signs on offense were exactly what the Cougars had hoped for. Re'Shaun Sanford helped set the tone on the ground, Conner Weigman handled the passing game efficiently and added a touchdown run, and the offensive line gave Houston a sturdy base to lean on in Week 1.
The concern comes on the other side of the ball, where the result looked better than the performance in stretches. Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson was able to work through the air for 376 yards and a touchdown, and Houston did not always generate the kind of pressure or coverage tightness that can keep stronger passing attacks from settling in. That is the part of the opener the Cougars will likely want fixed before the schedule gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]