No. 6 Ohio State took care of business against Kent State on Saturday, but the Buckeyes also had to deal with a pair of injury scares in a 42-0 game that was still in hand late in the fourth quarter.
Freshman running back Legend Bey and defensive tackle James Smith both exited with apparent injuries. Bey went down first in the opening half, while Smith was later taken off the field after the Buckeyes had already leaned on their second-team defense.
Bey’s first real chance came early in the second quarter. He took a handoff and was stopped for no gain, then stayed on the field for one more snap before limping toward the sideline and into the medical tent. He eventually returned to the sideline with tape on his ankle, but he did not come back into the game.
The injury interrupted what was supposed to be a meaningful day for the freshman. Bey, a highly recruited prospect from Forney, Texas, was playing in the third game of his career and had a chance to earn more work in the backfield after lining up at running back in high school.
Smith’s situation came later, after Ohio State had built a comfortable lead through two and a half quarters. With the second-team defense on the field, the Alabama transfer went down following a play with about three minutes left in the third quarter. Trainers attended to him on the field, he walked to the medical tent, and then he was carted to the locker room.
Smith arrived from Alabama this offseason as part of Ohio State’s effort to fill the interior spot left by Kayden McDonald. He has been rotating with Eddrick Houston, John Walker and Will Smith Jr.
In Other News...
Ohio States Easy Win Couldnt Quiet One Big Concern
Ohio State handled Kent State 59-3 and put the game away early, taking a 35-0 lead into halftime and never letting the outcome feel in doubt. The Buckeyes still found enough balance to lean on the run, finishing with 145 rushing yards on 38 attempts, with Bo Jackson leading the way with 73 yards and a touchdown.
Even in a blowout, though, the ground game remains a point worth watching. Ohio States rushing offense is still inconsistent overall, sitting 79th nationally at just under 159 yards per game, and that leaves a gap between what this roster can be and what it has shown so far. The schedule will get less forgiving from here, and the Buckeyes will need more than a comfortable win to answer that concern. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A Clear Warning About Illinois Saturday
Illinois followed its loss to Duke with a much cleaner performance against Southern Illinois, and the part that should have Ohio State paying attention is how much more settled the Illini looked at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line showed progress, the run defense was sturdier, and the overall operation came across as a team that had already made some useful corrections before the matchup in Columbus.
Katin Houser also gave Illinois a steadier passing game by spreading the ball around, which matters because it hints at a more functional offense than the one that stumbled a week earlier. The defense, meanwhile, flashed enough improvement against the run to suggest this is not a team the Buckeyes can afford to overlook, even if the bigger question still hangs over whether those adjustments travel against a much faster and more talented opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Got A Big Noon Reminder Nobody Wanted
A rout should have sounded like a showcase, but Ohio States 59-3 win over Kent State came with a broadcast that drew as much attention as the score. FOX Sports announcer Gus Johnson delivered the game in a flat, muted tone, and he also made a factual mistake while discussing a players touchdown history, a rough combination in a matchup that was already struggling to hold viewers attention.
The bigger issue is one college football keeps circling back to every fall: games like this are increasingly hard to sell, even for a blueblood with a massive fan base. Ohio State can only do so much when the opponent is overmatched, and the broadcast only amplified the sense that fans, and maybe networks, would rather see a more competitive nonconference slate than another predictable Saturday afternoon tune-up. [Read more 🡒]