Ohio State is about to find out a lot more about itself, and the answers will come in the margins.
Three games in, the Buckeyes have already lived through the emotional whiplash of the season: the frustration that followed a 23-3 fourth-quarter collapse against Texas, then the relief of a 59-3 rout of Kent State that included Jeremiah Smith breaking the Buckeyes’ career receiving-yards record. But even with that blowout in the books, the biggest questions around Ryan Day’s team still hang there.
The biggest one is simple: can this team control games the way Ohio State teams are supposed to?
That starts with the run game. Through three games, the Buckeyes are averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and that number is not where it needs to be.
It needs to be over five. Ohio State has piled up 476 rushing yards, which works out to 158.7 per game, and that’s not enough by Buckeyes standards.
If this offense is going to be what it wants to be in Big Ten play, it has to do more than just flash.
Bo Jackson has been one of the bright spots. He’s averaging 5.9 yards per carry, and that’s production Ohio State should keep leaning on.
Jackson needs to be the bell-cow back in conference play. The Buckeyes can still throw the ball to Jeremiah Smith, and they should, but the ground game has to remain a real weapon, not an afterthought.
There’s also the Julian Sayin question. In most of his 17 starts, he’s looked really good, and at times great.
But in his last three games against Power Four teams, the accuracy hasn’t been there at the same level. That matters because accuracy is such a central part of his game.
When that piece slips in the biggest spots, it becomes a real issue.
That’s what makes the next stretch so important. From here on out, there aren’t any layups.
Games against Indiana, Michigan, and Northwestern all carry more weight now, and every week is going to demand more than the first three did. Illinois is up next, and Iowa is ranked and waiting on the road after that.
The concern for Buckeyes fans is familiar too: will Ryan Day get conservative if Ohio State builds a comfortable lead in a big game? That fear has been out there, and it doesn’t go away just because the schedule turns to conference play.
The truth is, the best Ohio State teams don’t live on the edge. They overwhelm people, especially up front and on the ground. That’s the standard this team is chasing now, because Big Ten play starts Saturday, and every game from here matters a whole lot more than the first three did.
In Other News...
Ohio State Gets A Clear Warning About This Illinois Tune-Up
Bret Bielema spent part of the buildup to Illinois Week 4 trip to Columbus putting into plain language what Ohio State already knows well: the financial gap between the programs is enormous, and it shapes everything from roster depth to the margin for error. Illinois is walking into one of the sports toughest road environments with a coach who understands the challenge, especially after having to absorb key player losses before facing a Buckeyes team that enters as a heavy favorite.
For Ohio State, that makes this more than just another tune-up before the schedule gets tougher. The Buckeyes are expected to handle business, but games like this still carry value because they reveal how well a roster built to compete for bigger goals responds when the matchup tilts heavily in its favor. Illinois will be trying to make it inconvenient anyway, and that is the part worth watching as the Buckeyes move through the early stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois' Best Hope Vs Ohio State May Come Down To One Battle
The next Illinois-Ohio State matchup figures to turn on more than talent alone, with the conversation centering on how Barry Lunney Jr. handles the offense and how Matt Patricia answers on the other side. A year ago, the game offered a useful snapshot of how coaching choices can shape the flow of this series, and both staffs enter this one with different personnel and different expectations than they had then.
For Illinois, the best chance to stress Ohio State may come from Lunneys ability to create answers before Patricias defense settles in. For the Buckeyes, the challenge is just as clear: adjust quickly, keep the Illini from finding rhythm, and make sure the game is decided by the side with the stronger game plan rather than the cleaner script. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Is Forcing A Massive Ohio State Debate Already
Jeremiah Smith has already done something at Ohio State that usually takes a full career to chase down. Early in his junior season, the wideout moved past the Buckeyes all-time receiving mark, a list that includes plenty of celebrated names, and the pace of his production has the program talking about him in a way that most players never get talked about.
Urban Meyer recently raised the temperature even more by calling Smith the best receiver in college football history, and it is exactly the kind of claim that invites a bigger argument. The numbers behind Smiths start are elite, but when you stack him against some of the sports other great college receivers, the debate gets more complicated, especially with his NFL future still unwritten. [Read more 🡒]