Jeremiah Smith put on another jaw-dropping display, and Julian Sayin kept making his case as Ohio State’s quarterback of the future as the Buckeyes rolled Illinois 42-19 on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Smith torched the Illini for 12 catches, 217 yards and four touchdowns, while Sayin finished 27 of 36 for 367 yards and four scores through the air and added a rushing touchdown of his own. Ohio State never let Illinois breathe, jumping out to an early lead and staying in control the rest of the way.
The tone was set immediately. On Ohio State’s opening possession, Sayin connected with Smith for 31 yards, then found him again for a 7-yard touchdown with 9:34 left in the first quarter to make it 7-0.
A few minutes later, the pair struck again in a much bigger way, with Sayin uncorking a deep ball and Smith outrunning his man for a 72-yard score. At that point, Smith had already piled up four receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Illinois briefly answered when Jordan Anderson finished a drive with a 22-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead to 14-7. But Ohio State kept its grip on the game in the second quarter.
Sayin and Smith hooked up again on a 9-yard fade with 4:12 left before halftime, extending the lead to 21-7. Ethan Moczulski later added a 43-yard field goal for Illinois, but Ohio State closed the half with a burst. Sayin capped the drive by diving into the end zone on a 7-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds left, sending the Buckeyes to the locker room ahead 27-10.
Illinois got a stop to open the second half, but could only turn it into a 44-yard field goal, trimming the margin to 28-13 midway through the third quarter.
Then came the play that slammed the door. After Ohio State’s defense forced a turnover on downs when Jaylen McClain broke up a pass intended for Brayden Trimble, Sayin went right back to Smith on the next scoring drive. Smith was left wide open for a 26-yard touchdown with 10:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, pushing the Buckeyes in front 35-13 and effectively ending any real suspense.
Illinois did find the end zone once more, with Katin Houser throwing a 28-yard touchdown to Ty Robinson. But the Illini failed on the two-point try, leaving them still behind by 16.
Ohio State added one last touchdown when Ja’Kobi Jackson finished an eight-play, 43-yard drive with a touchdown run with 2:36 left.
The Buckeyes got more than just the Sayin-Smith show, too. Ja’Kobi Jackson ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while Bo Jackson added 53 yards on 11 attempts. Illinois had moments, including a 37-yard run by Aidan Laughery, but the Buckeyes’ passing game was too much to handle.
By the final whistle, the script was clear: Sayin was efficient, Smith was unstoppable, and Ohio State looked the part in another convincing win.
In Other News...
Ohio State Freshman Legend Bey May Have A Bigger Problem Than Playing Time
Legend Beys first season at Ohio State has already been shaped by interruption, and not just because of the usual freshman learning curve. After an earlier suspension and an ankle injury, the running back has been working from behind for playing time, and his role has stayed limited as the Buckeyes have moved through the season. Even in areas where young players can sometimes find a foothold, his path has been narrow.
The latest sign came against Illinois, when Bey did not play and another player handled his kick-return work instead. For a freshman trying to earn more than a spot in the rotation, that kind of move can say plenty about where he stands with the staff. If the concerns run deeper than health or depth-chart traffic, it could become a bigger issue for Bey as he looks to settle his future in Columbus. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Future Talent Pipeline Is Starting To Look Different
Ohio States recruiting machine is still humming, but the shape of the pipeline is starting to change. The Buckeyes already hold 19 verbal commitments in the 2027 class, a group that includes six national top 100 players and the countrys No. 1 overall prospect, DJ Jacobs, giving the staff another chance to load up early with high-end talent.
The next wave looks just as promising, if a little different in how it is forming. Ohio State has five commitments in the 2028 class, four of them top 100 prospects, led by quarterback Christopher Vargas at No. 4 nationally, and even the 2029 class already has a foothold with wide receiver Austin Miller, ranked No. 50. For a program that has long built its roster on blue-chip talent, the real question is how this early momentum will translate when the class rankings and the pressure both start to rise. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Growing Running Back Problem Behind Ja'Kobi Jackson
Ohio State got the win over Illinois in Week 4, but the running back room left Ryan Day with a lot to sort through. The group finished with 122 rushing yards, and Ja'Kobi Jackson accounted for the best of it with 56 yards and a touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a steadier presence than they got from the rest of the rotation.
What followed was more revealing than the box score. Day publicly singled out sophomores Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, questioning their effort when compared with Ja'Kobi Jackson, and the backdrop here is not just one uneven afternoon but a position group dealing with injuries and inconsistent play. For Ohio State, the bigger concern is whether there is a reliable answer behind Ja'Kobi Jackson, because right now the depth chart looks far less settled than a contender would prefer. [Read more 🡒]