Ohio State enters Saturday with a chance to do more than just beat Kent State. The Buckeyes can also put some of the noise from last week to bed.
That noise got loud after Ohio State suffered the biggest fourth-quarter collapse in the history of the program. What should have been a road win that kept the Buckeyes at No. 1 turned into a stretch of hard questions, and the team has spent the past few days reworking what went wrong.
The defense got too conservative in the second half. Julian Sayin finished just 2/12 after halftime.
And now there are real fears that this team may not be ready for the better opponents on its schedule.
Kent State is the chance to answer back.
The Buckeyes are the Big Noon Kickoff game this week and are enormous favorites against the Golden Flashes. This one is expected to be over fast, probably before halftime, but that won’t stop Ohio State fans from demanding a lopsided win in the Shoe. Anything short of a total hammering will feel like a missed opportunity.
What Ohio State needs most is a cleaner offensive showing, especially on the ground. Through two weeks, the Buckeyes still have not established the run in the first half of a game.
Even against Ball State, Bo Jackson had trouble finding room. That has to change, and it has to change now.
Arthur Smith is expected to lean into the run early. Getting Jackson and the rest of the backs moving matters not just for this game, but for what comes next.
Ohio State has the next two weeks to get ready for the tougher stretch in the Big Ten, and this matchup is the last easy one on the calendar. Illinois is not great, but it is a different level from Kent State.
If the Buckeyes want a place to take out some frustration, this is it.
The pressure is on to keep pouring it on. Fans are going to want to see a 50-plus-point win, not just a routine victory. That expectation is tied to a rushing attack that has been stuck in neutral so far; Ohio State ranks 73rd in the country in rushing offense, and that is not close to good enough for what Smith is supposed to bring to the table.
There’s also some line shuffling to monitor. Phillip Daniels is likely out, which means Gabe VanSickle is set to start at right guard and Austin Siereveld will move out to right tackle. That new look could bring some different energy up front.
Ryan Day has taken plenty of criticism this week, and the Buckeyes now have a chance to show some backbone. He also has another issue hanging over the day: the kicking game. Connor Hawkins better make all of his kicks today, or things will get ugly.
A blowout over Kent State would not fix everything, but it would calm a lot of the unease around Columbus.
In Other News...
Ohio States Clutch Kicking Reputation Might Not Match The Full Story
Ohio States kicking history in tight games has long lived in the space between memory and myth, and the numbers since 2000 help explain why. The analysis breaks those attempts into money kicks, when the Buckeyes were tied or trailing by three or fewer, and clutch kicks, when they were protecting a one-score lead, giving a clearer picture of how often the pressure has really fallen on the leg of the kicker.
What stands out is that the Buckeyes have actually done better in those safer, late-game situations than in the true win-or-lose moments, where the makes have come at just over half the rate. The ledger includes both painful misses and big answers, along with Mike Nugents 55-yard walk-off winner in 2004, a reminder that the programs late-kick reputation has always been shaped by a few unforgettable swings rather than a simple curse. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Gave Ohio State Fans More Reason To Hate Him
Oregon put up a program-record 84 points in its win over Portland State, a lopsided result that already had plenty of people talking before the final moments even became a talking point. With Ohio State set to see the Ducks again on Nov. 7, any chance to size up Dan Lannings team is going to get extra attention in Columbus, especially with the recent history between the programs.
What drew the loudest reaction was Lannings choice late in the game, when Oregon kept pushing instead of simply letting the clock run out. That kind of decision tends to linger when two high-profile teams are on a collision course, and for Buckeye fans, it only adds another layer to a matchup that already figures to carry plenty of edge. [Read more 🡒]
Buckeyes Blowout Brings Big Moments And One Injury Fans Will Watch
Ohio States noon matchup with Kent State has already turned into the kind of lopsided afternoon that can produce a little of everything for the Buckeyes. Isaiah West, Nate Roberts and JaKobi Jackson each found the end zone as the offense kept rolling at Ohio Stadium, and the game also provided a notable milestone for Jeremiah Smith, who added another line to an already eye-catching start to his Ohio State career.
The one concern in the middle of the blowout came when Legend Bey left the game after just one carry and headed to the medical tent, a development worth watching with the Buckeyes schedule moving forward. In a game that otherwise looked like a routine tuneup, that was the reminder that even the biggest mismatch can carry a storyline beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]