Ohio State opens Week 1 with the kind of matchup that should let the Buckeyes show off, settle in and maybe even make a few early-season statements before the game gets away from Ball State.
The top-ranked Buckeyes are in national championship mode from the jump, and the conversation around this one isn’t really about whether they win. It’s about how loud the performance gets, which players seize the spotlight and what kind of numbers can pile up before the starters start taking a seat.
Julian Sayin sits at the center of it all. Ohio State is expected to have one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and Sayin is a huge reason why.
He was a Heisman Finalist a year ago, and with Jeremiah Smith still in the mix, the Buckeyes have plenty of firepower around him. A number of other receivers have also caught the staff’s attention over the past few weeks.
Against a Ball State secondary that shouldn’t offer much resistance, Sayin is in position to put up a huge first half. The expectation here is at least 250 passing yards before halftime, with Ohio State leaning on mesh routes and slants designed to create yards after the catch.
Sayin has the arm strength to make that style of offense hum, and he likely won’t need to stick around long after the break anyway. Once the rust is gone, the Buckeyes can afford to get him out before any injury risk creeps in.
That opens the door for the backup quarterback battle to come into focus, and Ryan Day still hasn’t named a clear No. 2 behind Sayin. He has said Tavien St.
Clair and true freshman Luke Fahey are still competing for the job, but St. Clair has the more obvious physical upside, something he showed in the Spring Game.
With the score likely out of hand, Day should want both of the other quarterbacks to get real snaps. St.
Clair may even find the end zone a couple of times if the opportunity is there. More importantly, he could separate himself in the race and make it hard to argue against him as the backup and eventual successor once Sayin moves on.
On the defensive side, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is the name to watch. He is the only returning starter on the defensive line and the Buckeyes’ most experienced edge presence. Ball State’s offensive line may not have the athletes to hold up against his speed and power, and that creates a chance for a big night.
The prediction here is a three-sack performance for Jackson Jr. by the time he comes off the field in the second half. If that happens, it would be a strong Week 1 reminder that he can be a problem for quarterbacks all season, no matter who is lined up across from him.
In Other News...
Ohio State Defense Faces An Early Test It Can't Dodge
Ohio States defense has no shortage of names to sort through after losing a wave of elite production from last season, and the first real chance to start answering those questions comes against Ball State. The Buckeyes are trying to replace proven playmakers at multiple spots, with the linebacker room drawing particular attention and several transfers expected to be part of the solution as the staff figures out what this group looks like in live action.
Jay Timmons is one of the more intriguing pieces in that mix, a freshman cornerback whose role could grow as the season settles in. For a defense that needs both confidence and chemistry, a game like this matters beyond the final score because it gives Ohio State a chance to see which combinations hold up, which ones need more time, and where the early uncertainty still lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Is Giving Jim Tressel One Of Its Highest Honors
Ohio State is adding Jim Tressel to one of the programs most visible tributes, with his name set to join the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium. It is a fitting nod to a coach whose tenure in Columbus helped define an era, from the 2003 national championship to eight Big Ten titles, all of which will now be part of the display alongside his name.
Tressels place in Buckeyes history has long been secure, and this honor only reinforces how central his run from 2001 through 2010 remains to the programs identity. Already in the College Football Hall of Fame, he now gets another permanent reminder inside the stadium where his teams built so many of their biggest moments. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Reopened A Debate Ohio State Fans Never Settled
Jaxon Smith-Njigba revisited one of the most lingering Ohio State what-ifs during an appearance on The Ryen Russillo Show, where he addressed the hamstring injury that kept him out of the College Football Playoff and his decision not to play. He said he wanted to be on the field to help Ohio State win a national championship, but the injury left him unable to go, putting a painful cap on a season that had already made him one of the Buckeyes most electric playmakers.
Since then, Smith-Njigba has only added to the intrigue around that missed opportunity. He has become one of the NFLs top receivers, leading the league in receiving yards and earning a contract extension, which only sharpens the old debate over how much Ohio State might have gained if he had been able to suit up. For Buckeyes fans, it is the kind of conversation that never really dies, especially when the player at the center of it has gone on to prove just how high his ceiling really was. [Read more 🡒]