Ohio State closes out its nonconference schedule Saturday at Ohio Stadium, taking on Kent State in a noon Eastern kickoff on FOX.
The Buckeyes come in at 1-1 after last Saturday’s 24-23 loss at Texas, a game in which Ohio State let a 20-point fourth-quarter lead slip away. That was the second-largest lead the Buckeyes have ever lost in a defeat, behind only a 21-point cushion that disappeared in a 34-27 loss at Nebraska in 2011. Ohio State opened the season with a much cleaner result, rolling past Ball State 56-3.
That Texas loss also sent Ohio State tumbling in the polls. The Buckeyes dropped from No. 1 to No. 6 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, while Texas climbed from No. 4 to No.
- Ohio State is the only team in the top 20 with a loss.
Kent State enters at 1-1 as well, coming off a season-opening 57-0 defeat at South Carolina and a 36-15 home win over FCS Wofford. Mark Carney is in his second season leading the program after going 5-7 in 2025. Before that, Kent State was 1-23 combined under Keith Burns in 2023 and 2024.
Ohio State is paying Kent State a $1.9 million guarantee for the game, according to reports.
This matchup also fits into a long-running Ohio State trend. The Buckeyes did not play any Ohio or MAC teams from 1935 through 1991, but Bowling Green’s addition to the 1992 schedule as a late replacement started a stretch of such games at Ohio Stadium. Saturday will be the 32nd time Ohio State has hosted an Ohio-based university and the 31st time it has hosted a MAC team since that Bowling Green game.
After Kent State, Ohio State stays home for its Big Ten opener against Illinois on Sept. 26.
The game is part of FOX’s Big Noon Saturday package, though the network’s pregame show will not come from campus. Instead, it will be produced in London, England, where Fox Sports 1 will also carry Arizona State-Kansas at noon Eastern.
Former Ohio State women’s basketball star Katie Smith, now a program assistant, has been selected to ring the Ohio Stadium Victory Bell before kickoff.
In Other News...
Ohio State Has A Ryan Day Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Ohio States recent habit of watching comfortable fourth-quarter leads shrink has turned into more than a bad stretch. The Buckeyes have had the kind of defensive fatigue and late-game confusion that can undo otherwise solid afternoons, and the issue has shown up in consecutive games enough to raise real questions about how the team closes.
Ryan Days program has been especially vulnerable when opponents keep pushing the pace and the defense is forced to hold up under pressure. The loss to Texas only sharpened the concern, since the Longhorns have brought a steadier offensive identity over multiple seasons while Ohio State has struggled to adjust and protect leads when games turn critical. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Just Put Ohio State's Punt Decisions On Notice
Ohio States special teams already had a spotlight on them after the loss to Texas, and Ryan Day only sharpened it when he revisited the punt decision from Texas 39-yard line. The Buckeyes chose to kick on 4th-and-4, and the result was a 26-yard net that left plenty of room for second-guessing. Day still defended the call, while also pointing to punter Joe McGuires talent and framing the issue as more about execution than philosophy.
Robby Discher was brought in this offseason as special teams coordinator with the expectation that this phase would get cleaner, and Days comments suggested the Buckeyes are watching closely to see whether that happens. If the operation stays inconsistent, the comfort level on similar fourth-down decisions may start to change, especially in the kinds of high-leverage spots that can swing a top-end game. The message was clear enough: the punts are not automatic if the returns keep coming up short. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State May Have Found A Young Defensive Difference Maker
Riley Pettijohns role in Ohio States loss to Texas was one of the quieter bright spots for a defense that spent much of the night under pressure. The young linebacker logged a career-high 37 snaps while moving around to multiple spots, and he flashed enough disruption to stand out even in a tough result. He also fit in with a broader theme from the game, as other young Buckeyes like Jay Timmons and Khary Wilder showed they may be ready for bigger chances too.
Ryan Day has already signaled that Pettijohns workload should keep growing, and it is easy to see why the staff is intrigued. The linebacker has shown a knack for slipping blocks and finding the football, the kind of trait that can change how a defense feels from one week to the next. Ohio State still has to sort out the bigger picture after the loss, but Pettijohns emergence gives the Buckeyes something real to build on. [Read more 🡒]