Ohio State did what Ohio State was supposed to do against Kent State on Saturday, and then some. The Buckeyes rolled, found answers all over the field and still came away with a few things to clean up as the nonconference schedule wrapped up.
The scoreboard told one part of the story: eight Buckeyes reached the end zone, and seven different players scored at least once. On offense, the touchdown list included Bo Jackson, Ja'Kobi Jackson twice, Isaiah West, Brandon Inniss, Nate Roberts and Chris Henry Jr.
The other score came from Jamir Perez, whose scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter stood out for more than just the timing. Listed at 349 pounds, Perez became the heaviest player to ever score a touchdown for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes also had a strong day where it has mattered most for much of the season: inside the 20. Ohio State came away with points on 6-of-7 red zone chances, turning five of those into touchdowns and stacking up 38 points in the red zone. That works out to touchdowns on 71.4% of those opportunities, just shy of the 75% target Ryan Day and his staff have made a point of stressing.
Those five red-zone touchdowns came from four players - Ja'Kobi Jackson twice, along with Roberts, West and Bo Jackson - and four of them were runs. The other came through the air. Jake Cook also checked in as an extra offensive lineman on a couple of those scoring snaps after not playing at all in the loss to Texas.
If there was a real blemish on the day, it was third down. Ohio State went just 1-for-8, and that lone conversion didn’t come until the final play of the game.
Before that, the Buckeyes had missed on their first seven tries, failing on 3rd-and-3, 3rd-and-5, 3rd-and-1, 3rd-and-2, 3rd-and-3, 3rd-and-10 and 3rd-and-12. The first four of those came with the first-team offense still on the field.
Kent State had already been on a strong third-down streak coming in, and Ohio State couldn’t break through until the game was essentially over. That makes the number hard to ignore, even in a blowout. The Buckeyes are bigger, faster, stronger and better than a team like Kent State, and 1-for-8 on third down is not the standard, especially with Big Ten play approaching.
Through three games, Ohio State is now 12-of-33 on third downs. It was the first time since Oct. 26, 2024, that the Buckeyes managed only one third-down conversion in a game. The last time it happened, OSU went 1-of-10 against Nebraska.
In Other News...
Ohio States Easy Win Couldnt Quiet One Big Concern
Ohio State handled Kent State 59-3 and put the game away early, taking a 35-0 lead into halftime and never letting the outcome feel in doubt. The Buckeyes still found enough balance to lean on the run, finishing with 145 rushing yards on 38 attempts, with Bo Jackson leading the way with 73 yards and a touchdown.
Even in a blowout, though, the ground game remains a point worth watching. Ohio States rushing offense is still inconsistent overall, sitting 79th nationally at just under 159 yards per game, and that leaves a gap between what this roster can be and what it has shown so far. The schedule will get less forgiving from here, and the Buckeyes will need more than a comfortable win to answer that concern. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A Clear Warning About Illinois Saturday
Illinois followed its loss to Duke with a much cleaner performance against Southern Illinois, and the part that should have Ohio State paying attention is how much more settled the Illini looked at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line showed progress, the run defense was sturdier, and the overall operation came across as a team that had already made some useful corrections before the matchup in Columbus.
Katin Houser also gave Illinois a steadier passing game by spreading the ball around, which matters because it hints at a more functional offense than the one that stumbled a week earlier. The defense, meanwhile, flashed enough improvement against the run to suggest this is not a team the Buckeyes can afford to overlook, even if the bigger question still hangs over whether those adjustments travel against a much faster and more talented opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Got A Big Noon Reminder Nobody Wanted
A rout should have sounded like a showcase, but Ohio States 59-3 win over Kent State came with a broadcast that drew as much attention as the score. FOX Sports announcer Gus Johnson delivered the game in a flat, muted tone, and he also made a factual mistake while discussing a players touchdown history, a rough combination in a matchup that was already struggling to hold viewers attention.
The bigger issue is one college football keeps circling back to every fall: games like this are increasingly hard to sell, even for a blueblood with a massive fan base. Ohio State can only do so much when the opponent is overmatched, and the broadcast only amplified the sense that fans, and maybe networks, would rather see a more competitive nonconference slate than another predictable Saturday afternoon tune-up. [Read more 🡒]