Ohio State’s defense answered its rough night against Texas the way a top unit should: by smothering Kent State from start to finish.
After getting worn down and unable to get home against the Longhorns, the Buckeyes came back and played with control against the Golden Flashes. The result was a lopsided win that fit the tone of the afternoon, with Ohio State allowing no touchdowns in the first three games of the season and none at home.
The numbers tell the story of a defense that has still been stingy, even if this season hasn’t looked quite like the last two. Over 2024 and 2025, Ohio State ranked in the top three nationally in rushing defense, giving up fewer than 90 rushing yards per game.
That standard held early with Ball State, which managed only 35 yards on the ground, but Texas pushed the Buckeyes for 141 rushing yards when the defense was clearly running on fumes. Kent State, though, was held to just 71 rushing yards.
The pass defense has carried a similar reputation. In the same two-season stretch, Ohio State’s secondary ranked in the top three, and the Buckeyes have expected that kind of standard again this year. Ball State finished with 120 passing yards, Texas reached 195, and Kent State was kept to only 63.
Ohio State’s total defense and scoring defense were both first in the country in 2024 and 2025, when the Buckeyes allowed fewer than 250 total yards and fewer than 14 points per game. This season has been a little different so far. Texas put up 336 yards and 24 points, while Ball State and Kent State were held to 165 and 134 yards, respectively, and just three points each.
There is, of course, a limit to what can be learned from overpowering MAC opponents. Still, Ohio State did exactly what it was supposed to do against teams like Ball State and Kent State, and that is not always a given in college football.
The test gets tougher next week with Illinois coming to town. The Illini are 2-1, and both teams will be trying to avoid a 2-2 start. Illinois quarterback Katin Houser has 758 passing yards and nine total touchdowns, giving Ohio State another chance to show its pass rush has taken a step forward against a stronger quarterback than the ones it has faced so far.
The defensive highlight of the day belonged to Jamir Perez. The 6-foot-3, 349-pound freshman from Cleveland delivered the kind of play that swings a game in a hurry.
Perez deflected a pass to help force the defense off the field, then later got his moment again when Ohio State forced a Kent State fumble on the first play after Chris Henry Jr. scored. Perez took it to the house for a scoop-and-score touchdown.
Riley Pettijohn earned player of the game honors, and it was easy to see why. The linebacker finished with three tackles and an interception, and he continues to push his way into the conversation for more playing time. Coming into the season, Pettijohn sat behind two teammates on the depth chart, but he has kept working, kept producing, and made it harder every week for Ryan Day, Matt Patricia, and linebacker coach James Laurinaitis to keep him off the field.
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 🡒]