Ohio State has spent so long leaning on elite defense that Saturday’s game against Illinois felt like a rude awakening.
The Buckeyes still won’t look at the 400-plus yards the Illinois Fighting Illini piled up and shrug it off, even if that production turned into only 19 points. Illinois left a couple of easy scores on the field, but the more troubling part for Ohio State was how repeatable the damage looked. The Illini ran the ball with ease, found space in the passing game, and at times moved the line of scrimmage their way.
That kind of performance would have been alarming any year. For Ohio State, it hit harder because this has not been a one-game fluke.
The first three weeks had already shown cracks. Ball State found some creases in the run game in Week 1.
Texas could have turned Week 2 into a much worse afternoon for the Buckeyes if not for some goofy bounces. Kent State in Week 3 followed a similar script to Ball State: not disastrous, but clearly not up to Ohio State’s usual standard.
Illinois just made it impossible to ignore.
Now the Buckeyes are staring at a difficult run of games that will keep testing that side of the ball. Iowa, Indiana, Oregon, USC, Northwestern, and Michigan are all on deck, and each of them brings a physical edge on offense that could cause Ohio State problems if the defense doesn’t tighten up.
For the moment, the offense has to do the heavy lifting. That’s the good news for Ohio State: the firepower is there. The bad news is that living that way every week is not a real answer.
Ryan Day and his staff have work to do, and they need to find it quickly. Until then, Ohio State is going to need Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith to keep carrying the load.
In Other News...
Ohio State Heads To Iowa With Two Starters Suddenly In Doubt
Ohio State heads to Iowa with a little more uncertainty than it likely wanted this week, as two starters showed up on the availability report as questionable. Jay Timmons is working back from a hamstring injury, while Phillip Daniels remains sidelined after an earlier injury, leaving the Buckeyes with some real late-week questions as they prepare for a tough road test.
There is at least one encouraging note for the defense, though, with defensive end Zion Grady cleared to return after missing two games. Iowa, meanwhile, will be short a starter of its own, with safety Tyler Brown ruled out as he continues to recover, so both teams are heading into the matchup with some moving parts still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Just Forced An Ohio State Greatness Debate
Jeremiah Smiths record-setting afternoon against Illinois gave Ohio State something bigger than a win to talk about. The freshman hauled in 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns, a line that immediately pushed his name into a conversation that Buckeye fans know is never casual: where he already stacks up among the great wideouts to wear the scarlet and gray.
Jeremiah Smiths physical tools and production have drawn praise from analysts and former players alike, and the early rsum is starting to look the part of a legacy candidate. The debate now carries into the next stretch of the schedule, where more big games will help determine whether this was a dazzling milestone or the start of a case for the top spot in Ohio State receiver history. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces One Big Roster Question Entering Dieblers Third Season
Ohio States annual media day offered the first real look at Jake Diebler entering his third season, and the Buckeyes came away sounding encouraged about what this roster can become. With six returning players and nine newcomers, the mix is still coming together, but Diebler pointed to the teams size, depth and a non-conference schedule that should give the group an early measuring stick after a week of practice.
What remains unsettled is how quickly all of those pieces will fit, especially with exhibition games on the horizon and the regular season set to start Nov. 2. The Buckeyes have plenty of new faces to sort through and enough talent to make the early weeks interesting, but the next stretch will reveal whether the rosters promise can translate into something more defined once the games begin to matter. [Read more 🡒]