Ohio State didn’t need long to put Kent State away, and the part of the offense that drew the most attention afterward was the run game. The Buckeyes jumped to a 35-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 59-3 win, but even in a blowout there was still plenty to sort through on the ground.
The Buckeyes finished with 145 rushing yards on 38 carries, good for 3.8 yards per attempt. It was an improvement, at least, after a start to the season in which the running game had been uneven outside of the second half against Ball State, when Ohio State ran for 202 yards. Still, this wasn’t the kind of outing that suggested a finished product.
For the second straight game, Ohio State did not produce a run of 20 yards or more. Bo Jackson’s longest carry went for 17 yards, and there still doesn’t appear to be a clear home-run threat in the backfield.
Bo Jackson led the way with 11 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. Ja'Kobi Jackson added 47 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, and Isaiah West also found the end zone on the ground. Freshman Favour Akih got a few late touches, while Legend Bey had one carry for no gain before leaving with an apparent ankle injury.
Through three games, Ohio State sits 79th nationally in rushing at just under 159 yards per game. That number matters, especially once Big Ten play starts. If the Buckeyes want to win consistently in the conference, they have to be able to run the football better than this.
The bigger issue is situational execution. Red zone snaps, short-yardage chances, third downs and fourth downs all still need work.
One example came when it took a fourth-down try for Ohio State to punch in one of Ja'Kobi Jackson’s touchdowns after reaching the Kent State 8-yard line on a first down. The Buckeyes need to be able to line up and run the ball when they choose to, and that part of the offense remains unfinished.
Ohio State, now 2-1 and ranked seventh in the AP poll, will open Big Ten play next Saturday at home against Illinois, which is also 2-1. FOX will televise the game at 7 p.m.
In Other News...
Ohio State Has A New Ranking Frustration Fans Wont Ignore
Ohio States Week 3 win over Kent State was supposed to keep the Buckeyes steady, but the AP Top 25 told a different story. After the latest poll, Ohio State slipped to No. 7, a reminder that even a clean victory does not always protect a teams place in the national conversation. Ole Miss, coming off its win over LSU, jumped to No. 4 and moved ahead of the Buckeyes along with a few other teams.
Now the focus shifts to Week 4 and a home date with Illinois, where Ohio State has another chance to make a statement. The Buckeyes do not control the poll, only the results that shape it, and the gap between winning and gaining ground can be thin this early in the season. If Ohio State wants to climb back into the top tier, the path starts with handling business and letting the ranking debate sort itself out later. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Just Rewrote A Piece Of Ohio State History
Jeremiah Smith spent Saturday adding another line to Ohio States receiving record book, breaking the programs career receiving yards mark in the game against Kent State. It is the kind of milestone that instantly resets the standard in Columbus, especially for a freshman who has already looked like a fixture in the Buckeyes offensive future.
The record had belonged to Michael Jenkins, one of the more important receivers in Ohio State history and a key figure in the 2002 national championship season. Jenkins had stood atop that list for more than two decades, which gives Smiths rise some real perspective and makes the new benchmark feel bigger than a single afternoon against an overmatched opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Have A New Fox Frustration After Another Blowout
Ohio States latest lopsided win should have been the kind of afternoon that let the broadcast booth coast along with the Buckeyes. Instead, Fox play-by-play voice Gus Johnson drew a fresh wave of criticism from college football fans after sounding unusually flat during the 59-3 rout of Kent State, a game that quickly turned into another one of those runaway Ohio State blowouts.
The complaints centered on several of the bigger moments in the game, from a touchdown catch by Chris Henry Jr. to other Buckeye scores that barely seemed to register with Johnsons call. The reaction felt familiar to anyone who has followed Ohio State on Fox in recent seasons, because this was not the first time fans have come away from a blowout wondering why the soundtrack never matched the action. [Read more 🡒]