Ohio State didn’t just handle Ball State on Saturday. It put two stars on a Heisman track that already looks impossible to ignore.
By halftime, the Buckeyes had built a 28-3 cushion, and the rest of the afternoon turned into a chance to let the game get away from Ball State before Ryan Day pulled his top guys in the second half. That included Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin, both of whom made their case early and loudly.
Smith was electric from the jump. He finished the first half with eight catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and both scores were the kind that make a crowd stop and stare.
On the first, he ran past his defender and won the 1-on-1 battle downfield. On the second, he showed off soft hands and body control with a toe-tap at the back of the end zone.
After that one, he even flashed the Heisman pose.
Julian Sayin was right there with him. The quarterback connected with Smith on both touchdown throws and turned in a huge day of his own, piling up 320 passing yards and accounting for four total touchdowns - three through the air and one on the ground.
Taken together, it was the kind of performance that gives Ohio State a terrifying ceiling. The Smith-Sayin connection already looks like one of the best in the country, and if they keep producing like this, both names are going to stay in the Heisman conversation.
The next test is a much bigger one. Ohio State heads to Austin next Saturday for a matchup with Texas, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
In Other News...
Ohio State Faces A More Dangerous Texas Test Than Last Year
The rematch on the schedule already carries enough weight, but this one comes with a different feel for Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Texas are meeting for the third straight year, only this time it is in Austin at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, with ESPNs College GameDay on hand and the Longhorns carrying a 1.5-point edge. After the last two seasons gave both programs a fresh look at each other, the matchup now arrives with even more attention and a bigger stage.
For Ohio State, the challenge is not just the venue or the buildup, but the version of Texas waiting on the other side. Arch Manning gives the Longhorns a new layer at quarterback, while new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp adds a familiar edge to that side of the ball. For a Buckeye team used to measuring itself against the nations best, this one feels less like another early heavyweight game and more like a true test of how much has changed since the last time these teams lined up. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Kienholz Just Sparked An Ohio State QB Debate
Lincoln Kienholz spent enough time around Ohio State to know how unforgiving the quarterback conversation can be there, and his latest outing at Louisville gave the discussion a fresh jolt. In his debut against Ole Miss, the former Buckeye showed the kind of production that turns heads quickly, topping 300 yards and throwing three touchdowns while looking comfortable as both a passer and a runner.
For Ohio State fans, the appeal is obvious because it feeds into the never-ending question of what might have been and what the Buckeyes missed when Kienholz moved on. His path also says something about the fit in college football: sometimes a player needs a different setup, a cleaner runway and a coach like Jeff Brohm to let the full skill set show up on game day, even as the foundation built in Columbus still shapes how he leads and handles the position. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's QB Uncertainty Just Added Intrigue To The Game
Ohio State opened its season with a comfortable win over Ball State, while Michigan had a far less reassuring afternoon in a narrow escape against Western Michigan. That alone would have been enough to keep Buckeyes fans watching closely, but the storyline got more interesting when Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham left the door open on Bryce Underwoods status at quarterback, a notable twist for a position that usually settles the tone for the rest of the rivalry week chatter.
Underwoods uneven play has only deepened the questions around Michigans offense, and it carries extra weight because of what this game means beyond one Saturday in September. For Ohio State, any uncertainty on the other sideline only adds to the intrigue heading into a meeting where the Buckeyes will be paying attention to whether Michigan can steady itself, or whether the Wolverines are heading toward a bigger change than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]