Ohio State’s season hangs in the balance Saturday against Northwestern, and the Buckeyes know exactly what the margin looks like. Lose, and the year is done. Win, and there’s still a path forward - with help - toward Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship.
For Ohio State, the conversation starts on offense. Another week of work should matter, especially for Luke Fahey and the rest of the group, but the Buckeyes need more than practice gains.
They need a cleaner, sharper plan that actually produces points. That means leaning hard into three things if they want to avoid another loss.
The first is simple: get Jeremiah Smith the football and keep feeding him.
Talk of balance can wait. It hasn’t been working, and Saturday is not the time to force it.
Smith has to be the centerpiece. Last week against Oregon, he caught three passes on four targets in the opening quarter, then didn’t see another throw his way until the 6:37 mark of the third quarter.
Even worse, he went from the 3:36 mark of the first quarter to 55 seconds left in the third between receptions. That can’t happen again.
He’s an All-American. He’s the best player in college football.
Ohio State needs to do whatever it takes to keep the ball in his hands.
The second priority is turning drives into touchdowns in the middle quarters.
The Buckeyes simply haven’t scored enough, and they’ve left too many chances on the table. Over the last two weeks, Ohio State has managed just 23 points in the first three quarters combined, with no passing touchdowns.
The fourth-quarter scores came late - 3:25 left, 2:12 left and 44 seconds remaining - and none of them changed the feel of the game. Against Oregon, the Buckeyes produced only 49 total yards in the second and third quarters after jumping out to 14 first-quarter points.
That kind of drop-off won’t cut it. If Ohio State wants to win Saturday, the offense has to show up for all four quarters, not just the opening and closing ones.
And finally, the Buckeyes have to win at the line of scrimmage.
That matters even with the offense built around Smith. The offensive line has to hold up and set the tone.
Northwestern’s defense has struggled in Big Ten play and the numbers up front back that up: the Wildcats rank 113th nationally in tackles for loss and 104th in sacks. That should give Ohio State a chance to control the trenches.
If the Buckeyes do that, both the passing game and the run game should have room to settle in and produce.
In Other News...
Ohio State Finally Made A Change Fans Saw Coming
Ohio State made the kind of midseason move fans had been expecting after a string of special teams breakdowns kept showing up at the worst possible moments. Robby Discher was fired after nine games, with the Buckeyes issues on that phase of the game becoming harder to ignore as penalties and momentum-swinging mistakes piled up in recent losses.
Ryan Day said there had simply been too many detrimental plays to keep things as they were, and the staff is now reshuffling responsibilities to finish the season. Senior analyst Rob Keys will oversee special teams the rest of the way, with other coaches taking on specific units, a sign that Ohio State is trying to steady one of the most frustrating parts of its operation before it costs them again. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Backup Quarterback Problem Just Got More Complicated
Justyn Martins role at Ohio State has become one of those quiet depth-chart stories that can suddenly matter a lot more than anyone expected. The fifth-year senior has not played this season, but with Julian Sayin sidelined, Martin is now listed as the third-string quarterback, and Ryan Day has already made it clear he likes what he has seen from him in practice. For a team that always has to be ready at quarterback, that kind of behind-the-scenes trust can carry real weight.
Martin has kept working alongside Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair, staying in the mix while the Buckeyes sort through their options. He has spoken confidently about the group and noted that Sayin remains supportive during his recovery, which only adds another layer to a situation that is still unfolding. For now, Martin is waiting for a chance that has not come yet, but the fact that Day is even floating game usage suggests Ohio States backup picture is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Chip Kelly Is Suddenly Back In Ohio State's Offensive Picture
Chip Kellys name is back in the mix around Ohio State, and not just as a nostalgic footnote. The former Buckeyes assistant, now at Northwestern, has surfaced in conversations about offensive play-caller openings, with his past tie to the program giving the idea immediate credibility. For a staff that is always under the microscope, any movement on the offensive side tends to draw attention quickly, especially when it involves a coach with Kellys rsum and familiarity with the Ohio State environment.
The broader picture is still fluid, though, because Nebraska is also being linked to Kelly and may try to sell him on the stature of the job rather than a simple financial pitch. For Ohio State, the possibility seems tied to whether current staff changes open a path, which is why the chatter feels more like a developing subplot than a settled pursuit. Even so, the fact that Kelly is being discussed in that context says plenty about how quickly the Buckeyes offensive landscape can shift. [Read more 🡒]