COLUMBUS — After spending a week answering questions about how everything went wrong at Texas, Ohio State offered a much simpler answer Saturday afternoon.
The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, built a 35-point halftime lead and overwhelmed Kent State 59-3 at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State executed at a high level on both sides of the ball from the opening possession. The offense moved 65 yards in seven plays before Ja’Kobi Jackson scored on an 11-yard run. Julian Sayin then completed all five of his passes during the Buckeyes’ second drive, including a six-yard touchdown to Nate Roberts.
Isaiah West added a four-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, giving Ohio State a 21-0 lead before Kent State had recorded its second first down.
Sayin completed his first 11 passes and finished 18-of-22 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Bo Jackson led the rushing attack with 73 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Ja’Kobi Jackson scored twice.
The afternoon’s biggest accomplishment, however, belonged to Jeremiah Smith.
Smith entered the game needing 26 yards to break Michael Jenkins’ Ohio State career receiving record of 2,898 yards. He passed Jenkins during the first quarter and finished with five receptions for 85 yards, pushing his career total to 2,958.
That Smith owns the record three games into his junior season is difficult to comprehend. Jenkins needed four seasons to establish the previous mark. Smith required just 33 games.
Ohio State’s fourth touchdown came on Bo Jackson’s one-yard run midway through the second quarter, but the Buckeyes failed to score on their next two possessions. The first began at Kent State’s 13-yard line following Riley Pettijohn’s interception, while the second ended near midfield.
Those empty possessions exposed the one obvious concern from an otherwise dominant afternoon: Ohio State’s offensive line continued to struggle in short-yardage situations. The Buckeyes finished just 1-for-8 on third down, with their only conversion coming on Favour Akih’s five-yard run during the final possession, and went 2-for-4 on fourth down. Against Kent State, those failures became little more than footnotes. Against Texas, they helped decide the game, and will decide every other big game this team plays in.
Ohio State still managed to squeeze one more touchdown into the first half. After taking possession at its own 20 with 20 seconds remaining, Sayin moved the Buckeyes across midfield and launched a Hail Mary on the final play. Brandon Inniss came down with the 49-yard touchdown, sending Ohio State into halftime with a 35-0 lead.
The Buckeyes opened the second half by converting Payton Pierce’s fumble recovery into Ja’Kobi Jackson’s second touchdown. Backup quarterback Luke Fahey later found Chris Henry Jr. for a 75-yard catch-and-run score, and freshman defensive tackle Jamir Perez returned another Kent State fumble 11 yards for a touchdown.
Connor Hawkins added a 31-yard field goal before Kent State avoided the shutout with Sean Leonard’s 30-yard kick in the final two minutes.
Ohio State finished with 527 total yards and held Kent State to 134. The Golden Flashes managed six first downs, completed eight passes and committed three turnovers. Riley Pettijohn intercepted Dru DeShields, while Pierce and Perez accounted for the two fumble recoveries.
Freshman running back Legend Bey left during the second quarter after appearing to suffer an undisclosed injury. He did not return, and Ohio State had not announced the nature or severity of the injury after the game.
Saturday did not erase what happened in Austin, nor did beating Kent State answer every question surrounding the Buckeyes. The offensive line’s inability to consistently win when the defense knew a short-yardage run was coming remains a legitimate problem.
Everything else looked exactly as it should have. Ohio State started fast, controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage, created turnovers and put the game away before halftime.
After last week, boring and dominant was precisely what the Buckeyes needed.
What’s Next: Ohio State opens Big Ten play against Illinois on Saturday, September 26, at Ohio Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
