OHIO — Ohio State and Cincinnati both kept winning Saturday, although they took very different paths to get there. The Buckeyes beat Illinois 42-19 behind a huge afternoon from Jeremiah Smith, while the Bearcats overcame another slow start to defeat Kansas State 31-26 and improve to 4-0.
Pro Football Focus grades every player on every snap, providing another way to evaluate which performances stood out beyond the traditional box score. As always, snap count, role, and opponent matter, but this week’s grades mostly reinforce what the games already showed.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Jeremiah Smith did not just lead Ohio State’s offense. He dominated the grading sheet.
Smith earned a 93.7 overall grade after catching 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns against Illinois. His receiving grade was 92.5, easily the best offensive mark on the team after one of the best games of his career.
Julian Sayin was not far behind at 92.9. The quarterback completed 27 of 36 passes for 367 yards and four touchdowns, while also showing the willingness to use his legs that Ryan Day had challenged him to display. Sayin earned a 92.9 overall grade, including a 92.2 passing grade and six rushing snaps in PFF’s breakdown.
Tight end Nate Roberts ranked third offensively at 79.2 over 43 snaps, followed by Phillip Bell at 74.0. Ja’Kobi Jackson rounded out the offensive top five at 71.9 after leading Ohio State with 56 rushing yards and scoring the final touchdown.
Defensively, linebacker Tarvos Alford led the Buckeyes with an 86.0 grade over 33 snaps, which may lead to an increase in snap counts. Jaylen McClain followed at 76.7, with his strongest work coming in coverage, while Eddrick Houston earned a 75.2 after playing 36 snaps and grading out to a 70.2 in pressure.
Beau Atkinson finished fourth at 73.9, and Jason Moore completed the defensive top five at 72.5. Unlike the offense, where Smith and Sayin separated themselves from everyone else, Ohio State’s defensive grades were more evenly distributed.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cole Tabb continued his outstanding start to the season with Cincinnati’s best offensive grade.
Tabb earned a 90.9 after rushing for 124 yards and scoring all three of Cincinnati’s second-half touchdowns against Kansas State. He needed only 20 snaps to earn the highest grade on either side of the ball for the Bearcats.
Quarterback JC French IV ranked second offensively at 76.5 over 53 snaps. Wide receiver Giyahni Kontosis and tight end Gavin Grover tied for third at 76.1, while left tackle Judea Milon finished fifth at 72.0.
The offensive grades reflect how Cincinnati eventually won the game. The Bearcats leaned heavily on the ground game after halftime, with Tabb and Gi’Bran Payne both surpassing 100 rushing yards as Cincinnati erased a 17-10 halftime deficit.
Jonathan Thompson once again led the defense, earning a 78.0 overall grade over 55 snaps. His strongest mark came in coverage, where he graded at 74.2 in PFF’s category breakdown.
Filip Maciorowski followed at 76.3, while cornerback Jacob Finley earned a 75.7 after playing 76 snaps, the most of Cincinnati’s top five defenders. Simeon Coleman finished fourth at 74.4, and Nathan Nunn rounded out the group at 70.1.
The most striking part of this week’s numbers is at the top. Smith and Sayin both cleared 92 for Ohio State, while Tabb reached 90.9 for Cincinnati. Those grades matched the eye test: all three were central to their teams’ victories and all three put on a big-time show.
Ohio State received superstar performances from its quarterback and all-world receiver. Cincinnati once again rode Tabb and its rushing attack through a difficult first half.
Different formulas, same result.
Two more wins for Ohio football, which as we pointed out yesterday is a national treasure.
