COLUMBUS — Ohio State needed a response after collapsing during the fourth quarter at Texas.
Kent State was kind enough to provide one.
The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, led 35-0 at halftime and limited the Golden Flashes to 134 total yards during a 59-3 victory at Ohio Stadium.
Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Ohio State’s demolition of Kent State.
The Good: Jeremiah Smith
Ohio State’s history at wide receiver is almost unfair.
Cris Carter. David Boston. Michael Jenkins. Santonio Holmes. Michael Thomas. Terry McLaurin. Chris Olave. Garrett Wilson. Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Marvin Harrison Jr. Emeka Egbuka.
As I wrote earlier in the week, that is not a position group. That is an assembly line. And now Jeremiah Smith stands statistically above every one of them in career receiving yards.
Smith entered Saturday needing only 26 yards to break Jenkins’ previous school record of 2,898. He finished with five receptions for 85 yards, raising his career total to 2,958.
The record itself is remarkable. The speed with which Smith broke it is absurd.
Smith is only three games into his junior season. Jenkins needed four years to establish the previous mark, while several other Ohio State greats left for the NFL before exhausting their eligibility. Smith climbed past all of them before September of his third season had ended.
Every defensive coordinator knows where Ohio State wants to throw the football. Smith continues producing anyway.
The record does not settle every argument about the greatest receiver in school history. Different eras, offenses and career lengths make perfect comparisons impossible. It does, however, reinforce what has become increasingly obvious.
Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football, and he is nowhere close to finished.
The Bad: Short-Yardage Blocking
Finding fault in a 56-point victory may sound unnecessarily picky, but there's a standard to protect and Ohio State’s offensive line still had problems creating movement in short-yardage situations.
That is concerning because the opponent was Kent State.
The Buckeyes finished only 1-for-8 on third down and 2-for-4 on fourth down. They eventually scored on one-yard runs by Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson, but several red-zone and short-yardage snaps became much more difficult than they should have been against an overmatched defensive front.
Ryan Day acknowledged afterward that the offense stumbled during those situations late in the first half. Ohio State has too much size and talent up front to struggle when everyone in the stadium knows a run is coming. When the Buckeyes need one yard, the offensive line must be able to create one yard.
That inability has surfaced often enough to become a legitimate concern. Conference play begins next week, and overpowering Kent State should have been the easiest part of Saturday’s assignment.
The Ugly: Kent State’s Helmets
Normally, “The Ugly” examines some catastrophic turnover, coaching decision or statistical disaster. Not this week.
Kent State’s helmets were ugly.
There is no need to overanalyze this. Fashion is subjective, school branding evolves and alternate uniforms can be fun. Sometimes, however, a design reaches the field and makes you wonder whether anyone involved was willing to say, “Guys, are we sure about this?”
Apparently, no one was.
The Golden Flashes already had enough problems Saturday without spending four quarters dressed like that. Ohio State outgained Kent State 527-134, forced three turnovers and held the Golden Flashes out of the end zone. That part was ugly football.
The helmets somehow made it look even worse.
