Buckeyes Roll Over Kent State while Jeremiah Smith Makes History
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The Ohio State Buckeyes made easy work of the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday, but overall, it was quite an uninspiring performance by the Buckeyes.
Before getting into the details of the game, history was made by one Jeremiah Smith. In the first quarter on the second drive of the game, the Buckeyes went right down the field, and while they got deep into Kent State territory, quarterback Julian Sayin dropped back to pass and found a slashing Smith on the right.
Smith broke one tackle and gained 23 yards on the play. It took him to 36 yards on the day, which gave him 10 more than any other wide receiver ever in the history of the Ohio State program.
Smith finished his work today with five catches for 85 yards and no touchdowns. He now sits with the most receiving yards in Buckeyes' history; he is 21 catches away from setting the catch record and is still five touchdowns away from setting the scoring record. Soon, Smith will own the Buckeyes' triple crown. If it wasn't clear before, it will be impossible to argue that Smith isn't the best wide receiver in the history of Ohio State and likely in all of college football.
Now, back to the game, the Buckeyes have a lot of questions to answer.
The score says one thing, but the gameplay for Ohio State was odd at best. Julian Sayin did not look sharp; the Buckeyes' offensive line struggled yet again to run the football, and the Buckeyes twice came up empty in the red zone.
This type of football game is really hard on players because this is not a football game that is evaluated by the scoreboard; it is evaluated by the standard that is set for Ohio State football.
Twice, with the starters in, the Buckeyes turned the football over on downs. The first one was after a Riley Pettijohn interception gave the Buckeyes first and ten from the Kent State 13-yard line.
The second was right before halftime at midfield when the Buckeyes had a 4th and 2 from the Kent 49, and they elected to run the football up the middle, in which they were stuffed.
The good plays to Jeremiah Smith were solid. The runs to Jakobi Jackson were electric. However, the rest of the offense was just fine all day long. Removing the 49-yard Hail Mary connection at the end of the half, Inniss and Devin McCuin combined for 5 catches for 68 yards.
These are the two guys who are supposed to be wide receivers two and three. Furthermore, Legend Bey is buried on the depth chart, Chris Henry Jr. hasn't earned any trust, and the play-calling on that side of the ball continues to be puzzling.
The Buckeyes won, but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered about this team and this offensive attack.
Up next for the Buckeyes, a Big Ten matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
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