Ohio State throttled Kent State 59-3 on Saturday, but if you only look at the score, you’re missing the whole story. This was supposed to be the game where the Buckeyes worked out all their kinks after that loss to Texas, yet some serious red-zone and short-yardage problems came roaring back, especially with the Big Ten schedule kicking off next week. You can’t just brush a 59-3 win aside, but you also can’t ignore the glaring issues that popped up.
Jeremiah Smith Is Breaking Records, So Why the Lingering Questions?
We called it in the Twitterverse, and Jeremiah Smith delivered big time. The Heisman Trophy hopeful officially broke the Ohio State career receiving yards mark on his second catch of the game. After a 13-yard gain, Smith hauled in another pass and cruised for a 23-yard catch-and-run, sealing the record. Dude only played a half, finishing with 85 yards on five grabs, and it was the first time since the Indiana loss he didn’t hit paydirt. The Buckeyes smartly held him out of the second half, but the fact that he’s still chasing the Ohio State triple crown (19 receptions, 8 touchdowns away) and Big Ten records (189 receptions, 813 yards, 10 touchdowns away) means he needs to be absolutely dialed in. Ohio State needs him in tip-top shape to break their Big Ten Championship drought, and they have zero margin for error.
Red Zone Woes Are Back and They’re Scary
Here’s the real gut-punch from this game: after starting with four straight touchdown drives, the offense stumbled. Big time. They punted only once and kicked just one field goal all game, but the red zone efficiency was abysmal. We saw back-to-back drives end in turnovers on downs, and this was with the starters still in! On one drive, after an interception set them up at the 13-yard line, Julian Sayin got swallowed whole for a bad sack. He totally drifted back, missed a wide-open Brandon Inniss in the end zone, and just got taken down. Inniss did have a sick 49-yard touchdown catch earlier, by the way. On the very next possession, it got worse: no gain on 2nd & 1, a lost yard on 3rd & 1, and Sayin’s fourth-down throw was nowhere near Smith. Even in the third quarter, with most starters still grinding, it took them three tries to score inside the red zone. That is NOT good enough heading into conference play.
Next week, the Big Ten schedule officially kicks off, and the Buckeyes have to figure this out. They cannot afford to waste opportunities like that against real competition. That Big Ten Championship drought isn’t going to end itself, and the short-yardage and red-zone struggles are a massive red flag.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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