Buckeye Nation knew coming into this game and this season that Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith would be great for Ohio State. They had strong outings in the 56-3 victory over Ball State. Julian Sayin was 22 of 25 for 320 yards, three touchdown passes, and a scramble for a touchdown. Jeremiah Smith made eight catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns. All of Smith’s offense came in the first half, and all but 25 of his passing yards came in the first half. Not at all surprising, but always impressive.
Their main guys seemed very comfortable in Arthur Smith’s offense. Quite a few other Buckeyes settled into the offense nicely, too. Ohio State struggled to run the ball in the first half but did so with strength in the second. Ja’Kobi Jackson and Bo Jackson each had 83 yards and a touchdown. That was about what Jackson averaged per game last year, so he looked in fine form. It’s helpful to have a solid RB2, or maybe Jackson and Jackson are 1A and 1B.
Ohio State's freshman made some good moves
Some true freshmen showed flashes of brilliance after some early hiccups, too. Legend Bey had 100 yards and a touchdown on eight runs, catches, and returns. Bey probably should’ve taken a knee on both kick returns, but in the second half he showed why he’s getting so much attention in this offense. Fellow true freshman Chris Henry Jr. also started slow but finished strong. After some bad early drops, CHJ got his first touchdown as a Buckeye on a touchdown pass from Tavien St. Clair late in the second half.
Ohio State’s offense averaged 263 yards per game passing in 2024, and it was 34th in the nation. Last year, they averaged 268.2 yards per game, which was 23rd best in the country. In the victory over Ball State, they racked up 434 yards through the air.
Rushing the ball in 2024, Ohio State averaged 166.4 yards per game, 58th best in college football. Last year was middle of the pack, at 154.4 yards per game, 72nd in the nation. In the season opener, they only had 35 rushing yards in the first half but finished with 237 overall.
Ohio State did much better in the two most important stats in the game. In total yards per game, they had 429.4, which was 31st in the country in 2024. Last year, they had 422.6 total yards per game, 26th in college football. They had a whopping 671 in the first game this season. In points, Ohio State had 35.7 per game in their 2024 National Championship season. That was 14th in the country, and last year they had 33.4, 21st in college football. 56 against Ball State is a step in the right direction.
Yards and points matter more than the way you get the yards, and they matter more than who gets them. While the big names would love to get the stats and touchdowns, at Ohio State, in this offense, they’re more concerned with getting wins. They’ll have their work cut out for them in Texas next week against a very good defense that is strong in the trenches. But they did the best they could in-game against an opponent like Ball State to prepare for a big one against Texas.
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