Ohio State freshman running back Bo Jackson (25) rushes towards the end zone during the game against Ohio University. The No. 1 Buckeyes defeated the Bobcats 37-9. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Ohio State spent much of Saturday night searching for its rhythm. The Buckeys finally found it on the legs of Bo Jackson. The freshman’s speed and power turned a tense matchup into a comfortable 37-9 win over Ohio University.
Jackson’s skills were in the spotlight, but the Buckeyes’ night provided plenty to unpack, from the ground game to the red-zone challenges to the dominating defense and quarterback questions. Here are takeaways that will impact how Ohio State enters Big Ten play Sept. 26 in Washington.
Bo Jackson emerges
Coming into Saturday’s game, the Buckeyes hadn’t found their go-to guy in the ground game.
That may have changed Saturday.
After a sluggish first quarter in which the Buckeyes averaged just 3.4 yards per carry, Ryan Day handed the reins to the freshman to open the second.
With Jackson in the backfield, Ohio State’s rushing game went from methodical to menacing, giving the offense the home-run threat it had lacked.
He ran with a mix of vision and burst that had linebackers guessing, bouncing between gaps and cutting back against pursuit.
Jackson finished with his second straight 100-yard performance, piling up 109 yards on only nine attempts, highlighted by a 64-yard rumble that reignited the Buckeyes moments after a 67-yard Bobcat touchdown cut their lead to four.
To his teammates, Jackson’s big night felt less like a breakout and more like confirmation.
“I’ve been saying it – Bo Jackson is that guy, and you get to see more of it throughout the rest of the season,” said Jeremiah Smith.
Red Zone Struggles
Head coach Ryan Day wasted no time pointing to Ohio State’s biggest blemish Saturday night: finishing drives.
The Buckeyes reached the Bobcats’ 20-yard line six times but punched the ball into the end zone only twice. They settled for three field goals and came up empty on another trip, leaving points scattered across an otherwise dominant box score.
“We had 225 yards rushing on 31 carries, almost 600 total yards on 63 plays,” Day said. “I don’t know if that’s so much the story as it is just not converting in the red zone.”
The Buckeyes had been excellent in the red area before Saturday – scoring touchdowns on eight of their first nine attempts.
That efficiency disappeared against Ohio, with mistakes stalling multiple drives.
“We’ve got to coach it better, and we’ve got to execute better,” Day said. “Because if we’re not going to score touchdowns in the red zone, we put ourselves at risk.”
Defense remains dominant
There was plenty of doubt about first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia heading into the season. That doubt has been obliterated.
The Buckeyes have allowed only 16 points through three games and once again throttled an opponent Saturday.
Other than conceding a 67-yard touchdown on the first drive of the second half, they shut down the Ohio University offense, holding the Bobcats to just 181 total yards and racking up a season-high four sacks while holding dual-threat quarterback Parker Navarro to just three rushing yards.
“We knew we had control over the game,” linebacker Sonny Styles said. “Even when they hit that big play, we trusted each other and just focused on the next snap.”
That lone lapse aside, Ohio State’s defense looked every bit as quick and disruptive as the group that powered the 2024 championship run.
Sayin bounces back after first-half struggles
Coming off a masterful 305-yard, four-touchdown performance against Grambling State, Julian Sayin was expected to roll over an Ohio defense that, while solid, hardly matches what he’ll see in Big Ten play.
That wasn’t the case early.
The redshirt freshman struggled to see the field, often throwing late or missing wide-open receivers.
Even on the Buckeyes’ second-longest play of the half, a 30-yard pitch-and-catch to Carnell Tate, Tate drifted alone across the middle for what felt like forever before Sayin finally delivered the ball.
The second half was a different story.
After opening the third quarter with a field goal drive, Sayin dropped a perfectly placed 47-yard post route to Jeremiah Smith for a touchdown. Less than a minute into the fourth, he uncorked another deep shot, a 49-yard strike to Tate that silenced any lingering nerves.
Although he suffered a second interception late in the game, Sayin looked sharper after halftime, making quicker reads and showing patience in the pocket to let his receivers stretch the field.
Day cautioned that a few costly mistakes can overshadow an otherwise strong outing.
“It’s just like golf,” he said. “You can have a great day, but if you hit two in the water, your round’s ruined.”
Jeremiah Smith (is still) the best player in the country
It’s starting to feel silly to write about Jeremiah Smith’s excellence every week. Yet once again, the sophomore wideout was Ohio State’s engine on offense.
He became the fastest Buckeye receiver to reach 1,500 career yards, doing it in just 19 games, and matched his career high with nine catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. Smith added 17 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
Whenever the offense needed a spark, Smith delivered.
On his 47-yard third-quarter touchdown, he froze cornerback Michael Mack II on a post route and gave Sayin an easy throwing lane for the score.
Every drive that mattered seemed to flow through Smith, who repeatedly tilted the field and kept Ohio State’s attack humming on a night when red-zone miscues threatened to stall momentum.
Smith’s brilliance is nothing new to his teammates.
“You see it everyday in practice,” tight end Max Klare said, “Honestly now when I see it, it doesn’t really amaze me.”
