Ohio State returns home to The Shoe ready to get back on track against Kent State. Here’s what to watch for the Buckeyes on Saturday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes return to the Shoe Saturday afternoon, looking to bounce back after a devastating loss last Saturday night to the No. 4-ranked Texas Longhorns, a game in which they led by 20 points in the third quarter. The Longhorns rattled off three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to win 24-23, giving the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.

Ohio State thrashed Ball State 56-3 in week one, then lost to the Longhorns in week two. Their next opponent, the Kent State Golden Flashes, lost 57-0 at South Carolina in week one, then beat Wofford 36-15 last week.

Both teams enter at 1-1, but this contest isn’t expected to be close. It will be a good opportunity for freshmen and transfers to get more reps in a game setting, especially for backups and third-string players. There are plenty of aspects from last game to touch up on in this one, and Ryan Day will have his team ready to settle this game early.

Ohio State Blows Big Lead and Suffers First Defeat in Austin

The scarlet and gray capitalized on opportunities in the first half last Saturday night, starting with an early Texas turnover. While it was only three points, they followed that drive up later in the quarter with a drive that ended with an eight-yard Ja’Kobi Jackson touchdown run. The teams traded field goals before Julian Sayin connected with Jeremiah Smith from 19 yards out to extend the lead just before halftime to 20-3.

After Connor Hawkins’ third field goal of the night from 48 yards out, Texas took the lead. That was the only points in the third quarter by either team, and the only three points Ohio State mustered in the second half. Arch Manning found Ryan Wingo for a three-yard touchdown, followed by two touchdown runs from one yard out by Hollywood Smothers to help Steve Sarkisian’s side pull out the big win.

Julian Sayin finished 17/32 for 278 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. About half of those completions went to Jeremiah Smith, who had yet another monster game with 8 receptions, 164 yards, and the lone receiving touchdown. Bo Jackson ended up second on the team in catches (4) and receiving yards (37). The tight ends combined for three grabs, while all the other wide receivers combined for just two catches and 24 yards.

Bo Jackson had some nice runs and led the ground game with 19 carries for 74 yards. Ja’Kobi Jackson had the lone rushing touchdown and added 20 yards. The offensive line showed promise, but the offense stalled in the second half. The second-half drives went for 36, 43, 1, 6, 48, and -5 yards. With two field-goal attempts, one missed field goal, and no touchdown drives, the team played less aggressively with the big lead, and the Texas heat couldn’t have helped.

Earl Little Jr. had a very solid game, leading the defense with 11 tackles. Payton Pierce and Devin Sanchez had nine and eight tackles, respectively. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Riley Pettijohn got their first sacks of the season, and Jermaine Matthews Jr. had one and a half tackles for loss as the team totaled six. Jaylen McClain had the second interception of the season for the Silver Bullets defense on a lucky bounce early in the game. Jay Simmons recovered a fumble for the defense’s other turnover.

After looking good for the first three halves of the year, the second-half defense fell apart, and it seemed inevitable that Texas would find the end zone late and walk out with the win. Arch Manning finished with 195 passing yards, 24 rushing yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception in what was an up-and-down game for the talk of college football.

Texas had 141 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, with Hollywood Smothers rushing for 74 and Raleek Brown for 54. Emmett Mosley V led the team with five catches and 65 yards, while Cam Coleman added four catches for 49 yards.

The defense recorded two sacks, five tackles for loss, and one interception, and stepped up in the second half. Justin Cryer led the defense with nine tackles and had a tackle for loss, while Rasheem Biles had eight tackles, including a team-leading six solo tackles. Lance Jackson and Colin Simmons had the sacks, and Graceson Littleton had the lone turnover for the Longhorns defense.

The first and second halves were night and day as Ryan Day’s team looked like two different squads. They need to be more aggressive when leading and bury teams when they can. There will be a lot to watch on film, and they should come out angry against Kent State at noon on Saturday.

Golden Flashes Pick Up First Win Of The Season

Kent State rebounded well from the beatdown they suffered from South Carolina in week one. They picked up a three-score win against Wofford, led by quarterback Dru DeShields, who threw for 248 yards and added 74 rushing yards. He had one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions in the win.

His favorite target was Da’Realyst Clark, who had five catches for 90 yards. Wayne Harris had a receiving touchdown, and Jakorion Caffey had the other rushing touchdown. Mason King was the second-leading rusher after DeShields, with 68 yards on nine carries.

The defense was a group effort, with five guys getting sacks, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions (including a pick-six), and just 115 passing yards allowed and 58 rushing yards. Rocco Nicholl led the team with six tackles, and Hayden Dawahare and A’tiq Muhammad both had five tackles. Rafael Terrero Jr. and Jaihien Roy had the two interceptions for the Golden Flashes defense.

Against tougher competition in week one, Kent State had just 79 passing yards and 100 yards on the ground. They gave up 367 passing yards and 278 yards on the ground while forcing zero turnovers. The way that game went should be eerily similar to Saturday’s matchup against an Ohio State team coming off of a heartbreaking loss.

Bounce Back For The Buckeyes

Like the Week 1 win over Ball State, Ohio State should come out and handle business from the jump against a team with much less talent in all three phases. It will be a cooler afternoon in Columbus than it was Saturday night in Austin, and Ryan Day, Matt Patricia, and Arthur Smith will have this group ready to roll.

I expect some big plays from all the playmakers on offense as Julian Sayin looks to get his different weapons more involved outside of Jeremiah Smith. The offensive line will look to put four quarters together as they came into the year as one of the better units in the conference and country.

The defense has done a great job at times of flying to the ball, but at times the rotation players have had more success, making it interesting what the pecking order will be in this game and the rest of the season. Guys like Riley Pettijohn, TJ Alford, and Khary Wilder will look to take advantage of more snaps.

Capitalizing on good routes and good line play with big catches and runs will help build confidence on offense, and forcing sacks and turnovers on defense will do the same. The spread for this game opened at Ohio State -52.5, and it’s still the same. The over/under point total opened at 56.5 but has risen to 59.5. I expect this team to come out fired up and handle business for four quarters, leading to a dominant win.

Prediction: Ohio State 59, Kent State 6