Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith improved his campaign for a Heisman Trophy with career highs in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in a 42-19 win against Illinois Sept. 26.
Smith joined Terry Glenn as the second Ohio State wide receiver to have 200 yards and four touchdowns in a game. Smith had three receiving touchdowns in the first half and helped Ohio State extend its win streak against Illinois to 10 games.
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin finished with 367 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. He completed 75% of his passes while rushing for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Despite a high yard total by the Fighting Illini, Ohio State's defense held Illinois to 19 points.
See how the Buckeyes graded out below. Leaves are awarded
on a zero-to-five basis.
Ohio State offense: 5 leaves
Smith does not have to prove that he is great. He still found a way to come away with a career-defining performance to start conference play.
He got to work quickly. At the 7-yard line on the first drive, Smith lined up in single coverage against Juice Clarke. Smith worked Clarke inside for an easy score while contested.
On the next drive, Smith was left alone in single coverage with Illinois safety Mac Resetich, a puzzling Illinois decision. Smith prioritized improving on yards after the catch in the preseason, and it showed up. Smith made two cuts, put Resetich on skates and jogged into the end zone
His third touchdown was the most impressive. Smith ran a corner route to the inside toward the right pylon of the end zone. Sayin floated an over-the-shoulder ball, which Smith anchored between his right hand and helmet. Simultaneously, Smith made sure to get his left foot inbounds while securing the ball with his left hand. Even in tight coverage, Smith found a way to score.
Smith put on a Heisman-worthy performance in the first half alone and added a fourth touchdown as the sweetener. But Sayin's performance cannot be understated. His natural passer ability was on display, as he completed his first eight passes for 148 yards and two touchdown passes.
Sayin shined, however, because he looked comfortable using his legs. After struggling on third-and-short situations entering Week 4, Ohio State ran quarterback sneaks for Sayin, who pushed his way through the line successfully on both attempts on the fourth offensive drive. Sayin had another big third-down scramble in the second half that set up Smith's fourth touchdown catch.
On third-and-7 in the second quarter, Sayin's pocket collapsed, and he backed up to avoid the rush. When an Illinois edge rusher attempted to throw him down, Sayin shook off the tackle and evaded another defender through contact for a first-down rush. Sayin later rushed for a 7-yard touchdown on the next drive, beating a defender in a race to the pylon.
Sayin also spread the ball around. All three of the freshmen wide receivers − Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd and Phillip Bell − had important completions for first downs. Sayin completed four passes each to tight end Nate Roberts and wide receiver Devin McCuin.
There was balance in play-calling. Though not as impactful as the pass game, the Buckeyes had 32 rushing attempts on 4.7 yards per carry, with Ja'kobi Jackson and Bo Jackson splitting rushes. It's one game, but Ohio State solved the problems it sought to rid in the red zone and short yardage with its best offensive performance of the season.
Ohio State defense: 2 leaves
This was a concerning performance by the Buckeyes' defense. The Buckeyes held the Illini out of the red zone in the first half but allowed many big plays, including a 22-yard rushing touchdown by Jordan Anderson.
Illinois finished with 462 yards, the most Ohio State has allowed since its loss to Oregon in 2024.
The Illini found success in the run and pass game, but the rushing stats are eye-opening. Illinois rushed for 199 yards while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. The Buckeyes continuously struggled to stop runs at the line of scrimmage and gave rushers plenty of space in the open field.
Facing a very capable passer in Illinois' Katin Houser, Ohio State found moderate success pressuring the quarterback. The Buckeyes pressured Houser 12 times, led by freshman defensive end Khary Wilder with three. Linebacker Riley Pettijohn and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. managed to sack Houser.
Ohio State's secondary got tested. The Buckeyes struggled to contain Houser's favorite target, Hudson Clement, who had five receptions for 87 yards. Though Houser played turnover-free, the secondary came up with plays that halted momentum.
Cornerback Devin Sanchez had three pass breakups, including two on consecutive plays in the first half. Defensive backs Jermaine Mathews Jr., Jay Timmons, Jaylen McClain and linebacker T.J. Alford recorded pass breakups as well. The most important stop was safety by McClain in the fourth quarter. He broke up a pass to Brayden Trimble near the end zone to force a turnover on downs.
Preventing scores is the name of the game. Ohio State will face some robust rushing offenses on its schedule like Indiana and Iowa, who will host the Buckeyes next week, and need to figure out a solution to prevent long drives.
Ohio State special teams: 4 leaves
The Buckeyes are putting the Legend Bey kickoff experiment on the shelf for now. Instead, Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin lined up, with McCuin getting one kick return for 20 yards. Punter Joe McGuire averaged 43.5 yards on two punts, with one punt inside the 20-yard line. The Buckeyes did not have a punt return.
Kicker Connor Hawkins was perfect on extra points and did not attempt a field goal.
Ohio State coaching: 4 leaves
Arthur Smith proved his strategy to get Jeremiah Smith the ball can work with balance. Ohio State's play-calling on third downs was vastly improved, as the Buckeyes converted eight of 12 third-down tries and succeeded on both fourth-down attempts.
Though defensive coordinator Matt Patricia might not have the NFL-caliber talent of last year, Ohio State had multiple miscommunication errors that led to big plays.
On Illinois' 22-yard rushing touchdown, Pettijohn and Earl Little Jr. got tied up while playing man defense against misdirection. Earlier in the game, on Illinois' third drive, either Timmons or McClain missed a coverage assignment, which allowed Clement to make a 27-yard catch. Cleaning up coverage is crucial for facing the second half of Ohio State's schedule.
Fun factor: 5 leaves
Jeremiah Smith's career game was fun. The starters played all four quarters. Despite the final score, Illinois played competitively and hung around until the fourth quarter. This was an exciting way to open up conference play on a picture-perfect fall day.
SAYIN TO SMITH FOR SIX 🌰 @OhioStateFB@wendys pic.twitter.com/2JL7udIU3v
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026
This route from Jeremiah Smith was NASTY 😮💨@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/5IHAfocyOx
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026
OH MY JEREMIAH SMITH 😱
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026
WHAT A TOE-TAP TOUCHDOWN FOR THE @OhioStateFB WR! pic.twitter.com/0T1lqANNEo
Jeremiah Smith with his FOURTH ‼️
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026
He ties @OhioStateFB's all-time receiving TD record in a game pic.twitter.com/XjLXjRfXDb
Officials: 4 leaves
The replay officials had their first live audio feed during an Ohio State game, which came for Jeremiah Smith's third touchdown catch. The officials made the correct call on the field by ruling Smith's catch complete, but went to the booth to take a closer look .
Upon replay, the officials discussed two aspects of the catch: whether Smith's foot went inbounds before his other foot landed outside the end zone, and if Smith maintained control. Smith clearly stepped inbounds, but transferred the ball to his opposite hand while landing. The replay officials identified that Smith showed no signs of bobbling the ball and upheld the touchdown.
Illinois: 3 leaves
Illinois has a legitimate offense. The Fighting Illini's performance was the most shocking aspect of the game. Houser completed just 56.8% of his passes, but finished with 263 passing yards and a touchdown without a turnover. He also rushed seven times for 40 yards.
Wide receiver Collin Dixon entered the game leading the FBS in touchdown receptions, but Houser completed at least four passes to four different players. Running back Aidan Laughery caused problems for the Buckeyes, rushing 11 times for 113 yards.
Illinois' defense struggled mightily. Sure, the Illini had to guard the best wide receiver in college football, but the they have work to do stealing an upset win on their schedule.
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith, wide receiver
Game stats: 12 receptions, 217 yards, four touchdowns
Four touchdowns for No. 4. The college football world is running out of compliments and praise for Smith. He may already be the greatest Ohio State receiver ever.
Overall grade: 4 leaves
Led by their high-profile offense, the Buckeyes handled business in their first conference game.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How did Ohio State football grade out against Illinois?
