The No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1) took down the Kent State Golden Flashes (1-2) 59-3 to end the non-conference schedule and move into the nine conference games.
Here is how some of the players, game, and broadcast graded out.
A+: Jeremiah Smith
Smith is pretty much going to be on the report card every week, and he doesn’t tend to grade poorly. He had a fairly quiet game (for him) with five catches for 85 yards, but he surpassed Michael Jenkins for the all-time Ohio State receiving yard record.
Jenkins’ 2,898 yards from
2000-03 was the old record for over two decades, but the junior standout only needed two seasons and three games to break the record.
A: Brandon Inniss
Inniss has done everything he has been asked to do this season. The numbers obviously don’t pop off the screen, but he has seven targets this season and seven catches.
Today was the best game of his career, as he hauled in four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded a 49-yard touchdown catch to end the first half from a Hail Mary.
Inniss is not stuffing the stat sheet, but he can only do what he can with the ball thrown to him. He was wide open in the end zone today, and Julian Sayin missed him. That would have helped the stat line too.
A: Riley Pettijohn
Pettijohn keeps getting better every game, and this game was a great example of that, with him getting the first interception of his career. He also recorded three tackles, but the interception was impressive as he jumped a route and made a nice catch.
Pettijohn has been one of the better defenders all season, and as we move into conference play, we will see how his snaps change because of that.
C: Offensive game plan
I understand the Buckeyes were playing Kent State, and it is hard to truly get inspired for a game that you can sleepwalk through, but for a lot of this game, they did exactly that.
Ohio State was 1-for-8 on third down, only averaged 3.8 yards per rush, and missed a couple of touchdowns early on in the game.
In this matchup those things don’t matter, but as we saw against Texas, this is not a one-game issue.
C: Gus Johnson
I am a forever defender of Gus Johnson, but even I can’t defend this one. He only gets a C because he gets the legend bump for me.
Johnson was wildly uninterested in the game from the first snap, it seemed, and called the game as such. I know Kent State and Ohio State isn’t the marquee matchup announcers want to call, but you still have to do it.
He was acting like the entire game was making him late for a dinner reservation.
