I’m choosing to believe that Ohio State decided to deliver a loss to USC as a way to stay on theme—it was Halloween, after all, so spooky scary vibes were part of the deal.
Though the Buckeyes outgained the Trojans with 464 yards of total offense to USC’s 338, it was the Trojans who wound up on top on the scoreboard, winning 30-18. The Buckeyes only found the end zone once, on a 1-yard pass from backup quarterback Luke Fahey to wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Fahey, who made his first career start in
place of the Buckeyes’ usual starter Julian Sayin, who is out indefinitely with an injury, certainly made some mistakes, but if we’re being honest, he’s not to blame for the Buckeyes’ loss. Instead, I’m faulting the rest of the team whose errors abounded, adding pressure on an inexperienced quarterback. Fahey was never going to be Sayin in his first collegiate start, and it wasn’t fair to ask him to be. Instead, this needed to be a team effort, with the rest of the team compensating for Fahey’s inexperience with strong execution, lack of penalties, and red-zone follow-through.
Seemingly, they delivered the opposite. Despite the disappointment of a loss, however, there were some positive takeaways: The Buckeyes were 4-for-4 on field goals (never a given, and especially exciting for those still haunted by last year’s missed field goals in key situations, including a game-tying attempt in the Big Ten Championship), and Smith soared to the top of the Big Ten record books, bumping Michigan’s Braylon Edwards to the No. 2 slot in the process.
Here are the moments that won’t spook Buckeye fans tomorrow:
Jeremiah Smith sets yet another record
It took Ohio State until the final two-and-a-half minutes of the game to find the end zone, and when they did, it was too little, too late in the context of the game. Still, a seemingly routine touchdown catch on 2nd-and-goal, a mere 1-yard reception from Fahey, was a record-breaking moment for Jeremiah Smith, who finished the game with 83 receiving yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions.
Sure, it kept the Buckeyes loosely in the game (though the two-point conversion failed, making a win unlikely), but perhaps more notably, it broke a conference record.
With this touchdown catch, Smith’s 40th, he now holds the Big Ten record for career touchdown receptions outright, ousting Edwards, with whom he previously shared the record at 39.
It remains to be seen whether Smith will manage to walk away with the Heisman, an award he’s been the frontrunner for for several weeks. The unfortunate nature of his position is that, frankly, an elite quarterback with experience boosts his odds, as he needs someone to throw the ball to him. Without Sayin, that comes into question.
Still, he continues to break records. So far this season, Smith has also broken the Ohio State records for career receiving touchdowns, receptions, and receiving yards.
Connor Hawkins hits his longest kick of the game
I’ve long awaited the day when Ohio State’s special teams wouldn’t take years off my life, and today, they were perhaps the only aspect of the Buckeyes’ game that didn’t do just that (Smith innocent). Field goal kicker Connor Hawkins went 4-for-4 on field goals, and most impressively, landed a 47-yarder.
The kick, which came on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the fourth quarter, put the Buckeyes within two possessions, bringing the score to 27-12 just seconds into the final quarter.
Up next, the Buckeyes head back to Columbus to face the unranked-but-still-talented Oregon. Though playoff hopes are still alive for the Scarlet and Gray, they will need to be perfect in their remaining four games, matchups that include the Ducks, No. 20 (as of 10/31) Northwestern, and of course, their rivalry game with Michigan.
Their schedule isn’t as tough as it once looked, but it’s not an easy road either, especially not without Sayin. Whether or not they can bounce back next Saturday will give fans a lot of insight into how high to allow their hopes to go for the rest of the season.
