Ohio State Beats Ball State 56-3 as Jeremiah Smith Gets a Great Start to His Heisman Campaign

Ohio State got a season-starting victory by defeating an overmatched Ball State team. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had a great day and took an early step toward his Heisman Trophy campaign. While Smith starred, the ball was distributed around equally. 6 players had at least one catch in the first half, even seldom-used Phillip Bell.

After missing his first two pass attempts, Julian Sayin settled down and hit his next and was 19 for 23 in the first half. He completed 77% of his passes last season, becoming the most accurate college passing quarterback ever. He is off to a great start. Do you think Sayin will be even more accurate this year?

Ohio State Against Ball State Game Summary, September 5

Ohio State was looking for a big victory against the Ball State Cardinals, who were quite overmatched. The Buckeyes looked to use their depth. Here is how the game played out on a glorious game day in Columbus.

In the first quarter, Jeremiah Smith caught a 48-yard touchdown. It was a typically acrobatic catch for the consensus best player in college football. It was 7-0 Buckeyes. Later in the first quarter, Devin McCuin caught his first touchdown as a Buckeye. That score made it 14-0 Ohio State, and that is how the first quarter ended.

In the second quarter, Julian Sayin rushed for a touchdown. That matters because one of the criticisms of Sayin was his rushing ability. The Buckeyes led 21-0. Ball State then got on the scoreboard with a 54-yard field goal from Brody Boehm. That made the score 21-3.

Then Jeremiah Smith got his second touchdown of the game, a 3-yard catch near the goal line when time expired in the first half. He finished the first half with 8 catches for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The second half started well for Ohio State. Bo Jackson ran for a 65-yard touchdown. That was right after the Ohio State radio broadcast said the Buckeye running game looked poor. That made the score 35-3. Jeremiah Smith had a great block on this touchdown.

Then Ja’Kobi Jackson ran for a 49-yard touchdown. That was his eighth career touchdown, but his first as a Buckeye. That made the score 42-3, and the Buckeyes had touchdowns from two running backs.

In the fourth quarter, freshman Legend Bey caught a 25-yard touchdown pass to make the score 49-3. He beat several defenders and showed why he is so highly regarded. The team now has 586 yards. Then, heralded freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. caught a 15-yard touchdown pass. That made the score 56-3. That was the final score of the game.

News and Notes From the Ohio State – Ball State Game

Jim Tressel was inducted into the Ohio State Ring of Honor. His name went up next to Woody Hayes. He was the head coach at Ohio State and won 6 Big Ten conference titles and one national championship. Memorably, Tressel, now the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, went to a basketball game just after he was hired and predicted the Buckeyes would beat Michigan in 353 days. They did.

Maurice Clarett rang the victory bell before the game. The former running back, who may have had one of the greatest seasons ever for an Ohio State running back as a freshman, had many legal problems, but has since redeemed himself. This is the first time Ohio State and Ball State have played, despite being separated by less than 150 miles.

The destruction begs the question of why teams would subject themselves to this sort of humiliation. There are two reasons. First, teams, like Ball State, get a big payday by traveling to a superior foe. Second, teams want to get experience for their conference schedule, in this case the Mid-American Conference.

In a new tradition, Ohio State honored 31 seniors before the first game of the year. Interestingly, since Senior Day was moved to before the first game, 15 transfers were honored before they played their first game. Brock Boyd got the first catch of his career. Legend Bey scored his first career touchdown on a pretty run.

Conclusion

The Buckeyes won this game going away. They were able to rotate some of their substitutes in the game. They even got some of their more-heralded freshmen in the game. By the fourth quarter, there were no starters in the game on either side of the ball. Ohio State plays next weekend in Austin, in a top-five matchup in prime time.