2026, Week 1: No. 1 Ohio State 56, Ball State 3
Ohio State football has finally returned to grace our eyes, ears, radios, and televisions for the 137th season of the Scarlet and Gray. The Buckeyes opened the 2026 college football season with a dominant 56-3 victory over the Ball State Cardinals.
Junior quarterback Julian Sayin led the way for the Buckeyes, completing 21-of-25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown, the first of his collegiate career.
Junior star wideout Jeremiah Smith was Sayin’s top target, hauling in eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. UTSA transfer Devin McCuin added six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Brandon Inniss finished with three receptions for 36 yards.
The Buckeyes got strong production from the backfield as well, with Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson and sophomore Bo Jackson each rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown. Legend Bey added 37 rushing yards on six carries, along with two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, sophomore Riley Pettijohn led Ohio State with six tackles, while TJ Alford recorded five tackles and an interception. The Silver Bullets finished with one sack, seven tackles for loss, five pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.
Ohio State outgained Ball State 671-165, holding the Cardinals to just 45 rushing yards on under two yards per carry. Ball State converted just 3-of-14 third downs, while starting quarterback Keldric Luster managed 89 passing yards on 33 attempts and just 10 rushing yards on nine carries.
With the win, head coach Ryan Day is now tied at fourth for all-time wins at the program, drawing even with the man at the helm before him, Urban Meyer.
Before the game, 31 seniors were recognized in an early Senior Day celebration, and former Ohio State head coach and current Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel was inducted into the Buckeyes’ Ring of Honor. He is the third coach to be inducted after Paul Brown and Woody Hayes.
Tressel held a media conference at halftime of the game and described his emotions from the ceremony.
GAME RECAP
Ball State won the coin toss and elected to defer, giving Ohio State the ball first. Legend Bey returned the kickoff to the 16, but a couple of errant passes from Julian Sayin forced a quick three-and-out.
Ball State’s opening drive built early momentum, crossing into Buckeye territory before stalling. The Cardinals pinned Ohio State at its own one-yard line with a terrific punt.
Needing an early third-down conversion, Sayin found Devin McCuin for 18 yards before connecting with Brandon Inniss for 15 and a first down.
Sayin then found Jeremiah Smith on a go-ball, with Smith pinning the ball to his helmet for a 48-yard touchdown. 7-0 OSU, 8:47 Q1 [7 plays, 99 yards, 3:18]
On the next drive, McCuin caught a 10-yard pass to move the chains before finding the end zone on a 17-yard slant. 14-0 OSU, 1:23 Q1 [9 plays, 75 yards, 4:29]
The defense turned up the pressure, as Khary Wilder forced Keldric Luster into a pass intercepted by TJ Alford. On 4th & goal from the three, Sayin scrambled for his first career rushing touchdown. 21-0 OSU, 12:08 Q2 [6 plays, 28 yards, 2:41]
Ball State got on the board before halftime when Brody Boehm drilled a 54-yard field goal. The Buckeyes answered with a two-minute drill, as Sayin found Smith five times, including a three-yard toe-tap touchdown to close the half. 28-3 OSU, 0:10 Q2 [9 plays, 90 yards, 1:05]
The Silver Bullets opened the second half with a stop, and Sayin quickly got the offense moving. After finding McCuin for 17 yards and Bo Jackson for 13 on a screen, Bo broke through a seam and raced 65 yards for the touchdown. 35-3 OSU, 11:29 Q3 [4 plays, 94 yards, 1:57]
The Buckeyes struck again on the next drive, as Ja’Kobi Jackson cut across the field and reached the pylon on a 49-yard touchdown run. 42-3 OSU, 8:20 Q3 [3 plays, 62 yards, 1:35]
Luke Fahey entered for his first series, but his first pass was intercepted after bouncing off Chris Henry Jr. The Buckeye defense continued bringing pressure as Ohio State’s depth took over.
Bey then made an impact in the fourth quarter, taking a screen from Fahey, juking defenders and cutting back for a 25-yard touchdown. 49-3 OSU, 14:16 Q4 [10 plays, 83 yards, 5:23]
Tavien St. Clair entered with 9:47 remaining and later capped the scoring, finding Henry Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown. 56-3 OSU, 1:55 Q4 [8 plays, 58 yards, 3:57]
THREE TAKEAWAYS
A number two wide receiver is starting to emerge, and it’s not Brandon Inniss.
Everybody knew who the top guy would be in Columbus this season, but the mystery was who would step into the number two role behind Jeremiah Smith, with Carnell Tate off to the NFL. Many speculated Brandon Inniss was that guy, and common sense said that too.
Yet, everything Devin McCuin put on film was excellent, and to some, he could have been an overlooked commodity in this offense.
McCuin is a well-built, 6-foot, 195-pound wideout transferred in from UTSA. He totaled nearly 1,700 yards on over 150 catches in San Antonio, and makes his living in the slot. Not to mention, he is a YAC (yards after the catch) machine and is blazing fast, running a 4.37 40-yard dash when he was in high school.
His high football IQ, reliable hands, and willingness to get dirty and throw a block all rounds into an excellent weapon for this high-powered offense.
A quick side note about Legend Bey: kickoff troubles aside, he is going to be a really vital part of the offense. His quick-twitch, explosive ability makes him a dangerous threat when the ball gets in his hands. As the season treks onwards, Bey will get more and more touches as he continues to earn the trust of Sayin, new OC Arthur Smith, and the rest of teh coaching staff.
Offensive line questions could put the run game in trouble.
Now comes the real mystery: how to improve this offensive line.
To many, this was the linchpin group after getting torched last postseason. So far, their report card is not looking great.
Now let this be understood: it’s one game, the first game. The play-calling as a whole was very basic on purpose. Yet, the line still did not provide much to be thrilled with in the shuffled lineup. Most notably, right tackle Phillip Daniels continues his struggles from last season.
Here’s the day for the big boys up front: two sacks and six tackles for loss allowed, and if you take away the big yardage plays from the Jacksons in the backfield, the run game only averages 3.7 yards per carry.
Granted, they got better as a unit as the game went on. However, Texas is a different beast. There will be no period to settle in against Colin Simmons and that Longhorn unit. Things are only about to get more complex from here, and the hope is that the offensive line only gets better.
The defense is still a force to be reckoned with.
Year two of Matt Patricia may be just as good as the first. This defense is awesome, to put it quite enthusiastically.
It was Ball State, sure, fine, whatever. The Cardinals averaged not even three yards per play and didn’t reach the red zone one time. Too many names deserve to be shouted out, so just know the defense played very well.
Again, much like the offense, it was very plain. More will be unleashed in the dual with Texas. Everything this defense brought last year, from great communication to getting pressure up front to swarming the ball carrier, is back.
One little gripe: finish the job. Tons of pressure was forced, and a lot of credit has to be given to Ball State QB Keldric Luster, who was great at extending plays and avoiding the sack. Just one sack to speak of in this game is not the end of the world, but it sure would be nice to see that get up to three, four, five, if not more.
NEXT WEEK
The No. 5 Texas Longhorns await the top-ranked Buckeyes at DKR Memorial Stadium in Austin next Saturday. The Longhorns will also enter the game at 1-0, after a 59-7 win over Texas State earlier this afternoon.
The game is scheduled for a primetime 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff. Keep listening to Buckeye football all season long on 98.3 WPKO.
Press conference audio will be uploaded later this evening.
