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HANGING IN THE BALANCE? / Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 392 OhioStateVOCFB Host: Mark Rogers (Voice of College Football) Guest: Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts247 Senior Editor) Air date context: Post-Ohio State 19-15 win at Indiana (bye week ahead; Julian Sayin injury dominates) Episode Overview The show centers on the massive uncertainty created by Julian Sayin’s injury. Ohio State escaped Bloomington with a 19-15 win that felt like a loss because of the quarterback situation. Helwagen and Rogers break down the game’s officiating controversies, defensive standouts, offensive line and running-game shortcomings, Sayin’s uneven play before the injury, and how the staff should prepare Luke Fahey (and possibly Tavion St. Clair) during the bye for a tough road trip to USC. Tone is realistic-to-cautiously-optimistic: the defense is elite, but the offense has clear issues and the QB situation is fluid. Timestamped Key Segments 0:00–2:20 | Opening & Sayin injury status High standard of QB play at Ohio State; Sayin met it for ~1.5 seasons. Now out “at least several weeks.” Helwagen has no inside info and says prepare for the worst-case scenario (possible transfer or NFL draft decision). Nothing is off the table. Day expected to give a briefing after practice; HIPAA limits what can be said. Take it one week at a time. Luke Fahey (true freshman) was not ready when dropped into a top-5 road game vs. a top-10 defense after limited prior snaps. 2:20–5:55 | The 19-15 win felt like a loss Late-game management with Fahey was questionable (asking a true freshman to throw instead of running to burn clock). Win came at a huge price (Sayin injury). Pessimists say the season is over; optimists note the talent and defense. Reality is somewhere in the middle. Bright spot: bye week gives two weeks to prepare Fahey as the starter for USC. 5:55–12:20 | Officiating: penalties called and not called Roughing the passer/targeting on Jermaine Matthews (targeting later removed); announcers questioned the call. Multiple non-calls of pass interference on Jeremiah Smith (photographic evidence of early contact, including on a tipped interception that gifted Indiana a short field and their only TD in the first three quarters, and a bomb down the middle). Estimated 10–14 point swing from these plays. Ryan Day repeatedly talks to officials about it, but it continues. Holding on Carson Hinzman was correctly called (negated a big Bo Jackson run). Riley Pettijohn held on the final Indiana play (egregious non-call that could have ended the game earlier). Rogers notes the “step and a half” standard for pass rushers and the limited target area (above the waist, below the neck). 12:20–16:10 | Final drive details & historical context Pettijohn forced pressure and batted a pass earlier in the series. Bo Atkinson’s tackle for no gain on 3rd down set up 4th-and-4. Nick Marsh catch was out of bounds (left foot clearly out); angle of the stadium made it hard to see live. Game of inches throughout. Indiana could have won it in other iterations. Landmark outcomes: snapped Indiana’s 22-game win streak; first home loss for Cignetti in 20 games; rematch of Big Ten Championship; last two national champions playing each other. Ohio State has only beaten a top-5 team on the road twice in the last 20 years (Penn State 2024 and this game). 16:10–22:15 | Defensive performance & standouts Defense played lights-out; limited Indiana to one sustained TD drive. Jay Timmons (nickel, #25): forced a fumble, multiple tackles, left with concussion (wanted to return). Named National Freshman of the Week (247Sports) and Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Future star / building block. Riley Pettijohn flashing consistently (pressure, batted pass). Jalen McClain’s fingerprints on all four Big Ten wins; dropped pick was a deflection that changed trajectory at the last moment. Neither team established the run. Charlie Becker had a big day (9 for 165) vs. Devin Sanchez in coverage, but overall TD prevention was excellent. Matt Patricia’s plan worked. 22:15–29:00 | Quarterback situation: Fahey vs. Tavion St. Clair St. Clair has comparable (or more) practice reps to what Sayin had before starting vs. Texas last year. Helwagen saw St. Clair in high school at Bellefontaine (smaller-school league). Family later moved brother to Upper Arlington for better competition. St. Clair has not seen Big Ten-level defenses consistently. Coaches have a year-and-a-half of practice tape on him. Not ruled out. Recommendation: build packages for both QBs, get both live reps in the bye, and consider playing both early at USC. Don’t go into the Coliseum with only one prepared option. USC is playing for its playoff/Big Ten Championship life after a home loss to Oregon. 29:00–35:00 | Offensive line, running game, and Sayin’s play Running game and offensive line are not Big Ten Championship caliber right now. Missing Jacoby Jackson’s physicality. Bo Jackson and Isaiah West (off the bench) did what they could, but the line struggled (depth issues finally showed; Phillip Daniels returning after four weeks missed vs. a strong Indiana front). Daniels’ early release contributed to the sack/fumble that injured Sayin. Two holds, two false starts, three sacks (some on Sayin indecision). Sayin was off: 5-for-14 in the first half, inaccurate (overthrew Smith for a pick), indecisive on earlier sacks, improved in the second half but still not sharp. This was roughly his 20th–21st start. Need more production from veteran receivers (Devin McEwen, Brandon Ennis, Kyle Parker) and tight ends. Early TE success on the first drive wasn’t sustained. Positive: Arthur Smith’s goal-line sequence (Smith drawing defenders, then easy pitch to Bo Jackson for the TD). Seventh time this year they’ve scored a TD in the final 30 seconds of a half. Chris Henry’s route-running and catch highlighted. 35:00–end | Looking ahead, odds, and wrap-up Bye week is critical for Fahey (and St. Clair) preparation. USC road game (Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC) will be difficult. Helwagen expects Ohio State to still be a slight favorite (previously would have been larger). Big Ten Championship odds (FanDuel) still have Ohio State as the favorite at -125; three remaining home games help. Helwagen notes past Ohio State struggles scoring TDs in the Coliseum vs. USC historically. Closing: check Day’s comments for any Sayin update; next week is the full USC preview. Key Takeaways Sayin injury is the dominant storyline. “Several weeks” minimum; season-ending or transfer/NFL scenarios are not being ruled out. Prepare for Fahey as the starter. 19-15 win was costly. Defense carried the day, but the offense looked limited even before the injury, and the late-game plan with Fahey was conservative to a fault. Officiating was a major factor. Multiple uncalled PIs on Jeremiah Smith and at least one clear holding non-call on the final series. These shaped the final score. Defense is the strength. Timmons, Pettijohn, McClain, and the unit overall played at a high level and limited a strong Indiana offense. OL and run game are concerns. Not currently at championship level; depth and consistency issues showed against Indiana’s front. Supporting cast must elevate if Fahey (or St. Clair) starts. Bye-week plan should include both QBs. Get Fahey and St. Clair live reps and packages. USC is a hostile environment and a must-win type game for the Trojans. Season outlook remains open. Defense + talent + schedule (home games remaining) keep Big Ten Championship odds favorable, but QB play and the run game will decide how far they go. Notable Quotes / Lines Helwagen on the win: “It felt like a loss. It looked like a loss.” / “Take your win.” On Fahey’s late snaps: Questioning why they asked a true freshman to throw instead of running to burn clock. On officials: Repeated frustration with early contact on Jeremiah Smith that went uncalled. On the OL: “Offensive line’s a disaster right now.” On Sayin: He “was off” and “so indecisive” in key moments; still one of the top 5–10 QBs in the country when healthy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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Ohio State Primetime LIVE 108 Presented by FanDuel Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Riley Burnett, Denzel Jones Title: BIG Win In Bloomington & QB Questions Looming! Aired: OhioStateVOCFB Intro & Betting Recap (00:00:31–00:03:45) Hosts open with the win in Bloomington. Garrison recaps his bets from the previous week: Florida-Texas under 52.5 (hit at 51 total), Western Michigan moneyline over Central Michigan (21-14), and Michigan-Penn State under 41.5 (hit at 39). This week’s bets: Indiana at Michigan under 41.5 (likes Michigan’s front against the run), Iowa-Minnesota under 40.5, and Ole Miss +3.5 at Texas. Weekend Chaos Across College Football (00:03:45–00:05:53) Alabama gets “dog-walked” by Tennessee (hosts cite roughly 26-10/26-12). Auburn beats Georgia. BYU beats Notre Dame at home. UCLA beats Wisconsin; hosts note UCLA is technically first in the Big Ten at that moment. Hosts enjoy seeing Alabama and Georgia (previously viewed as top-tier) lose, and enjoy Notre Dame’s loss. Riley notes Auburn stepped up in big moments (Evan McPherson’s brother “Money Mac” hits a clutch kick). Alabama’s offense looked out of sync; Keelan Russell uncomfortable. Other QBs Struggling + Michigan Situation (00:05:53–00:09:24) Garrison highlights that Ohio State survived Julian’s poor game while other high-profile QBs also struggled: Keelan Russell: 19/29, 150 yards, 2 INT, 1 fumble. Gunner Stockton: 22/34, 2 TD, 2 INT, 1 fumble. C.J. Carr: 27/49, 261 yards, 1 fumble. Michigan pulls Bryce Underwood for Tommy Carr at half vs. Penn State. Hosts note Michigan fans had high expectations after the five-star QB arrival; Underwood has struggled. Tommy Carr comes in but still throws for under 50 yards. Michigan gets its first Big Ten win. Garrison jokes that whoever starts for Ohio State vs. USC will throw for more than 50 yards in a half. Ohio State 19-15 Win at Indiana (00:09:24 onward) Final: Ohio State (then No. 4) beats No. 5 Indiana 19-15 on the road in Bloomington. Hosts call it an ugly, gritty win. Initial reactions: Denzel immediately praises the defensive line (held Indiana under 100 rushing yards) and the run defense. Riley notes that when other teams win ugly it is framed as “gritty/empowering,” but Ohio State gets criticized for the same result. Garrison references the Buckeye Space at halftime full of criticism while Ohio State was up 3 on the road against the No. 5 team with a struggling QB. Defense Breakdown Defensive line / Front seven: Hosts call this the deepest defensive tackle room of Ryan Day’s tenure (John Walker III, Andrew Houston, Jason Moore, Will Smith Jr.). Edges and front seven played well against one of the better RB tandems in the country. Peyton Pierce has his best game of the year, including a key pass breakup in the end zone. Transfer linebacker from Wisconsin gets praise after earlier skepticism. No. 12 (Cleve Mike) gets the critical sack that forces fourth-and-4 late. Hosts note the “praise as loudly as we critique” rule. Secondary & Devin Sanchez debate (extended segment): Denzel argues Devin Sanchez is overrated relative to the hype and five-star pedigree. He cites multiple first downs given up, including a contested catch by Charlie Becker, and says Sanchez has not lived up to the aura or the “All-American” expectations. He compares unfavorably to prior corners (e.g., Igbinosun). Garrison and Riley push back: Ohio State played a lot of man coverage (islands). Charlie Becker is a top-3/top-5 receiver with elite contested-catch ability. One deep contested catch by Becker is offset by a breakup; the ball simply wasn’t thrown his way often enough to evaluate fully. Riley emphasizes how difficult it is to play the boundary against Curt Cignetti’s RPO-heavy offense (slants, quick game, stacked box). Other secondary notes: Jay Timmons is repeatedly called a difference-maker and “the best player on the defense” / “playing like the best safety in America.” Nickel play is strong. Overall, the defense held Josh Hoover to roughly 50% completion on 40 attempts. Hosts note the defense is better than expected and compare points allowed historically (this year’s unit around 13.4 PPG). Offense & Julian’s Performance Julian has his worst game of the career. Hosts note uncharacteristic misses and pressure issues. Indiana sent pressure and Julian looked flustered. QB situation going forward (major discussion): Hosts lean toward giving Fahey (smaller, quicker, better escapability on early runs) the full opportunity and first-team reps. Tavion has size (6'5") and a year of experience but has not developed as expected. Leash should be short if the starter struggles in upcoming games. Isaiah West’s emergence as a runner is viewed as helpful for the QB situation (takes pressure off). Garrison stresses running the ball, slants, and crossers until the offense stabilizes. Jeremiah Smith’s Heisman case is put “on the back burner” for now; win with the run game and defense. Other offensive notes: Bo Jackson and Isaiah West got tough yards against a strong Indiana front. Arthur Smith’s fourth-down flat route to Bo is praised as a strong call in a high-leverage spot. Special teams (Connor Hawkins field goals) and Phillip Daniels’ fumble recovery are credited as game-saving. Rankings & Closing Discussion Hosts review the new top 5/top 8 and their own power rankings. Debate on Ohio State not being No. 1 (Garrison wants them higher; Denzel prefers them at 3 so they “play better”). Miami at No. 1 draws criticism (schedule). Notre Dame at 4 draws criticism (only real loss so far, weak résumé). Indiana should still be higher in some views. Utah’s top-10 ranking questioned due to schedule. Garrison’s updated CFP-style rankings emphasize consistency and wins (Ohio State has two top-10 road wins). Big Ten standings briefly reviewed. Show closes with thanks, reminder of Friday call-in show, and Pit Boss sponsorship. Notable Clip-Worthy Moments Garrison’s betting hits and new under bets (early). “Win by any means necessary / sometimes ugly” framing of the Indiana win. Full Devin Sanchez debate (roughly 00:19–00:29). Jay Timmons praise as the best defensive player. Fahey vs. Tavion QB discussion and short-leash comments. “Jeremiah Smith Heisman on the back burner — win with the run game and defense.” Phillip Daniels fumble recovery and special teams credit. Ryan Day reaction shot after Julian’s sack (emotional, doesn’t look at his QB). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Call-in Show 82 Presented by FanDuel Hosts: Garrison Gaddy & Denzel Jones | Guest: Bradley Loomis (IndianaVOCFB) OhioStateVOCFB | Focus: Ohio State at Indiana (Big Noon Kickoff) preview, 14-team CFP reaction, injury report, player predictions, matchup analysis, and other Week games. 00:00–02:30 | Open & Weather Banter Garrison welcomes everyone to the Ohio State Call-in Show, presented by FanDuel, with Denzel. Tomorrow’s game is Ohio State at Indiana. Call-in link and chat are open. Light free-for-all energy. Denzel notes it’s too cold; both are Michigan-born Buckeyes. Banter about northern Michigan toughness, lake effect, and not being ready for the weather yet (kids not outside, rainy/windy). 02:30–09:30 | 24-Team CFP Discussion Vote has passed for a 24-team playoff. Denzel: Middle of the road. Excited for more upsets (March Madness style) and more football, but skeptical of the ESPN money angle. Good and bad for the sport. Garrison: Truly doesn’t care. Sport changes daily; better to move with the times than whine (no vote that matters). Reads his earlier tweet points: ~138 FBS teams → 17% make the playoff (not a lot). Every other level (FCS, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO) already has this. Ranking the top 3–5 should mean something. Get over it — you’ll still watch, buy tickets/jerseys. Older fans more resistant (nostalgia); younger fans generally fine with more football. Hypothetical 2025-style first-round matchups (Utah-Michigan, BYU-Oregon, Vanderbilt-Virginia, Alabama-Duke, Tulane-Texas) would be watchable. Ohio State “will never have to worry about this.” 09:30–14:00 | Injury Report & Early Game Feel Ohio State injury report raises anxiety for Garrison (already a little fearful/anxious of the matchup). Key names discussed: Jacoby Jackson (prefers him available as a quality Big Ten back), missing best OL, Philip Daniels (big if healthy so Austin Cervo can slide), Gabe Insickle (excellent in run game), Brock Boyd (questionable), Turbo (in and out), Isaiah West (questionable but expected to play), Kerry Wilder (injured), Deontay Armstrong (third-string guard). Indiana strengths noted: edge rushers get attention, but defensive tackles are the better part of the unit; LBs (Hardy top-3 Big Ten/nation) are dogs. Denzel: Not overly worried — wants to see what Bo Jackson does. “This is where you make your money.” 14:00–26:00 | Player Predictions & Offensive Outlook Denzel’s list (he has six): Devin Sanchez gets a pick (feels like his game; wakes up against good receivers). Jeremiah Smith: ~120 yards + 2 TDs (around FanDuel line of 132.5). Rest of the team eats — Chris Henry Jr. ~60 yards + TD (solidifies as clear No. 2; breakout week). Bo Jackson: 105 rushing yards (all rushing emphasis in the moment; long of 20). Plus defensive notes (Edrick Houston mentioned). Garrison: If the OL holds up vs. Indiana’s D-line, Julian Sayin has time → potential legacy game for him + Bo Jackson “legacy game part two” (references true freshman spark in the Michigan win). Jeremiah gets the ball moved around (boundary/slot). Other WRs (Chris Henry Jr., Devin McEwen, Kyle Parker, Brandon Ennis) get touches; room getting healthier at the right time. Bo can also contribute in the receiving game. Score feel: Denzel roughly 28-13/17 range (Ohio State capitalizes where Nebraska missed red-zone chances). OL is currently the weakest offensive unit; Indiana’s strength is the D-line (especially interior). Pass rush overall has been light (9 sacks on the season). Props: Bo Jackson over/under 75.5 rushing yards. FanDuel plug for props. 26:00–31:20 | More Predictions & LB Notes Garrison expands on WR room progress and health. Chris Henry Jr. confidence built from early-season ups and downs (including the early INT-turned-TD stretch) plus blocking. Peyton Pierce and Raleigh Pettijohn need their best tackling games of the season (Indiana will run the ball). Garrison’s “you better play f*****g good” message to Pierce — fair-weather support acknowledged; coverage questions remain but run-support/tackling is non-negotiable. Pettijohn had a rough tackling day previously and isn’t on the injury report. 31:20–59:00 | Guest: Bradley Loomis (IndianaVOCFB) Brad joins (brief mute issue). Mutual respect. Score predictions: Denzel originally higher (around 34-something), now 26-20. Brad: 21-17 Indiana at home (changed from earlier). Brad’s confidence levels: Most confident — D-line (waves, true freshman Blake Smythe stepping up; top-5 pressure rate with low blitz rate; can get home with four). Least confident — secondary. Matchup framing: Battle of heavyweights (national level: Alabama/Georgia, Ohio State/Indiana). Stats-out-the-window game. Indiana has gotten better as the season goes (pattern from year one). Talent gap from 2024 is gone. Garrison: Nervous. Offensively better than last year, defensively not. Somewhere between 2024 and 2025 Indiana. Tackling issues for both; Indiana’s RBs more explosive. Strength of Indiana D is the interior line + LBs. Ohio State will try to get the ball out quick. WRs should be fine vs. Indiana DBs (Jeremiah is different; others can eat). Brad: Trenches favor Indiana; outsides favor Ohio State (composite). Secondary is the weakness; Jeremiah is the best player in college football. Game of the year potential, fourth-quarter type. Other notes: Josh Hoover “due” for a turnover but Brad isn’t overly worried (character, confidence, support system; might throw a pick but they’ll get one back). Curt Cignetti is a buzzsaw. Ohio State in “wounded animal” mode (Ryan Day different). Home environment will be loud (Autzen-style noise). Both teams top-4 caliber; opinions won’t shift much on a close result either way. Chris Henry Jr. comparison to Charlie Becker (late-bloomer who cooked in a big spot). Northwestern/Nebraska games as measuring sticks for Indiana. Brad’s final: 21-17 Hoosiers. It’s a “who shows up” game. 59:00–1:04:50 | Other Games & Bits Quick hits: Purdue vs. Washington — Denzel takes Purdue (Washington cooked). Wisconsin at UCLA — Wisconsin (Nico out; UCLA season derailed). Nebraska at Oregon — Mixed; Garrison leans Nebraska (Oregon missing receivers, inconsistent D, struggles vs. mobile QBs); Denzel takes Oregon. Penn State at Michigan — Excitement/hope for the underdog. Personal notes (wedding, outfit, etc.). FanDuel/spread work mentioned earlier in network context. 1:04:50–end | Close Like, share, subscribe, hit the hype button. Sunday noon recap show with Denzel on tomorrow’s game. O-H / I-O. Quick takeaways: Heavy focus on the Ohio State–Indiana trenches (OL vs. Indiana D-line/interior) as the key matchup. Bo Jackson and Jeremiah Smith are the offensive swing pieces. Hosts split between optimism (Denzel) and caution (Garrison). Brad brings the Indiana perspective: D-line strength, secondary concern, close 21-17 pick. 24-team CFP treated as “it is what it is.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 391 – Indiana Week Voice of College Football (OhioStateVOCFB) Host: Mark Rogers Guests: Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Insiders / Buckeye Weekly Podcast), Jared Kelly (Peegs.com / 247Sports) Opening / Framing the Matchup (0:00–2:50) Ohio State travels to Bloomington for a high-stakes Big Ten showdown with implications for conference control and CFP positioning. Indiana is the defending national champion, undefeated, and on a 22-game win streak—one win from tying Urban Meyer’s 2014-15 Ohio State team for the longest Big Ten win streak in the CFP era. Indiana is no longer viewed as a flash-in-the-pan under Curt Cignetti; the program has repeatedly reloaded via the portal (e.g., Marsh replacing Surratt; Hoover replacing Mendoza). Hoover has 17 TDs and 0 INTs through six games. Maryland Recap & Ohio State’s Current Form (3:00–6:40) Maryland was treated as a “get the job done” game (55-0). Rain contributed to turnovers (interception returned for TD + fumble leading to FG); 10 of Maryland’s 16 points came directly off Ohio State turnovers. Ohio State rushed for over 200 yards; Bo Jackson had the team’s first 20+ yard run since Week 1 (25-yard TD). Steve: Ohio State has played better overall than Indiana this season despite the Texas loss; Indiana’s schedule has been lighter. Tony: Maryland was a means to an end—rested players, avoided major injuries. “The season finally begins” against Indiana after the Texas loss raised the stakes. Indiana’s Close Calls & Schedule Context (6:40–12:30) Indiana has been pushed by Northwestern and Nebraska. Nebraska dominated for ~3 quarters (led 17-6 late) before Indiana exploded via two Nick Marsh long TDs (including a 4th-and-1 pitch-and-catch). Wind heavily affected the Nebraska game (sustained 20 mph, gusts to 50). Tony notes the circular logic in ranking: close games vs. Indiana are used to argue Nebraska/Northwestern are good, which then boosts Indiana. Steve: Nebraska earned more respect in the loss than in many recent wins; questions remain about whether they have a higher ceiling or a “Charlie Brown” inability to close. Jared Kelly Segment – Indiana Outlook (17:00–44:00) Rivalry status More edge than in the past due to proximity, recent results, and Cignetti’s past comments. Still early to call it a full rivalry until Indiana wins more games against Ohio State. Both programs sit atop the Big Ten; Oregon’s struggles have clarified the hierarchy. Cignetti’s approach Highly prepared and respectful of Ohio State (praised Jeremiah Smith extensively). Uses media availability to message his own team. Short and businesslike post-Nebraska. Josh Hoover Has exceeded expectations after turnover concerns at TCU. Zero INTs so far; cleaned up accuracy while retaining poise in the fourth quarter at Nebraska. Different skill set than Mendoza/Rourke (smaller, more mobile). Another level remains possible. Not yet at Mendoza’s level, but trajectory is strong. Secondary concerns D’Angelo Pons was the hardest player to replace. AJ Harris (Penn State/Georgia transfer) has been limited by injury and only returned in the second half vs. Nebraska. Safeties have been inconsistent (Preston Zachman from Wisconsin has coverage lapses). Secondary has not faced a true downfield passing attack. This is the clearest area of vulnerability against Ohio State’s receivers. Defensive front Strong overall (top-tier in yards/points allowed and sacks). Stephen Daley and Tobias Osasomny each have five sacks. Brian Haynes dials up exotic pressures—Ohio State struggled with these in last year’s Big Ten Championship. Run defense has been excellent except against dual-threat QBs (not a major issue vs. Julian Sayin). Team identity vs. last year Possibly more talented on paper, but lacks the same cohesion and leadership intangibles of the 2025 championship team. Inconsistencies (especially tackling and secondary) persist longer than they did a year ago. Close wins vs. Northwestern and Nebraska are more a reflection of those teams being solid than Indiana playing down. Environment & tickets Memorial Stadium will feel different with national championship branding. Crowd split is the big unknown—historically Ohio State fans have taken over; IU fans appear more likely to hold tickets this year. Get-in prices are high (~$440+). Ohio State fans should expect a more competitive, less hospitable atmosphere than in past decades. Betting, X’s & O’s, and Closing Thoughts (45:00–end) Ohio State is a 3.5-point road favorite (FanDuel). Tony viewed it closer to 1.5–2.5 pre-line; still comfortable with Ohio State as favorite given Indiana’s close calls. Key factors: establishing the run, stopping the run, third downs, red zone, and turnovers. Jeremiah Smith is one TD shy of Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten career record. Ohio State’s receivers (Smith + supporting cast) present a bigger challenge for Indiana’s secondary than Texas did. Indiana’s Becker/Marsh duo is viewed as a step up from Texas’s receivers. GameDay chose BYU-Notre Dame over this matchup (noted as a head-scratcher given the stakes). Broader Big Ten notes: Michigan-Penn State and other bottom-of-the-league games; Purdue’s surprising start; coaching struggles at multiple programs. Key Takeaways Both sides acknowledge this is the most meaningful Ohio State-Indiana game in decades. Ohio State enters healthier and more balanced offensively after Maryland; Indiana’s secondary and overall cohesion are the main question marks. Hoover has been excellent but untested against elite competition; pressure on him and protection for Sayin will be decisive. Crowd and atmosphere in Bloomington are the biggest unknowns. Consensus lean: Ohio State slightly better on paper and preferred as a small road favorite, but Indiana is dangerous at home and capable of winning if it cleans up recent inconsistencies. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime Live 107 Presented by FanDuel Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Denzel Jones, Riley Burnett Topic: Maryland recap + Ohio State at Indiana preview (“Will the Buckeyes Avenge the Loss?”) Maryland Recap (Opening Segment) ~00:56 – 05:15 Riley: Solid but not spectacular win. Offensive line was banged up with timing miscues; both running backs (“the Jackson Two” — Bo Jackson and Jacoby Jackson) played well and complement each other. Jeremiah Smith got early touches and made them count. Defense was mostly solid (7 of Maryland’s points came from OL miscues). Garrison pushes back lightly on the “no clear RB1” take, noting Bo’s 25-yard TD run (best blocked run of the season) and arguing the backs are even. Denzel leans toward Jacoby looking strong. Consensus: both backs are running hard; no need for a strict RB1/RB2 hierarchy right now. Ryan Day looked fired up on the sideline (“Cocaine Day” energy). Key takeaway: Good win to move to 10-0 all-time vs. Maryland, but the team still has key pieces to get healthy before the real Big Ten stretch. Indiana Preview — Overall Outlook & Defense ~05:15 – 25:00+ Biggest remaining Big Ten game is now at Indiana (top-5 matchup in Bloomington). Oregon has fallen off; this is the clear top test left. What they want to see from Ohio State: Continue leaning into the run game (best run blocking of the year vs. Maryland; backs hit holes cleanly). A consistent second receiver to step up alongside Jeremiah. Defense to win man-to-man vs. Indiana’s elite skill players. Indiana’s weapons highlighted: WRs: Charlie Becker (~529 yards, 8 TDs) and Nick Marsh (~528 yards, 6 TDs). RBs: Turbo Richard (~597 yards, 8.4 YPC, 5 TDs) and BB Junior (~531 yards). Garrison called them arguably the best WR and RB duos in the country (with some pushback in chat). Nebraska blueprint: Nebraska’s front stuffed the run early and covered Becker well for most of the game but forgot about Marsh in the second half (especially in trips/slot). Ohio State should take the same approach but execute better because they have superior talent. Do not let Indiana stretch the field early with quick game or explosives. Secondary confidence: Mixed. Jermaine Matthews needs a “get-back” game vs. Becker. Devin Sanchez is still inconsistent (has given up TDs to big receivers); mid-season is time for him to step up. Safeties (McClain more in the box, Earl Little versatile) have been better. Need Jay Timmons’ energy if available. Win the ones. Front seven vs. run game: More confident after Nebraska showed the blueprint. Fresh bodies, stunts/twists, and emerging players (Edrick Houston, Quay Russo, etc.) should help. Don’t let Indiana get the run game going early in Bloomington. Josh Hoover: Average game manager who fits Cignetti’s system. Ohio State’s low sack rate is noted, but hosts expect Patricia to dial up pressure (blitzes, stunts) and make him uncomfortable. Hoover is “due” for a turnover. Odds, Props & Score Predictions ~18:00 – 42:00 Line: Ohio State -3.5 (was +1.5 earlier in the season). Over/under ~50.5. Most lean under on the total. Indiana rushing over/under 123.5: Under (hosts want Ohio State to hold them well under 150). Ohio State rushing: Over. Hoover passing: Mixed (some under, some over if OSU controls the clock and forces throws). Julian Sayin: Over. Score predictions: Riley: Ohio State 28, Indiana 17. Denzel: Ohio State 28, Indiana 13. Garrison: Ohio State 35, Indiana 20 (late score separates them; competitive classic, not a blowout). Tempo discussion: Want a healthy dose of tempo (especially early) to stress Indiana’s defense and keep Cignetti from dictating pace. Don’t gas the OL, but mix it in because Ohio State’s skill players should win those matchups. Offense Notes Lean into the run (Bo + Jacoby). Target Chris Henry Jr. more (size + speed; has been underutilized as a decoy). Tight ends (Nate Roberts, etc.) for blocking and occasional big plays. Julian Sayin needs cleaner decision-making (protect the ball, less panic). Arthur Smith’s offense is humming. Special Teams Improved last week (returns, FG). Still some nerves. Indiana’s kicker is perfect so far. Want more commitment to blocking punts (Urban Meyer style) — a block could swing a close game (referenced Caleb Downs return two years ago). Best Bets (Presented by FanDuel) Mississippi State at LSU Over 59.5 (no defense). Florida at Texas Under 52.5. Western Michigan Moneyline (pure emotion from Garrison). Penn State at Michigan Under 41.5 (ugly game expected). Second-Half Expectations & Position Groups If Ohio State beats Indiana, run the table. No fear of USC, Oregon, Michigan, Northwestern, etc. Indiana is the toughest remaining Big Ten test. Best position groups so far: Wide receivers (blocking + Jeremiah) and safeties (consistent, sure tacklers, Earl Little is a dog). Worst / needs elevation: Defensive line (started slow, finding itself recently) or corners (too many easy completions). O-line also needs to take another step. Other notes: Second-half identity talk (offense has one; defense needs more killers). Iowa jumped in Garrison’s Big Ten rankings after beating Washington. Light trash talk on Minnesota vs. Iowa. Closing Shout-outs, subscribe, Mark Rogers show Tuesday. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

OhioStateVOCFB – Ohio State vs. Maryland Postgame Live Hosts: Garrison Gaddy & Denzel Jones Chapter 1: Maryland Game Analysis (0:31–2:04) 0:31–1:10: Intro. Ohio State defeats Maryland 45-6. Box-score look suggests a clean blowout, but the hosts note it was messy. 1:10–1:50: Key issues: penalties, offensive line injuries (right guard/tackle out; Austin Serville also out). Defense overall solid but had areas to clean up. 1:50–2:04: Denzel’s take — game was “real sloppy.” Run blocking was strong and backs ran hard, but too many penalties (example: two consecutive all-size penalties on a rushing TD drive). Chapter 2: Offensive Performance (2:04–5:19) 2:04–2:24: 8 penalties for 65 yards. Young players got snaps (Sincere Johnson, Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd). 2:31–3:01: Pass game felt secondary. Julian limited early; team ran the ball ~47 times. Julian finished 13-of-21. 3:01–3:44: Jeremiah Smith limited targets (4 catches). Nate Roberts 68-yard TD. Chris Henry Jr. long catch — Julian’s throw to the outside shoulder was the right placement; Henry adjusted well. 4:12–4:52: Brock Boyd dropped a ball early; Julian appeared to go away from him afterward (noted as a Peyton Manning-style tendency). Boyd still blocked well and did his job. 4:52–5:19: Tight ends involved positively. Nate Roberts has been strong the last 2–3 games. Hosts want more tight-end usage in the pass game to elevate the offense. Chapter 3: Running Back Discussion (5:19–15:30) 5:28–6:28: No true RB1 needed; both backs complement each other. Pushback on “Bo Jackson should be RB1” narrative — RB1 implies 20+ carries with a big gap over RB2. 6:37–7:05: Bo Jackson: 23 carries, 107 yards (4.7 ypc), 2 TDs (one goal-line), long of 25 (explosive). Jacobe Jackson: 14 touches, 76 yards (5.4 ypc), long of 15. Jacobe’s value is breaking tackles and making defenders miss after contact. 7:14–8:22: Both played well. Run blocking excellent — big holes. Bo hit the 25-yard hole cleanly and exploded. Praise for consistency since the Texas game (rush yards and ypc trending up). 8:22–9:41: Isaiah West missed a block that put Julian in danger on a play. Julian has been taking hits all season; need better protection. Pick-six was “fluky.” 9:47–11:07: Pass pro average; run game strong even with two starting OL out. Gabe Sickle had his best game. Right-side blocks on Bo’s 25-yard TD were excellent (perfect block play of the season). 227 rush yards on 48 attempts (4.7 ypc). Maryland’s D-line is solid — good test. 11:17–15:30: Jeremiah Smith one-handed catch in the rain was nasty. Quick aside on #1 overall composite QBs since 2020 — Julian is the only one to “pan out” so far. Julian needs better ball security (careless throw into coverage, fumbles). Scrambles and designed runs looked better; he’s averaging ~15–20 rush yards recently. Sacks in the stat sheet understate his running impact. Chapter 4: Special Teams Review (15:30–17:46) 15:39–16:29: Special teams was the best unit. Philip Bell solid punt returner (secure hands). Legend Bay good on first kick return. Punter had a strong boot (downed inside the 5). Connor Hawkins made field goals. 16:33–17:46: Fake punt awareness was good (prevented momentum). Hawkins making kicks builds confidence after past struggles. Punter looking improved. Encouraging that the unit is going after returns more aggressively (even with a penalty). Ryan Day special teams have been poor for years — this was a step forward. Chapter 5: Defensive Breakdown (17:46–23:44) 17:46–18:20: Maryland scored only 10 offensive points. 3-for-12 on third down, 146 total yards (64 passing at 2.6 ypa, 82 rushing at 2.9 ypc). Strong against Mike Locksley’s offense. 18:20–18:49: Secondary solid. Devin Sanchez and Jaylen McClain had strong games. Earl Little Jr. active. Overall defense played well. 18:51–19:42: Denzel: “good, not great” (Maryland isn’t elite). D-line stepped up — Houston played with more energy/nastiness. Wanted more pressure and turnovers. Safeties filling holes well. 19:46–20:28: Linebackers could be more aggressive. Rotation concerns (Payton Pierce still seeing too much time). Petty John limped; wanted more Sincere/Petty John looks. Sincere played well but missed one gap. 20:28–22:47: Defensive tackle depth exceeding expectations. Jason Moore continues to impress. Will Smith Jr. and Quay Russo (Alabama transfer) pleasant surprises. Front four looking set (Kenyatta Jackson and Quay outside). Bo Aon needs to be limited after mistakes. Inside: Edric Hill and John Walker strong; Carrie needs development for big games. 22:57–23:44: Carrie is the most disruptive pass rusher — need him ready for Indiana, Oregon, Michigan. Whatever it takes (playbook or otherwise) to get him going. Chapter 6: Big Ten Landscape (23:44–31:02) 23:53–24:48: Clean up penalties before Indiana. Need a true WR2 to emerge (McClain, Henry Jr., Boyd, or Roberts). Jeremiah will get his, but someone else must step up. 24:57–26:24: FanDuel bets recap. Iowa upset Washington (Higginbotham looked good; prior QB battle talk was a sham). Iowa is a real threat. 26:24–28:30: Iowa could push for 10–11 wins. Remaining schedule favorable enough for playoff talk if they stay clean. Denzel sees them dropping one (possibly Northwestern). 28:30–31:02: Indiana-Nebraska. Nebraska dominated early but got too high; QB (Raiola) missed throws and opportunities. Indiana fortunate but made the plays. Cignetti stayed calm. Nebraska should be top-25. Ohio State still favored by double digits next week vs. Indiana. Chapter 7: Oregon’s Upset Loss (31:02–40:32) 31:08–32:38: Ohio State should stop Indiana’s run game and control the matchup. Standing firm on double-digit win prediction. 32:38–35:04: Secondary matchups (Germaine vs. Nick Marsh; Dominic Kelly/Cam Calhoun notes). Simeon Caldwell playing well in Jayden’s absence. 35:15–36:36: Oregon lost to UCLA with multiple turnovers (Raiola 2 INTs + fumble; others fumbled). Not primarily a coaching failure — rare clean “players lost it” game. 36:36–39:21: Oregon now in danger of missing the playoff. Remaining schedule includes Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan, Washington. 5–6 losses possible. Dan Lanning unlikely to be fired but seat gets hot. Defense has struggled; mobile QBs (Childs, Raiola, Julian) could cause problems. 39:21–40:32: Big Ten not “wide open” for everyone. Ohio State still the clear top team. Chapter 8: National College Football (40:32–46:33) 41:00–42:35: Georgia-Alabama classic. DeBoer called out a player who cost them. Both top-tier SEC teams; high-leverage game. Garrison has Alabama and Georgia both top-3/5 nationally. 42:35–44:48: Ohio State’s loss to Texas early doesn’t define them. Oklahoma beat Texas with two defensive TDs — not the best win. Texas offense/Arch Manning has regressed badly (year 4). Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia would likely have blown Texas out in that stretch. 44:48–46:33: Arch is average right now. Ohio State’s body of work (Iowa win, consistency) should rank them above Texas. Chapter 9: Rankings (46:33–52:07) 46:44–48:55: Big Ten power rankings (notable moves): Indiana up, UCLA up (Oregon win), Iowa up 6 spots, Northwestern in, Oregon down 5, USC down, Purdue enters. Top of list solid. Iowa/UCLA/Northwestern clustered. 48:55–51:58: CFP top 15: Georgia #1, Ohio State #2, Alabama #3 (adjusted live after rewatch), Miami/Notre Dame debate, Kentucky over Texas, Iowa #12, UCLA #14, USC #13, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech. Consistent with Big Ten view. Chapter 10: Lookahead to Next Week (52:07–55:52) 52:07–54:14: Indiana game is the biggest for the Big Ten race. Winner likely heads to Indianapolis. Oregon no longer the same threat. Michigan still the rivalry game but not the conference shaper this year. 54:14–55:52: Fear factor: USC offense is real but defense is bad. Northwestern could be competitive early. Oregon not feared (expected 30-something to 14-ish). Michigan: fear the game more than the team. Closing — tune in tomorrow for Ohio State Primetime with Garrison, Denzel, and Riley. Overall takeaway: Ohio State handled Maryland 45-6 but left meat on the bone with penalties and a pass-game that stayed quiet. Run game and special teams were bright spots; defense was solid against a lesser opponent. Eyes are already on Indiana as the next true test. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 390 — Maryland week notes. OhioStateVOCFB. Host Mark Rogers with Bucknuts247’s Steve Helwagen, Buckeye Weekly’s Tony Gerdeman, and Inside Maryland Sports’ Jack Sheehan. Aired after Ohio State’s second straight Big Ten win at Iowa, with Maryland next in Columbus and Indiana the week after. Final at Kinnick: Ohio State 31, Iowa 14 (or 31-6 before a late Iowa score while OSU was managing the clock). OSU 484 total yards. Largest margin by a visitor in Iowa City since 2013, per the show. Iowa won the toss, took the ball, and lost it two plays later. Iowa recap — 1:12 to ~35:00 Opening sequence (3:06). Iowa’s decision to receive backfired. Kenyatta Jackson stripped the quarterback; Julian Sayin hit Devin McEwen for a TD. 7-0. Early lull after that: 7-3, 10-3, 10-6, plus a missed long field goal. Defense calibrated early in the second quarter. Iowa went five real possessions without a score (not counting the half-ending kneel). OSU scored before the half, again in the third, and the game was effectively over at 24-6 / 31-6. Hank Brown missed elementary throws and is not viewed as a Big Ten-caliber quarterback. OSU’s last drive: 16 plays, about 9:30, only ~55 yards, clock killed. Children’s Hospital wave noted; Helwagen and Stephen Means were the only press-box people waving. Tony’s read (1:32). Expected script. If Sayin has time, it is not close — and it still was not close when he did not. Jeremiah Smith plus generally accurate Sayin, plus enough run game. Jacoby Jackson and Bo Jackson stayed on schedule; count RPOs as rush yards. Defense “fixed” some Illinois issues, but holding Iowa to 14 means little until it is tested by a real offense. Maryland is a soft test. Indiana is the real one: they will run it at you. Smith workload (7:10–13:00). 15-ish targets vs. Iowa after 16 vs. Illinois — running-back volume. Back-to-back 200-yard receiving games, first in OSU history, both against Big Ten teams, eight days apart. Bill Landis stat: six 200-yard receiving games in the first 135 years of OSU football; Smith just did it twice. Tony’s line: his amazing is now his average. Helwagen’s Mount Rushmore framing (Ari Wasserman): Orlando Pace, Archie Griffin, Jeremiah Smith; Chic Harley as the fourth. Helwagen calls him the 1-2-3 Heisman vote as of Oct. 6 and says no one else needs to show up in New York. Tony’s caveat: against Maryland he may only play a half if it is 28-3, with Indiana next. Devin McEwen (7:26). Four catches, 80 yards. Tony’s point: this cannot be only Smith, same way 2019 was not only J.K. Dobbins with Wilson and Olave also there. Triple-coverage catch (15:22). Sayin threw into double and triple coverage. Smith lightly tapped the defender in front, jumped, caught it between three, then ran ~30 more into the red zone. Drive ended in the doinked field goal. Kicking / special teams (16:18–22:00). Connor Hawkins hit the upright from ~55; missed by about nine inches, not 20 yards wide. Also missed the end-of-Texas kick. Tony: fan PTSD is real; punting has been average for three years; Day talks about wanting better and accepts average. Nick McLarty never got consistent; they did not portal a punter. Return game is non-existent by design — fair catch, start at the 25. Devin McEwen fair-catches because Legend Bey is not trusted back there. Iowa pinned OSU at the 4; OSU’s answering punt from near midfield went to the 24. Helwagen’s counter: Michigan has lost two straight in part because of special teams (100-yard Iowa kick return; muffed punt vs. Minnesota). Penalties. Four pre-snap on offense, one on a punt, two PI on Devin Sanchez, a hold. Loud building. False starts included Van Sickle, Searveld, and Will Kacmarek jumping with Searveld so he was not singled out. Run game (31:26–35:00). About 160 net rushing. Jacoby Jackson not tackled in the backfield, finds creases. Bo Jackson finished with the most carries and ran well late. Isaiah West (about 6 for 26) got the drive from inside the 5 — trusted with the ball, and that drive scores only ~10% of the time, so no need to spend Bo or Jacoby. No run longer than 17 yards in four straight games since Ball State. Day wants explosives; Tony wonders how many “run-game” explosives are actually Smith RPOs. OL run-blocking graded A-minus / B-plus by the hosts. Front rotation (29:23). Three to five new defensive linemen checked in on many snaps, including before the first play. Stephen Means: no way you have that much depth. Production spread (Earl Little around six tackles; Edric Houston active at DT). Subbing also slows the opponent. Injury / availability and the Day lecture — 22:00 to 29:20 Kyle Parker (LSU transfer WR): missed first five games, has been warming up, trying to go this week. Jay Timmons (nickel): warmed up, shut down, in uniform, did not play. Hosts felt the nickel spot missed him. Phillip Daniels (RT): getting closer. Gabe Van Sickle has been outstanding at guard per Luke Montgomery; what Daniels’ return does to the line is unsettled. Kari Wilder and Legend Bey: both warmed up, neither played vs. Iowa. Day went ~two minutes on Wilder without specifics: boxes must be checked, position coaches hold players accountable, players hold themselves accountable. Asked later if Bey falls under the same description, Day said yes. Hosts read it as standards, not a major culture problem — late to study table, class, practice, or simply not ready on the field. They will not hand snaps to keep a portal guy. Counterexamples who do play: Simeon Caldwell (true freshman LB in dime), Timmons won the nickel, Bo Jackson, Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd out-snapping senior Brandon Innis. Day has said they want more explosion in the run game and are taking applications at DE — and the five-star answers are on the bench because they have not earned it in practice. Wilder’s usage has been “go get the quarterback” in the speed package, no real gap assignment. Maryland is the last soft chance to get young guys live reps. Everyone else left on the schedule has a winning record. Maryland guest — Jack Sheehan, ~36:00 to 50:30 Mike Locksley. Seat was hot, now piping hot. AD Jim Smith (did not hire him; former OSU marketing director under Andy Geiger, Crew, Falcons president) gave a public vote of confidence and money last offseason. Program retained Malik Washington and a large starter group and added portal pieces — “push the chips in.” Result: three straight losses, two blowouts, back-to-back 4-8 seasons, tracking toward 3-9. Home loss to UCLA 54-3 is the kind of result programs do not come back from. They were in the Nebraska game (led by 9-10 in the first half; 28-23 entering the fourth) before a pick-six — third pick-six in two weeks. Consensus: when, not if. Bye after Rutgers is the logical window. Buyout savings from waiting until season’s end is under $1 million. Staff can already be building portal lists. Why it got worse with 16 starters back. Defense did not live up to the returners (lost Zaheer Mathis; Sydney Stewart, freshman All-American with 7-8 sacks last year, has only about two this year). Run game stalled, OL is not good, RB injuries forced a walk-on into carries. Everything landed on Washington, still young: accuracy issues, poor touch on deep balls, rocket arm and athleticism, turnovers. Chris Derr is second nationally in receptions and the best Maryland receiver since D.J. Moore. Locksley said Washington is about where they expected; the fan base does not want to hear that. Next coach. Sheehan wants an X’s-and-O’s coach more than a recruiter. Maryland will not out-recruit Ohio State, Penn State, or others for DMV talent (Chase Young, Dwayne Haskins, etc.). Preference is an established head coach; a first-time coordinator is higher risk but possible (Will Stein model). Manny Diaz is a name he has thought about. Maryland DL. Luke Montgomery called it the best DL OSU has seen, even without Mathis. Edges: Sydney Stewart (get-off, motor) and five-star freshman Zion Ely (raw, flashes, about two sacks). Interior is bigger and deeper than Maryland has been. UCLA and Nebraska still ran on them. Talent is ahead of the results. Sheehan’s site: maryland.247sports.com. No site staff expected in Columbus except possibly publisher Jeff Ermann. Series notes and Big Ten board — 50:40 to end OSU’s average margin vs. Maryland is about 32. Two wins by 59 (including 73-14 and 62-3). 2018 in College Park: 52-51 in OT; Urban Meyer blacking out on the sideline; Maryland’s two-point try failed with a man open; Haskins threw for 405; Maryland ran for 339 (394 if sacks removed) on 48 carries and threw only 14 times. Pete Thamel’s cyst story followed; Meyer was in the NFL a year later. 2023 in Columbus: 37-17, Josh Proctor pick turned it. Last trip to College Park was tighter until a Lathan Ransom blocked punt. Day is 56-5 in the Big Ten after the Iowa win; Meyer was 54-4. Under Day, home losses are Oregon and Michigan twice. Helwagen: Nebraska 5-0 and unranked, Indiana 5-0 and around 6th-7th, settled Saturday in Lincoln — “Super Bowl” for Matt Rhule. If Indiana gets through that, next week in Bloomington is the game of the year. Hosts do not think looking ahead to Indiana matters against Maryland; OSU is about a five-touchdown favorite. Conference oddities: Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Illinois, Washington all 0-2 in the Big Ten; Wisconsin and Minnesota 2-0. About a third of Big Ten games so far have been upsets. Northwestern (David Braun, Chip Kelly, Aiden Chiles) beat Penn State at the new Ryan Field despite missing three top DBs, a tight end, and playing a third-string left guard. Empty purple seats between the 20s in the first half blamed on secondary-market prices. Clip timestamps 1:32 — Tony: if Sayin has time it is not close, and it still was not. 3:06 — Iowa takes the ball, strip-sack, Sayin to McEwen, 7-0. 9

Ohio State Primetime LIVE 105 — Episode Notes Jeremiah Smith's All-Time Rank & TTUN Tears!! Presented by FanDuel | OhioStateVOCFB Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Riley Burnett, Denzel Jones Focus: Iowa recap, Maryland preview, RB1 debate, freshman usage, Jeremiah Smith all-time ranking, Julian Sayin, Big Ten power rankings, Michigan fallout, Week 6 best bets Quick hits Ohio State hosts Maryland, Saturday, 4:15 p.m. ET on BTN. Buckeyes are 9-0 all-time vs. the Terrapins. FanDuel: Ohio State -34.5, total 56.5. All three hosts expect a cover. Score calls: Riley 45-7, Denzel leaning ~45-10, Garrison 53-13. Consensus keys: feed freshman WRs, reward downfield blockers, limit penalties, force Malik Washington into obvious passing downs. Jeremiah Smith is already the best college receiver any of them has seen; Garrison slots him with Orlando Pace at the top of Buckeye history. Big Ten power rankings (Garrison): OSU, Oregon, Indiana, UCLA, USC, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa. Penn State and Michigan drop out. Week 6 bets: USC ML at Penn State, UNC ML (+146) at Pitt, UMass ML vs. Miami (OH), Washington -3.5 vs. Iowa. 1. Open & Iowa takeaways (00:32–03:30) Riley on the freshman conversation (01:30–02:18) Fans complaining about snap share are forgetting the privilege: multiple true freshmen who could play high-volume snaps is something almost no other program has. Do not complain about volume before acknowledging that every other school does not even have the option. What Riley liked Saturday (02:18–03:26) Defensive line was the standout. Main group played aggressive and hard; that tone rubbed off on the guys behind them. Multiple packages looked functional. Shout-out to Quay Russo: he had said himself he had not done anything this season; the sack was a big moment. Saying (Julian Sayin) looked sharp. Devin McEwen: 4 catches, 8 yards, and the opening TD after the forced fumble. Running backs: happy with the group overall. Unsure how first-down / second-down / third-and-medium / third-and-short shares settle, but content — and they covered. Clip: 01:56–02:14 — “We’re very lucky… no one else in the country has that.” 2. Aside: 2007 game-worn Navy helmet (03:31–04:47) Garrison shows a 2007 game-worn Navy helmet (game 99 on that helmet), lineman No. 98, marks still visible. Gift via a Michigan high-school AD connection; Garrison notes his prior Navy service. Shout-out to Caleb. Denzel later (10:19) jokes that Garrison promised him the helmet; Garrison: “You did not serve this great country.” Bit about chasing a Buckeye helmet — or a Michigan one to use as a toilet seat. Clip: 04:03–04:43 — helmet reveal and “game 99.” 3. Maryland preview (04:47–12:31) Setup (04:47–06:02) Garrison calls it one of the more grueling Big Ten trips on the schedule, then undercuts it: 4:15 p.m. on BTN, a game fans “couldn’t wait” for in the sarcastic sense. Mike Locksley still has the job. Question of the week: is there anything real to take from a conference game this lopsided? Riley on Maryland (06:03–07:27) Malik Washington is still young (sophomore) and should improve, but turnovers are the story — six interceptions. Size: about 6-5, 230. Not a pure run-first QB, but flashed as a runner last year. Ohio State’s tackling has to be clean. Prior scare vs. Maryland is the cautionary note; do not lean back into that. Chris / XIII Durr is the perimeter problem. Hosts have him second in the Big Ten in receptions behind Jeremiah (about 42 to Jeremiah’s 44). Test for Devin Sanchez, Jermaine, or whoever draws him on the boundary or in the slot. Riley: Ohio State should cover. Garrison on Maryland’s season (07:29–09:57) Started hot vs. Hampton and UConn, then fell off against power opponents: Virginia Tech 35-26 (close East Coast-type game) UCLA 54-3 at Nebraska 48-23 Calls this one of Locksley’s worst teams. Malik Washington: 7 TDs, 6 INTs, 6.5 yards per pass attempt (hosts use 7.2 as the “good” bar). Garrison thinks he would be a good QB almost anywhere else (LSU cited as an example). Run game: Howard Williams / Dalton quiet outside of Nebraska. 64 rush yards vs. Virginia Tech, 39 vs. UCLA, 141 vs. Nebraska. Defensive lens for Ohio State: repeat the Iowa standard. Holding a team to 1.9 yards per carry is hard; they want a second straight week of that. Maryland defense, last three games: 6.42 yards per play allowed. Opponents better in the red zone and on third down. “This is a bad football team… one of the worst Big Ten teams.” 34.5 should be covered without a doubt. Denzel joins (09:58–11:48) Maryland looks terrible on film. Thought Washington would take a step after last year’s promise; instead he is throwing it to the other team. Four INTs two weeks ago, two last week — six in two games. Expect at least one Ohio State takeaway. Durr is the only skill player who looks solid. Riley adds: Washington’s yards per completion are poor, so Durr targets are not always true downfield shots. Stop the run (Maryland has not run it well), force third-and-long, and the turnovers should come. Clip: 08:54–09:57 — “1.9 per carry… this is a bad football team… 34.5 should be covered.” Clip: 11:19–11:48 — Denzel on Washington’s interception binge. 4. Devin Sanchez slander (12:31–16:43) Denzel’s complaint Not confident in Maryland’s downfield passing game, and he did not like Devin Sanchez vs. Iowa. Giving up “easy” passes and touchdowns is the issue. Garrison’s defense Sanchez is catching “the nastiest slander” and some of the most ticky-tack PI calls he has seen, while Ohio State receivers are being mauled without flags. Texas: the TD happened, but Sanchez locked his man down for most of that matchup. Former DB perspective: real handsy PI is riding a thigh and pushing a vertical route off. What Sanchez is getting called for is not that. Blame the first Iowa drive on Matt Patricia’s off-coverage, not Sanchez. Iowa opened with slants and crossers — man-beaters designed to make defenders run into each other. Playing 5–6 yards off makes that almost impossible to stick. High-school camp story: Michigan State had corners 8 yards off in 1-on-1s; he got cooked. Point is leverage and cushion, not talent. Riley Iowa’s QB is a checkdown/crosser distributor. In off-man, those looks are structurally hard. Does not pin the opening drive on Sanchez. Burke comparison Garrison: Sanchez is better than Denzel Burke, including relative to Burke’s freshman year. Burke started solid and got worse every year. On Sanchez “calling guys out”: Garrison reads it as self-belief after going against Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, and similar — not tearing teammates down. He locked the two best receivers he has seen this year. Clip: 12:43–14:14 — Garrison refusing to “shit on Devin Sanchez.” Clip: 14:00–14:08 — “If you don’t run press, those wide receivers aren’t going anywhere.” 5. RB1: Bo Jackson vs. Jacoby (16:47–22:36) Garrison — there is no RB1, and Bo is the better back Does not think this team has an RB1, and does not think 2024 had one either. Rejects the social narrative that Bo does not run hard, make people miss, or break tackles. Cites a second- or third-quarter Iowa run: up the middle, broke two tackles, spun off another. Jacoby is the stronger, more hard-nosed runner. That is the only edge Garrison gives him. Bo is the better overall back: blocker, receiver, miss-maker, speed, quickness. “That’s five to one.” Does not need a named RB1 if both are efficient. Wants respect on “Lamar Bo Jackson,” who sparked the Michigan win and was the star / second-leading receiver in that game. Isaiah West was the offseason fan favorite and still cannot see the field. Fans move on too fast. Denzel — wants a 60/40 Jacoby lean Likes how Jacoby runs. Not sexy, but he gets the job done. Bo runs hard and it does not always work. In the backfield, Jacoby still squeezes 2 yards; Bo gets chopped immediately. “That was last year” on the Michigan tape. Garrison rebuttal Bo looked awesome vs. Texas, then average, then back up. Plays to the level of competition (Kent State cited). Jacoby is a pleasant surprise, not Eddie George. Stop trying to run Bo off the roster. Clip: 17:20–18:06 — Bo’s traits vs. Jacoby’s strength, “five to one.” Clip: 20:52–21:16 — “Put some respect on Lamar Bo Jackson.” 6. Freshmen: Legend Bey & Kerry Wilder (22:36–29:10) Garrison: the discourse is out of hand Conversations around Kerry Wilder and Legend Bey are “annoyingly pointless.” Bey is talented. Wilder is often out of his gap vs. the run. Hosts disagree on whether he is being played out of position; Garrison says he is playing the high-school DT spot he already knows, and you cannot be a DE if you cannot learn the spot. Run defense is the easier half of the job. If you cannot do both, you cannot be on the field every down — especially vs. Oregon and a back like Jordan Davidson. Did not need Bey or Wilder last week. Wilder’s hurry/pressure totals are real but mostly from the first two games, on fewer snaps. Ryan Day saying Jeremiah Smith’s best trait is that he is on time was, in Garrison’s read, a message to Legend. Day already framed Wilder as a third-down starter who needs to own that role first. That is a coaching plan, not a snub. Fans are not watching through a coaching lens. A part-time player tipped as a pass rusher tells the offense the ball is going to the back. Riley Good problem: no other school has this true-freshman snap volume available. If it is discipline (Bey) or missed assignments (Wilder), he trusts the staff. The D-line he just praised did not need Wilder last week. Denzel Staff has “gotten it wrong” at linebacker the last two or three years: Cody Simon and Arvell Reese both waited a year, then broke out. Reese looked like a twig as a

OhioStateVOCFB postgame notes from Garrison Gaddy’s Sunday show after No. 5 Ohio State’s 31-14 win at No. 14 Iowa (Oct. 3, Kinnick). Denzel was out sick. Caller Rob joined late. The through-line is Jeremiah Smith’s Ohio State receiving triple crown. Final: Ohio State 31, Iowa 14. Buckeyes 4-1, 2-0 Big Ten. Iowa 4-1, 1-1. Garrison’s pregame lean was 33-13. Box (corrected names): Julian Sayin 20-of-27, 324 yards, 3 TD. Jeremiah Smith 11 rec, 206 yards, 18.7 YPC, 2 TD, long 57. Career after the game: 207 receptions, 3,381 yards, 36 TD — program leader in all three. Ja’Kobi Jackson and Bo Jackson both over 70 rush yards (show: Ja’Kobi 5.1 YPC, Bo 4.4). Iowa QB Hank Brown 12-of-27, 132 yards, 4.9 YPA, 1 INT. Iowa’s only TD was late, with almost no time left. OSU 484 yards, Iowa 238. Segment 1 — Open and defense (0:32–11:17) Iowa is not the offensive bar, but they entered averaging 400-plus yards. Garrison still did not expect more than 13–14 points. Michigan had already slowed them. Early soft zone (corners 6–9 yards off) drew fan heat on X. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. said they shifted to more man and more pressure, and it worked. Kenyatta strip-sack/fumble, recovered by Christian Allegro, set up the first-drive TD. Front seven wrapped up. Run-game tackling, a weekly issue since Texas, was cleaner. Riley Pettijohn solid. T.J. Alford one of his better games. John Walker III forced the overthrow that became an INT (McClain). Garrison does not want Walker and Jason Moore off the field at the same time at DT/nose. Chat disagreement with Aaron on corner technique. Garrison: Devin Sanchez is getting ticky-tack flags; Jermaine Mathews has been good; Timmons sat this week. He wants Matt Patricia to let them press and be handsy at the line instead of giving cushion. Takeaways: two forced turnovers in this game. Eight forced this season vs. 15 all of last year. Ball-hawks (Earl Little Jr., Kenyatta) should push that higher if interior pressure keeps coming. Patricia called a good game. More edge pressure and blitzes would be nice, but that is not his base. Defense is better week to week since the Texas fourth-quarter collapse and is not getting gassed the same way. Clip: 1:34–4:13 — “Defense played spectacular” through the strip-sack and why Iowa is not the bar. Clip: 5:11–6:31 — Sanchez flags vs. physical corners, Mathews, Walker INT. Clip: 8:20–9:34 — 8 turnovers already vs. 15 all of last year. Segment 2 — Triple Crown Jeremiah Smith (11:17–16:12) Garrison: best Ohio State player since Orlando Pace. On the banks of the Olentangy, 11-206-2 and a 57-yard score. Year-3 question is answered. Unstoppable because of feel, not just size. Illinois example: split-second head turn to see the hitter, then catch and brace. TD yesterday put him at 3,381 yards, 36 TD, 207 catches. On pace to clear 1,000 this season next week at Maryland. Ohio State greats (Cris Carter, JSN, Marvin Harrison Jr., Joey Galloway) on a prepared video. Carter called him the best ever in Columbus. Surpassed the high-school hype — LeBron comparison. Garrison’s framing: outside faith, family, and country, nothing he loves more than Ohio State football. Do not take a one-of-one for granted, fan or not. Pace and Smith are the two names. Archie and Eddie have hardware; Smith may not get a Heisman, but the tape is the tape. Clip: 11:27–12:26 — “Best player since Orlando Pace” plus the 11-206-2 line. Clip: 12:27–13:24 — Year 3, Illinois awareness, record totals. Clip: 14:54–16:10 — “Witnessing greatness… you are LeBron James. You surpassed the hype.” Segment 3 — Sayin, backs, Arthur Smith (16:12–22:31) Sayin 20-27, 324, 3 TD. Fourth nationally in passing yards, 13 TD, 1 INT on the season. Heisman-weekend path is open. Rushing jump is the tell. Sack-adjusted: 28 rush yards on 4–5 carries vs. Iowa; about 29 the week before. Last year: 68 rush yards in 14 games. Through five games he already has 66. Still takes some sacks, but he is leaving the pocket when it collapses. Both backs answered the “break tackles / move the chains” question. Not a wildcat fan, but Bo’s second one worked. Isaiah West 7 touches, 21 yards, missed people. Devin McCuin (show: McEwen) had a TD catch and 80 yards. Brandon Inniss sure-handed and getting mauled without flags. Nate Roberts a 9-yard catch, second straight week he answered when called. Pace of play: 135th of 136 last year, 79th this year. Arthur Smith is a clear upgrade on last year’s play-calling. Run game and the line are coming with it. Right tackle still false-starting (three in two games). Jeremiah usage is intentional, same idea as 2022 JSN (about a third of throws schemed for the star). Do not complain about getting him the ball. Covered the spread again. Covered Texas at -1.5 too. Clip: 16:15–18:02 — Sayin’s line and the rushing-yard jump vs. all of 2025. Clip: 19:56–21:16 — Pace ranking and the Arthur Smith defense. Segment 4 — Caller Rob: Smith, Pierce, snaps (22:31–41:20) Rob opens with the banned-coach line (“Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal.”) and says yesterday could not have happened to a better program — then pivots to Smith. Smith is ahead of DeVonta Smith’s Heisman-year pace at the same point, on fewer catches, with far more yards and TDs. Path to the first Buckeye Heisman since Troy Smith in 2006. Garrison: those Ohio State receiving marks will not be broken, same as LeBron’s scoring title. Same “take it in” point he made about Caleb Downs. Peyton Pierce: fine rotational piece, not a starter. Looks lost processing. Got bodied by a back on a QB run for a first down; failed to pick up a crosser vs. Illinois and ran into his own man. Rob wants Pettijohn and Alford as the Reese/Styles types, Allegro in the mix. Garrison: top three are Pettijohn, Allegro, and Alford; Pierce and Pettijohn are sharing a spot. Pierce is physical by reputation and it is not clicking. Long season — they will need him. Young WRs: Brock Boyd physical and a blocker; Rob wants more Chris Henry Jr. Garrison does not buy Caden Dixon as the better prospect. Dixon is WR1 at USC because they needed a freshman. Henry’s ceiling is higher; Boyd may be the more complete route-runner right now. With Smith on the field, a third (or two-thirds) of the throws are not going to the freshmen. Snap-count argument: Texas, defense was on the field for 61 second-half snaps (41 in the fourth). Illinois, 15 per quarter in the first half, then 30 in the third. Offense eventually moved it, but the defense was tired. Rob: Day cannot copy last year’s “get to 20–23 and call it” script. This defense is not that defense. Need about 34 points a game. Garrison: expected a top-15 to top-20 unit with 51 new players; still a high ceiling. Top 10 in points allowed. Yards are fine if points stay down. Bo Jackson discourse: Garrison plays a clip of Bo running hard and making people miss. Longest run of the year is vs. Ball State; so is Ja’Kobi’s. RB1 talk and Legend Bey talk are noise. Expectations are chain-moving, not home-run backs. Rob: run game was the best of the year, better than Texas, Ball State, and Illinois. Red zone is still the problem — three of four first-half red-zone trips, only 10 points. Ja’Kobi is the power back they need; Bo is the better all-around and perimeter/swing piece and can bounce it (did it vs. Texas). Garrison agrees on roles. Preseason bet was both top backs at 5.3 and 6.2 YPC by Week 5; they are in that neighborhood. Clip: 23:18–24:44 — Smith vs. DeVonta’s Heisman pace, “never being broken.” Clip: 25:33–27:10 — Pierce is a rotation player, not a starter. Clip: 32:52–34:36 — Defensive snap counts, Texas vs. Illinois, cannot live on 20 points. Segment 5 — Michigan, USC, close (41:20–55:28) Michigan is the second-worst scoring offense in the Big Ten, ahead of only Michigan State. Bryce Underwood’s UTEP game was empty calories. Iowa’s defense is not the old Iowa defense. Minnesota was the tell. Garrison had flagged the four-game stretch all summer: at Iowa, Minnesota, bye, Penn State, Indiana. Wolverine fans called him crazy and dared him to pick Minnesota. He still leaned Michigan but said it was not the cupcake they thought. Sam (College Football with Sam) and Isaiah Hull picked Minnesota in the offseason; Hull flipped before kickoff. Coaching problem: Big 12 / Pac-12 “physical” does not travel to the Big Ten. OC is catching blame for a quarterback who cannot push the ball. No run game because nobody respects the passer — staff included. Marshall and Haynes are not better than Bo or Ja’Kobi. Rob: Underwood got by as the best athlete in Michigan high school football and did not have to win with his arm. Fourth-and-5 vs. Minnesota he threw it into the stands with a tight end wide open over the middle. Also missed Andrew Marsh and threw a pick. Garrison: NIL money means you cannot coach him. Captain as a sophomore is not an excuse — Day’s first year had a true sophomore QB with no college starts, a mediocre run game that became a 2,000-yard back plus an 800-yard complement, and he flipped the worst defense in school history into No. 1 the next year. USC on the road does not scare Garrison. Defense is soft. Offense is real and will be the best OSU has seen since Texas. He trusts OSU to get a stop before he trusts USC. Lincoln Riley as an OC propped up by NIL. No culture. Lanning line: win games at Oregon, Chris Brown concerts at USC. Rob’s close: keep the second-half Iowa offense. National title is still a “we’ll see.” Patricia has to manufacture pressure; this front is not full of natural rushers. Kenyatta is not a Ben-type. Oregon, USC, Indiana, and a Miami-type playoff offense will test that. Next: Maryland, another possible 200-yard Smith game and the 1,000-yard season mark. Then at Indiana, th

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 389 — Iowa Week OhioStateVOCFB | Host: Mark Rogers Guests: Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts 247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Insiders), Cory Brada (Hawkeye of the Storm) Presented by FanDuel Intro / setup (0:00–1:40) Business-like 42-19 win over Illinois in the Big Ten opener. Next: road game at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. CBS. Steve hasn’t been to Kinnick since 2017 (Iowa blowout). Oregon and Indiana both escaped Iowa last year with single-digit wins. Iowa is 4-0 after beating Michigan. Jeremiah Smith’s career day vs Illinois (1:40–9:20) 12 catches, 217 yards, 4 TDs. Career highs in all three. Set receiving yards record the week before vs Kent State; one TD catch from tying the program record (Chris Olave). Catches of every type: juke-and-score vs a lone safety, toe-tap in the corner that survived replay, etc. Ohio State scored TDs on four of first five possessions. Fourth straight game with a TD in the final 15 seconds of the half — this time Julian Sayin scrambled left and dove at the pylon. Sayin’s first half: 3 passing TDs + rushing TD, 270 yards. Final: 27-of-36, 367 yards (second-highest of his career). Who else is catching the ball? (9:20–17:20) 16 of 36 targets went to Smith (12 catches). Others: Nate Roberts 4/36 (20-yard seam before half), Devin McEwen 4/34 (dropped a 25-yard 3rd-down ball), Bo Jackson 3/16, Phillip Bell 1/23, Brock Boyd 1/22, Chris Henry Jr. 1/15, Hunter Welsing 1/4. Brandon Inniss: 0 targets, 0 catches. Philip Bell, Brock Boyd, Chris Henry Jr. played similar snap counts. Kyle Parker (LSU transfer) getting closer to debut; Legend Bey still earning trust / no snaps vs Illinois. Concern heading to Iowa: Texas took Smith away in the second half. If Iowa does the same, who steps up? Running game still lacks explosives (nothing over 20 yards for third straight game). Jacoby Jackson 10-56, Bo Jackson 11-53, Sayin 7-29 (no sacks). Defense vs Illinois / “hero ball” (17:20–19:00) Kenyatta Jackson Jr.: guys playing hero ball, overrunning plays, leaving gaps. Allowed Illinois some TDs they shouldn’t have. Still a 23-point win. Didn’t cover the huge number. Ohio State up to No. 5 in AP after Ole Miss loss and Indiana’s mediocre showing. Cory Brada joins — Iowa-Michigan + Kinnick preview (19:00–45:00) Iowa beat Michigan 20-19. First-half TD was a kickoff return; both offensive TDs came in the fourth (both to Reece Vander Zee). Michigan unsportsmanlike (No. 10, three steps out of bounds) on their own sideline after Tony Diaz’s “candy store” man coverage comment. Put Iowa in scoring position. Iowa “bounces” this year after last year’s close losses (Oregon rain dime, Iowa State deflection, USC feet, two-point toes). 2017 parallel: Imani Hooker pick-six on the first play, Nate Stanley career game, TEs Fant/Hockenson, Nick Bosa targeting, 31-point loss for an 18.5-point favorite. Loudest pop Tyler Kluver remembers. Iowa defense is a “no-name” reload (only Zach Luttmer on Phil Steele All-Big Ten teams) but Phil Parker system stays the same: assignment football, limit explosives (goal: two or fewer; Michigan had six). Secondary: Deshaun Lee (veteran, Michigan avoided him), Jalen Watson, Jacob Wallace (cash), Tyler Brown (first real start vs real competition, got exposed, availability TBD — likely Hawkins if out). Iowa TEs historically hurt Ohio State (Marv Cook 1987 4th-and-29, 2013, 2017). DJ Vonnahme + Addison Ostrenga already making plays. Iowa run game poor vs Iowa State and Michigan; good vs non-Power 4. Special teams elite (punt pinning, kick return TD). Iowa often takes the ball first in Big Ten play (analytics + Don Patterson). Opportunity for an early momentum swing if they kick off. Matchup / scheme talk (45:00–59:00) Ohio State offense: one-man show until proven otherwise. Comfortable going station-to-station / long drives (19-play, 96-yard example vs Illinois). Need 3rd-down conversions. Sayin in the pocket vs rollouts (Michigan had success moving Underwood). Can Iowa generate any rush without overcommitting vs his legs? Ohio State defense: X’s and O’s people at Buckeye Insiders concerned about Matt Patricia scheme, not just “hero ball.” Illinois had 7–8 runs of 10+ and 7–8 passes of 15+. Iowa special teams advantage is real. Ohio State has the higher ceiling (Sayin-to-Smith from anywhere). Score / line thoughts (53:00–end) Line: Ohio State -13.5, total 45.5. FanDuel implied around 30-16. Mark/Steve: not buying a two-score road win as a lock. Expect something closer to 27-17 / single digits. A 13-point win at Kinnick would feel like the Illinois blowout in terms of dominance. Advice to Buckeye fans: take Iowa + the points; if Ohio State covers, you still got the W. Ohio State is the better team even if they lose. Flaws are fixable; they should still contend for the Big Ten and beyond. Housekeeping / where to find more Tony: BuckeyeInsiders.com — Day / Sayin / Kenyatta Jackson updates, scheme videos, Buckeye Weekly pod on why Legend Bey and Kari Wilder aren’t playing more. Steve: Bucknuts X’s and O’s (Mark Porter video), possible two-minute drill breakdown after talking to Brian Hartline. Next Buckeyes Live: Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime LIVE 104 Presented by FanDuel Hosts: Garrison Gaddy, Denzel Jones, Riley Burnett OhioStateVOCFB Theme: Recap of Ohio State’s win over Illinois + preview of Saturday’s trip to Kinnick Stadium vs. Iowa. Line: Ohio State -13.5 (down from -14.5). Kickoff 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Illinois Recap — Tale of Two Halves (00:01:28) Riley: Game felt like two different halves. Jeremiah Smith had a monster night (career highs in receptions, yards, TDs — 210+ yards, 4 scores). Positive shoutouts: TJ Alford — ~33 snaps, did the little things right. Similar to his Week 1 PFF grade. Defense needs to get back to basics. Peyton Pierce still playing ~50 snaps. Concerns: Devin Sanchez — fine first half, sloppy second half. High ceiling, not his best game. The TD they thought he gave up wasn’t on him (per Zach Smith film); communication / early pass-off. Secondary miscues still showing up even when Ohio State is up multiple scores. Riley compared it to the Oregon game two years ago — five minutes of sloppy communication can flip a game. Garrison: Defense has to clean up communication before late-season games. Winning 2-1 now; time to move on. Iowa Preview — First Trip to Kinnick Since 2017 (00:06:16) Ohio State last played at Iowa in 2017 (Urban Meyer’s 55-24 loss). Garrison still hasn’t watched that game. Iowa coming off an emotional 91-yard game-winning drive at Michigan. Hosts played the KRUI student radio call of the TD (“Iowa has your back”) and praised the raw emotion. Early thoughts on the matchup: Riley / Denzel: Ugly first half, then the game opens up. Score projection in the 30-something to 14 range. Iowa will try to make it ugly (similar to Michigan). Ohio State needs a highlight play (Jeremiah fade, etc.) to flip momentum. Must be firing on all cylinders early so they don’t get stuck in a grind. How Should Ohio State Attack Iowa? (00:11:53) Garrison: Iowa’s OL isn’t great; Michigan ran on them and got zero pass rush on Bryce Underwood. Should Ohio State lean run or keep spreading it? Riley: Mix heavier personnel early, add tempo to keep Iowa’s defense on its heels. Iowa is a top-10 defense (only 3 TDs allowed all year) but still need to keep them tired. Denzel: Throw the ball. When Ohio State abandons what works (see Michigan run-heavy games), they look terrible. Arthur Smith has called a nice balance. Target Jeremiah as much as possible; get more to Brandon Inniss (sure hands, 8-for-8). Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd have the most juice. Dev McKeon has dropped important first-down balls. Garrison pushback: Fans wanted Jeremiah 10–15 touches. Smith is scheming him open and Julian Sayin is delivering. Don’t get mad that the best player in college football is getting the ball. Young WRs: Chris Henry Jr. — slant last week + excellent blocking. Brock Boyd — “white lightning” speed + downfield blocking. Hosts called Henry and Boyd the two best blocking WRs on the team. Dead Air Sports stat (Tyler): When Ohio State throws on first down they average 14 yards per play, 86% completion, 798 yards, 8 TDs. Garrison: “That’s air raid.” If Underwood can throw for nearly 300 on Iowa, Sayin better exceed it. Riley on first-down passing: Completing 9 yards on first down keeps the defense on the field and sets up shot plays / Bo Jackson chunk runs later. RB room debate: Denzel wants more Isaiah West carries to see if the hype is real (only ~2 carries/game). Also wants more Jacoby (harder runner, broke tackles last week) than Bo Jackson this week. Riley: Against Iowa’s strength in the middle of the field, Bo’s ability to bounce and run away from traffic (see last year’s Michigan game) still matters. Take what they give. Consensus: Balance. Whatever works. Just don’t let it stay close into the second half. Defense vs. Iowa Offense (00:23:08) Iowa ranked 3rd in Big Ten total offense — but schedule was weak until Michigan. WRs: Reese Van Der Zee, Tony Diaz (247 yards), Van Steenbergen. Tight ends are good. Hank Brown sacked only once this year. Kerry Wilder discussion: Garrison’s source: Wilder struggled reading / understanding playbooks in high school. Ryan Day wanted him as a third-down starter. 12 snaps last week, 4 pressures. Riley: Derrick Henry also couldn’t read playbooks early. Coachability + instinct matter more. Give him more snaps. Denzel: Tired of sitting him. He had two cupcake games (Ball State, Kent State) to learn on film. DN isn’t safety — “set the edge or rush the passer.” He’s producing more pressure than anyone else. DL effort / tackling: Garrison’s three non-negotiables: effort, tackling, knowing your whereabouts. Ohio State struggling in all three. Preferred DL look: Kenyatta Jackson, John Walker III, Jason Moore, rotate the other DE. Wilder as first DT off the bench — can play any spot on the line. Kenyatta (5th year) looks passive; supposed to feast on Kent State / Ball State. Linebackers: Alford’s PFF grade looks good; Garrison thought run fits were just okay, coverage better. Need Alford + Pettyjohn together for 40+ snaps to see if the combo works. Pierce “hugs” instead of blowing people up. Want linebackers flying 100 mph even if they’re wrong. Yards per play: Hosts thought the defense was mid-pack. Live check: 4.16 YPP, ranked ~27th (was listed 12th earlier). Garrison’s preseason guess was 15–20. Fine for a title run if tackling and effort show up against Indiana / Oregon later. Iowa scoring expectations: Denzel: Okay with 14 if they’re field goals, not explosives. No more “nobody over there” run fits or easy TDs. Riley: First Iowa drive may eat most of the first quarter and end in 3. After that they should be gassed if Ohio State keeps the ball. Garrison: Two turnovers, short fields, Ohio State 35–40 points. Iowa 13 (one fluky TD, maybe off a tip). 37–13 lean. If Iowa scores 20, “different conversation” about Matt Patricia and the defense. Who Needs to Step Up the Rest of the Season? (00:42:17) Offense Riley: Dev McKeon — hands inconsistent, not getting open, blocking not notable. Ceiling is higher. Possible “deer in headlights” since Texas. Denzel: Entire RB room. Need one guy (West, Jacoby, or Bo) to consistently hit 100 yards and a 25-yarder. Garrison: Tight ends as a group (D+). Nate Roberts showed life / hands; blocking still a problem (can’t even block safeties on outside zone). Another receiving TE would help Sayin’s checkdowns. Defense — emerging stars Denzel: Alford + Pettyjohn starting together. Riley: Jason Moore (20+ snaps last week) — can slow Big Ten run games. Garrison: Devin Sanchez. Most talented in the DB room (6-2, long, track athlete). Jermaine Matthews has been more consistent so far. Sanchez has dropped INTs and taken back-to-back DPIs. Expect the talent to show in the second half of the season. Also wants more from Jalen McClain. Coordinator Watch (00:53:46) Riley gives Arthur Smith the edge right now. First-down passing numbers are elite (still 9.5+ YPP at Texas). Wants the old flood / 10-yard out concept back for McKeon (Carnell Tate used to live on it). Garrison notes Carnell Tate made an NFL 53-man roster (surprise to him). Jeremiah Smith / Bobby Hauck Joke (00:56:48) Smith is two TDs from Ohio State’s all-time receiving TD record. Illinois DC Bobby Hauck stepped down after the game. Hosts joked Smith made a grown man quit — memes were elite. Riley: Hauck didn’t call a terrible game; his corners just couldn’t cover Smith. Power Rankings Sidebar (00:58:43) Garrison has Iowa at No. 10 in his Week 4 rankings (neutral-field “who wins the game”). Denzel: Iowa should be 5–6. It’s not pretty football, but it’s Iowa football. After beating Michigan, Denzel says Iowa would beat Penn State right now on a neutral field. Chat mentioned 11-1 Iowa — hosts laughed it off. Score Predictions Riley / Denzel early: 30-something – 14 Garrison: 37–13 (or 35–40 for Ohio State, Iowa 13) Chat (Steve): 41–20 — hosts said 20 Iowa points would be a problem. Clip-Friendly Moments KRUI “Iowa has your back” radio call replay (~00:08:50) First-down passing stat / “that’s air raid” Brock Boyd “white lightning” + blocking praise Kerry Wilder playbook / snaps debate “If Iowa scores 20, different conversation” Jeremiah Smith made a DC resign Urban 2017 Iowa / “don’t give Zeke the ball” Michigan State bar story Close: Show airs Mondays 7 p.m. ET. Tuesdays = Mark Rogers Ohio State Buckeyes Live. Fridays = Ohio State Call-In Show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Postgame Live — Illinois OhioStateVOCFB | Garrison Gaddy & Denzel Jones Result: Ohio State 42, Illinois 19 (home) 0:00–1:17 — Open Sunday postgame after OSU’s home win over Illinois. Plug: vocfb.com / vocfb.com/shop. Jump straight to defense. Offense “we all kind of know what it was.” Defense is the conversation. 1:17–6:00 — Defense overview Stats they hammer: ~462 yards allowed, 19 points. 263 passing yards; 6.9 yards per pass (they note “good” is 7.2, so they held under that). 199 rushing yards, 6.0 YPC — ~7.5 YPC if you take sacks out. Garrison: “unacceptable.” Garrison cares more about points than yards, but 6 YPC “leads to something else.” Illinois credit: QB Caden Houser (Coastal Carolina / Michigan State / high school teammate of Eppie) was good. Dixon good; “number two receiver” also had a day. Tone: Denzel: defense “looked like trash.” Too many explosives. “You can win games, but you can’t win games against good teams with that many explosives.” Secondary looked much worse once Jay Timmons went out. Denzel: Timmons is the best DB on the team; one play he can really ding him on. 6:00–11:30 — Secondary / Devin Sanchez Mixed unit: good plays and bad plays from Sanchez, J. McClain, Timmons. Devin Sanchez sequence: two near-consecutive PIs, then a TD they pin on assignment/communication. Garrison: coming in talking All-America swagger, you have to know your assignment. No help in that area — “he should have just went back anyway.” Denzel: Sanchez “went brain dead” on the stop-route / hands / hips play. Jermaine Matthews: “great yesterday.” Pressed their best WR, followed him. Earl Little Jr.: playing like an All-American; name barely called = good. Jalen McClain: should be the QB of the secondary after three years of snaps. Still slipping some without Caleb Downs as the eraser. Made PBUs that saved him. Hauser missed a wide-open TD up the middle (McClain/Calhoun area). Cam Calhoun: Denzel did not like him as next man up — beat 3–5 times. If McClain doesn’t break up two balls, those are Calhoun busts. Denzel’s CB3: Dominic (not Calhoun). Practice vs. game player debate. Scheme note: Sanchez giving 6–8 yards of cushion. Denzel hates playing that far off. Garrison puts that on Matt Patricia / staff, not on Sanchez choosing it. Poll Garrison ran on X: Is this defense closer to the Texas game or the Illinois game? Denzel: more energy for Texas; Sanchez tighter vs Texas even with the TD allowed. 11:30–22:30 — Front seven, Patricia, rotations Linebackers Riley Pettyjohn: decent; “good plays / bad plays.” Early-season “running around making plays without knowing what they’re doing” look with Alford — full speed, but won’t fly vs big-time teams. Christian Allegro looked lost after a solid start to the year. Peyton Pierce: tired of seeing him. Out of position, going the wrong way on runs, lost confidence. Not just getting bullied anymore — assignment issues. Denzel’s LB plan: Pettyjohn never comes off. Rotate Allegro and TJ Alford. Pierce off the 70% snap share. D-line John Walker III: consistent, week in week out. James Smith: best game so far; solid. Edrick Houston: Denzel — “looks like trash.” Quay Russo: playing way too much, not setting the edge, missing a lot. “Lettuce” (effort/want-to) isn’t translating. Edges folded; middle “okay.” Denzel almost never uses “soft” — used it here. Prefers calling them soft over effortless (“if you’re not giving effort, get off”). Missed sacks / fly-by’s: Timmons missed a sack and got hurt on a rough angle; Russo didn’t hit the other edge. Patricia / coaching blame Garrison: Patricia did dial stuff up; guys flew at the QB and then flew off the screen. Won’t blame Patricia for missed tackles, Sanchez technique, or getting blown off the ball. Lazy to only blame the DC and skip position coaches + players. Denzel (D-line coach background): DC still owns rotation. Some blame has to hit Patricia. Both: Kerry Wilder should be in more. Every time he’s in, he gets pressure. Somebody (Larry Johnson / Day / Patricia) owns that. Source talk on Wilder (Garrison, via FaceTime / high school coach family tie): Struggles with the playbook / “the why,” always has. Freak athlete; hard to keep off the field. Can’t be a 265–270 DT at the next level; DE asks for more mentally. Staff won’t put him out down-to-down if they can’t trust him. Denzel: Kent State was the lab. Unlosable game — get him wrong reps, correct on film, take a step. Using “playbook” as an excuse at this level is on Johnson/Patricia. Kenyatta Jackson: hasn’t taken the step (Denzel wanted ~9.5–10 sacks; Garrison thought 12). NFL scouts (same source) thought he should have come out last year, sit 1–2 years in the league; draft stock likely doesn’t rise unless the rest of the year is huge. Would have gone before Caden Curry; Combine would have helped him. Curry’s production/hustle always showed even behind Sawyer/JTT. Garrison’s three non-negotiables on defense: whereabouts, tackling, effort. If juniors/seniors/5th-years won’t give effort, play the young ones: Zion Grady, Kerry Wilder, Eppie. Jason Moore: nobody starts over him except Walker III. Patricia-as-NFL-DC problem: small NFL roster, you know who plays. College depth + position coaches need to be told: find your best 4 / best 2 and only sit them for a breather. Would right personnel have stopped 500 yards? Denzel: Pettyjohn 70% + Pierce not at 70% kills a lot of those runs. D-line was soft on the edges (Russo). Alford got “turnt” in the A-gap on a run that was right there. 22:30–30:12 — Defense wrap Illinois is a real offense; 19 points isn’t a blowup in isolation. 462–500 yards is. Last year OSU 34–16. “On par” in score, not in yards. Secondary is still the best unit if it plays consistent high-level ball (Day’s QB word applied to DBs). 30:12–36:00 — Offense open: Jeremiah Smith Box they read: Jeremiah Smith: 12 rec, 217 yards, 4 TDs (all of Julian Sayin’s TDs). Julian Sayin: 27-of-36, 367 yards, 10.2 Y/A, 4 TDs. Jacoby Jackson: 10-56-1 TD. Bo Jackson: 11-53. Isaiah West: 2-15 and a 12-yarder; they want to talk him. Sayin rushing: 7-29-1 TD, 4.1 YPC, long of 8. Jeremiah: “From here on out, if it ain’t C.C. / Chris Carter, if it ain’t Orlando Pace, I don’t want to hear anybody else’s name” for OSU Mount Rushmore talk (Archie debate tabled; Garrison won’t put him over Eddie; second Heisman historical aside). Denzel: different than Marvin Harrison Jr. — high-point, body control, catch-point, toe-tap TD. “It just looks different.” Thankful he’s on this team. Route that “turned him completely around”; freeze-frame of the DB looking one way while Jeremiah looks at him like “where are you going?” Can you win big games as a one-WR show? Garrison: Saban/Julio comps get shut down — those Bama teams also had 1st-round RBs. OSU doesn’t. Stack the box and you still have to play what OSU wants… unless the other WRs come along. ~36:00–58:00 — Rest of offense / “kid gloves” (middle of show is Jeremiah film + supporting cast) 51 new players. Garrison handling the roster with kid gloves through the first month / first third. Championship standard is November, not Week 4. Just get better. After Jeremiah: Brandon Inniss, Kyle Parker (still somewhat injured), Devin McEwen, Phillip Bell (excited about development; likes him on punt return — “stop letting the ball bounce”). Then straight freshmen. Guilford (Fort Wayne kid, Denzel soft spot). Need Brock Boyd and Chris Herron Jr. to come along. Someone disagreed; Garrison doubled down. Kid gloves coming off: Iowa next. 58:00–59:40 — Illinois context / close OSU game Some overreaction to 19 points. Illinois had a plan. Brett Bielema’s O-line is his calling card; Illinois a likely 8-win team. Defense looked like hot garbage at times, then “got together when they needed to.” Yards still the problem. 59:40–1:06:10 — Iowa 37, Michigan 31 (the “best game”) Garrison’s dad after the final: “I am so happy right now. I hate them so much.” Late drive, push-out-of-bounds penalty, clock, injury stoppage. Zeke Berry: “buffoon” for shoving a player already out of bounds — no reason. Michigan run game not good; neither back averaging 50+ rush YPG. Jacoby Jackson has more rush yards than both. Bryce Underwood: best game of his career; don’t put the loss on him. Last TD (escape + create) looked real. Development bump. The walk-away from the QB coach: both hated the attitude (“get out of my face”). Authority/respect rant — $12M NIL, still a “broke boy on that field” vs the coach they brought in for him. Sidearm screen that should have been a first down; inch left and it’s a pick-six. Don’t cape him because of Jason Beck’s play-calling on that snap. Last 91-yard Iowa drive: “how much had to go wrong” (Ohio State–Texas energy). Injury to John Henry Daly stopped the clock; Michigan was about to run a different play that Garrison doesn’t think works. Feels bad for Daly (Achilles history, compensation injuries). Disgusting that some Wolverine fans blamed the loss on him. “I would have hobbled off.” Hank Brown / the throw and catch: money. 1:06:10–1:08:00 — Cam Coleman / Texas trolling Cam Coleman season: 12-208-4. Yesterday: 1-30. Hasn’t had over 61 yards in a game. “One A / one B with Jeremiah” talk is dead. Texas skill: mid except the RBs and LT. Ryan Wingo (Thorpe) and Coleman not that guy. Garrison asked if Coleman is better than Charlie Becker; people said he was crazy. “Looks like somebody over here knows ball.” Losing to Texas / blowing

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 388 — Illinois Week Voice of College Football | OhioStateVOCFB Mark Rogers, Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Insiders) Special guest: Sunny Verma (Locked On Illini) Aired Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET Show open / Kent State wrap 00:00–04:45 No more Ball State/Kent State. Big Ten opener Saturday at noon ET in Columbus vs. Illinois. Kent State recap in 15 seconds (Helwagen): Played a lot of guys, public mugging, crowd gone by third quarter. Veteran Columbus voice Dom Tiberi walking the press box saying “this is terrible.” Gerdeman: Only meaningful takeaways are the negatives. Starters out first half + one third-quarter drive. Ready for Big Ten football. Sayin 18-of-22 looks nice on paper, but: Missed a fourth-down throw that should have been completed Took a fourth-down sack in the red zone (“ball has to come out 100 times out of 100”) 1-of-8 on third down Cannot run it in the red zone or on third-and-short Defense: two field goals allowed in cupcake games; want more pass rush. Starters were 0-for-4 on third down vs. Kent State. Day on Tuesday: “You all saw the problem.” Tight-end blocking in C/D gaps is the likely allusion. Illinois situation: NIL, scheme, first three games 04:45–14:30 Sunny Verma on the Illini: Bielema publicly contrasted roster spend: Ohio State ~$48–54M range vs. Illinois ~$19–23M. Defense overhauled after Aaron Henry left for Notre Dame. New DC Bobby Houck (Montana HC) installing a 3-3-5 he has never coordinated at this level. Hire came after the portal closed — suggests 3-3-5 was not original Plan A. Entire starting DL from 2025 gone; replacements took better money elsewhere. Secondary mostly back (Matthew Bailey, Juice Clark, etc.). Week 1 UAB: defense poor, led Power 4 in missed tackles (~17). Still only 23 points allowed. Week 2 Duke: Illinois had a double-digit lead. Fake punt kept a Duke drive alive; offense stalled badly in the second half / fourth quarter (three-and-outs, conservative play-calling, Hauser mistakes under pressure). Defense actually better than Week 1. Week 3 Southern Illinois: similar to OSU-Kent State. Tackling improved (two hands on a guy and they went down). Little schematic takeaway. Offense is the strength. OL has been ravaged (ninth/tenth lineman used at one point; two freshman guards started last week; one starter out for the year). Still a pleasant surprise so far. Jake Renfro health is a concern. Illinois skill players 14:30–21:00 Colin Dixon, WR: Already owns the Illinois single-season home receiving TD record after three home games. Seven TDs. On a 28-TD pace. Connection with Hauser developed in the offseason. Third-year breakout after special-teams / blocking years (same path as Pat Bryant, Isaiah Williams). Other WRs: Jay Sean Platt (lower-level transfer) out since preseason, doubtful vs. OSU. Hudson Clement missed time. RBs: younger guys Braden Trimble, Javari Barnett stepping up. Front six: Will Holmes (No. 24, 24–25 years old) the only consistent positive impact; Week 1 MVP candidate. Name Buckeye fans should know. Caden Hauser vs. Luke Altmyer Different QBs. Hauser has a cannon (60-yard Hail Mary vs. UAB). Elite first-read processor; gets the ball out fast. Two sacks allowed in three games — some of those “should have been sacks” per OC Barry Lunney Jr.; Hauser still needs to elude better. Weakness: creating when the play breaks down (showed vs. Duke). Hasn’t played Big Ten defense in 3–4 years. Captain as a first-year transfer (Altmyer wasn’t even a captain as a junior). Bielema/Lunney have now hit on DeVito → Altmyer → Hauser. Fan patience, resources, Cignetti shadow 21:00–26:30 Illinois 19 wins last two years, but Duke loss already produced “fire Bielema” noise. Win-now NIL world. Bielema’s Media Day point: if Illinois is within a couple million of OSU/Michigan, let’s play. At a $25M gap you’re in different leagues inside the same conference. “Why can’t you be Indiana?” — give them Indiana’s money. Cignetti’s instant success is the worst thing that happened to Bielema’s narrative; Illinois rose from Lovie Smith basement but nobody noticed. AD Josh Whitman viewed as one of the best in the country and understands the resource gap. Bielema has fired coordinators after one year before (Tony Patterson → Lunney worked). Ohio State self-assessment after Texas 26:30–30:30 Sunny asks if perception of the Buckeyes changed after Austin. Helwagen: They looked like the No. 1 team for 40 minutes (20-3 half, 23-3 late third). Heat + inability to sustain drives killed the defense. Two surface issues that must be fixed or they don’t win the Big Ten or a title: Run the ball when they want/need to. Pass rush (Arch Manning sat in the pocket and picked them apart in Q4). Gerdeman: Preseason thought this could be 9-3 and still a playoff team because of the schedule. That hasn’t changed. One quarter flipped the “best team in the country” conversation into nitpicking. Fine margins. Jeremiah Smith 30:30–37:00 Consensus: best Ohio State receiver of the last 40 years, not just the last decade. Mount Rushmore starts with him. Broke career receiving yards record in 33 games. Produced from Day 1 as a freshman (rare; Boston, maybe Carter). Will own yards, TDs, and receptions records. Close on the last two. Didn’t play the second half of either MAAC game. 5-85 vs. Kent State in one half. Slight criticism (Gerdeman): catch the ball with two hands sometimes (the Texas third-down one-hand attempt in Q4). Team is better when they play off him rather than force-feeding him. Still haven’t found the complementary receivers for Sayin. Two years of eligibility left; driven enough he could theoretically return, but first-round (top 3–4) lock. Line and last-year tape 37:00–41:20 Spread: Ohio State –27.5. Total 53.5. Implied ~41–13 / 40–13. Last year in Champaign: OSU won by 18, jumped on Illinois early (~20-3 half), Bielema furious walking off. Muffed punt / bad snaps. Score closer than the game. Only 4–5 Illinois starters return. Verma: Illinois offense can get to 20. Question is whether OSU keeps the pedal down if up multiple scores late third/early fourth. Counter: 20 would be the first time an offense has done it against Matt Patricia this year. OSU still the only team in the country that has not allowed a 30-yard play from scrimmage (Texas was death by 8–10 yard cuts). Ryan Day Tuesday availability (Helwagen/Gerdeman recap) 41:20–48:00 Day was frank (“those are just the facts”). Offense frustrations: Sayin still not connecting eyes / finishing details after 14–17 starts. Running backs: longest run last two games an 18-yarder vs. Texas. Home-run threat missing after Ball State. Tight-end blocking so poor they put backup guard No. 81 on the field; Buckeye Nation panicked. C/D gap issues. OL “okay.” Success rate and efficiency high while starters were in vs. Kent State; they just didn’t hit explosives. Day: backs seeing a hole and not running angry enough — bounce vs. shoulder vs. run the guy over. Jacoby Jackson running harder than Bo Jackson and Isaiah West. Expect the angriest runner to get the snaps this week. Injury reports start this week (Big Ten). Red zone: 2-of-5 TDs vs. Texas (4-of-5 scoring including FGs, failed fourth down). Must improve. Suggestion: leave Jeremiah Smith on the field inside the 10 even on run plays. Arthur Smith (OC): some message-board heat after three games. Panel not ready to call him a disappointment. Still learning what this personnel can/can’t do despite spring + fall camp. Grade roughly a B. Execution is the limiter; only Jeremiah has clearly earned an A. Historical scoring note / close 48:00–end 23 points vs. Texas = same total as 2019 Clemson loss. Moving the ball, not punching it in. Historic OSU “get to 24 and you almost never lose” stat. James Laurinaitis ringing the Victory Bell then coaching from the sideline — logistics joke. Line recap again. Watch what Luke Fickell / late-game script does if the game is in hand (hand-offs vs. let Fickell’s guys throw?). Promos: BuckeyeInsiders.com (Gerdeman recaps + X’s and O’s), Bucknuts (Garrett Codge recruiting notes from Saturday’s visitors), Locked On Illini daily (Verma). Where to find Sunny Verma Locked On Illini (6 days/week), On3, Roundtable Illinois page, social @TheSonnyV. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ohio State Primetime LIVE 103 — Illibuck Week & Needed Changes Presented by FanDuel | Hosts: Garrison Gaddy & Riley Burnett OhioStateVOCFB Denzel out (under the weather) Intro / Weekend (00:00–01:12) Welcome to Ohio State Primetime Live. Denzel not on the show; send well wishes. Riley’s weekend: watched a lot of football (college Saturday, NFL Sunday), prepped high school football coverage. Kent State postgame — what they liked / didn’t (01:12–03:36) Liked First four drives looked great. Tempo, composure, “chill” offense. Riley wasn’t stressing. Didn’t like Next two drives: failed two fourth-down conversions. Defense was fine vs. Kent State (QB-driven game plan didn’t materialize). Peyton Pierce Worst PFF grade on defense. Riley: trying to be a field-general/Luke Kuechly-type reader of offenses, but lacks the physicality and aggressiveness that match that IQ. Becoming a “major problem.” Riley Pettyjohn looked great again (most snaps this year). TJ Alford doing the right things. Serious film-room conversations coming as conference play starts. Garrison: “Everything you said is completely correct.” Jeremiah Smith — record, growth, Heisman, “supremacy game” (03:49–10:55) Smith broke Michael Jenkins’ Ohio State receiving yards record (held ~22–23 years) in two years + three games. Riley: bittersweet — “we’re gonna blink and Jeremiah’s not going to be there anymore.” Hardest worker on the team (Ryan Day and past coaches). Work ethic, not just star rating. Garrison flashback: pre-practice interview — Smith asked if he’d be fine starting; response was essentially “why can’t I?” Heisman: still in the mix (Garrison notes Kamario Taylor jumping). Vegas still has him on pace. Where is Jeremiah’s “supremacy game”? Possible: Oregon (he’s scored vs. them both times as a freshman; “team he claims he hates the most”). Indiana (revenge; he was still the X-factor in last year’s loss). Riley’s lean: last game of the season vs. Michigan in the Shoe. Last time they walked into Columbus they took care of Ohio State. Garrison’s projection (law of averages, ~5 rec/game, 1 TD/game): records likely fall somewhere between at Indiana and vs. Oregon at home. USC also a candidate given how they bracketed KJ Duff. Current: 19 receptions, 5 TDs. Watch USC-Rutgers tape for how they covered Duff — expect 110% of that vs. Smith, but Ohio State should have more complementary weapons by then. Luke Fahey / QB room / 2027 outlook (11:04–16:17) Garrison liked Fahey’s HS tape: gamer, good thrower, held up vs. California competition. Ohio State had no QB in that class; they viewed him as Buckeye material (project, like Tavian or Lincoln Kienholz). From what they’ve seen (spring + limited in-season reps): Fahey has looked better than Tavian at every step. Three-star taking the No. 2 role — not just a tactic to light a fire under Tavian. “There was a fire under Luke Fahey and it’s starting to show.” High IQ, field-general traits fit the offense; arm talent standing out more than expected. 100+ passing yards vs. Kent State. Chris Henry Jr. nice hitch-route TD (length/strides cover ground; body work showing). Chat: Aaron wants a portal QB next year; Steve says QB1 (Julian Sayin) is returning. Garrison agrees Sayin is likely back for senior year. If Sayin leaves: they should still go portal. Not because Fahey/Tavian can’t be ready, but to create competition or bring in a solidified guy. Hypothetical: if a JKS-type is in the portal, Day’s job is to get him. Team identity heading into Big Ten — what they need (16:18–19:12) Riley’s big picture: Both sides must settle on an identity. Can’t live on Jeremiah bailing them out of 3rd-and-medium/long all conference. Can’t keep rolling the dice then asking a just-off-the-field defense for another stop. Get complementary pieces going for four quarters: Devin McEwen — recapture Week 1 usage. Brandon Ennis — always targeted early (first 1–2 drives), then disappears. Need him throughout. Huge underneath/red-zone threat (short crossers, shallow routes). Exhibit A: wide open vs. Kent State when Sayin didn’t take the easy look (or the run lane). OL must protect and run-block for four quarters. Defense: Earl Little Jr. loved; want more from Jalen McClain and Devin Sanchez (inconsistent). Finding identity + comfort in conference play. Defense specifics — PFF, Jason Moore, Kari Wilder, rotation (19:12–22:29) PFF: Tarvis / Riley Pettyjohn 1–2 (90 and 90.5). Jermaine Matthews playing well. Jay Timmons “talk of the town.” Jason Moore (top-100 DT recruit): flashes last year; two straight games of better tape, more reps vs. Kent State. Has he earned starting reps? Riley: he never got the same developmental snaps others did. If they need multiple stops, fresh Moore (and Kari Wilder) matter. Kari Wilder snap count: Garrison relays Day’s postgame comment — they have him as a starter on third-down packages. Kent State only had those situations in Q1 and Q4, which is when he played. Goal is for him to own that role, then expand. Patricia versatility / nickel on 3rd down changes the look and gets more of those “workability” guys snaps. Garrison’s full OOC report card / needed changes (22:29–30:16) Overall: Ohio State is in a good spot. Texas exposed weaknesses early; fans expected them all fixed in one week. “We’re greedy.” Offense Don’t need a true WR2 — need guys who do their jobs. Brock Boyd most WR snaps last week, then Chris Henry Jr. (getting them ready with Kyle Parker out). Tight end room “has to get better overall… they’ve been bad.” No. 1 offensive success rate in the country. Sayin over-critiqued (worse than Kyle McCord treatment; some would give Devin Brown more leeway). Still things to fix: two Kent State plays where he had a run lane / Ennis wide open and didn’t take them. Short-yardage / critical runs: ball in Bo Jackson’s hands. Jacoby Jackson averaging 7 YPC and has been good, but if he’s in and doesn’t get it, you wonder if Bo would have. Defense Healthy LB rotation: Pettyjohn starter no matter what. Tarvis and Christian Allegretti rotate. Pierce rotates in when needed — “get his ish together.” Mind and body not on the same wavelength (late to the play, missing tackles). Captain, respected, has the IQ; body has to catch up or he’s not playable. DL pecking order Garrison’s leaning: John Walker III, Edrick, Jason Moore (back and forth), Will Smith, Jameer Perez. James Smith falling off — talent, hasn’t put it together. DBs: individually good flashes; need it as a unit consistently. Closest to flawless: Jay Timmons and Earl Little Jr. Want Patricia to dial up more pressure (Riley: send the nickel on a blitz occasionally). Illinois isn’t the measuring stick, but it’s a rivalry, Big Ten opener in the Shoe. Want a good product. Perspective tweet after Kent State: watching other teams keeps him from overreacting. Indiana slow-started vs. WKU then blew them out; USC gave up 35 to Rutgers; Oregon vs. cupcake; Michigan ugly first half. Ohio State takes care of lesser teams; Texas 4Q collapse is the exception. AP Poll rant (32:25–37:26) Ohio State drops 1 → 6 after 1-point road loss at Texas. LSU drops only 3 after losing to Ole Miss. Confusing. Too easy to just say “SEC bias.” Rankings don’t mean much this early. Look at the schedules of teams ahead of them. Shocked USC held after the Rutgers performance. Penn State creeping up. Louisville jumped 7 — shoutout Lincoln Kienholz / Brohm. Florida still favored over Ole Miss this week. Iowa 17th, just ahead of Michigan (they play in Ann Arbor). Texas A&M still ranked — Garrison doesn’t know what Marcel Reed is doing. Last year’s late-season turnover binge (12–13 in final 5) turned him off; those issues showed up again. Smaller than Sayin, limited arm. Louisville defense has kinks; interesting close to the year vs. Kentucky (Governor’s Cup). Illibuck preview — Ohio State vs. Illinois (38:09–46:06) Noon, Big Noon Kickoff, Illibuck Trophy in Columbus. Garrison not thrilled about the window; it’s Ohio State + rivalry. Riley’s keys Last year they used width/perimeter well (Carnell Tate, Bo, Jeremiah). Need that mentality again. Chris Henry Jr. can take it in space. Establish the run first so Illinois packs the box, then get outside. Starts on the first drive. OL has to win inside-out. Illinois personnel QB Caden Houser (ex-Michigan State — “QB factory that ships them out”). 758 yards, 74.1%, 8 TD / 2 INT. RBs Valentine & Laurie: 177 and 159 yards, 4.7 and 7.2 YPC. Decent year. Limited receiving threats. Second-best offense Ohio State has seen after Texas. Bielema wants to run and play-action. Houser can move. They’ll study Texas film for the 5–7 yard gashing runs. Expectations Garrison: should be a rout. Something like 40–10. Anything less is a disappointment given what both teams have shown. Comfortable scores they floated: 38–6, 42–6, 42–10. Hold them to two field goals. Uncomfortable: 14+ points allowed, especially if Illinois stays on schedule with 5–6 yard first-down runs and converts 3rd-and-short. Spread ~27.5 — they should cover easily; four touchdowns better. Linebackers will be tested more than any other group (stuff run, then keep pressure on Houser so he can’t live on easy completions). Week 4 FanDuel best bets (Garrison 4-for-6 last week) (46:06–53:04) Texas vs. Tennessee — UNDER 55.5 Both want to run. Tennessee leading SEC in rushing; true freshman QB playing well. Texas needs to run to settle Arch. Clock should tick. Riley agrees (Tennessee less sideline-to-sideline this year). Virginia Tech –14.5 vs. Boston College BC “sucks,” no Mali

Ohio State 59-3 Kent State — Post Game LIVE OhioStateVOCFB | Garrison Gaddy & Denzel Jones Intro (0:32) Welcome to Ohio State Post Game Live. Garrison under the weather / off-camera. Plug for likes, subs, vocfb.com. Setup: “storied rivalry” with Kent State. Final: 59-3. Hot first quarter, slower second, adjustments and scoring in second half. Overall impressions (1:25–2:40) Denzel: First three offensive drives looked scripted and sharp — ball spread, mix of run/pass, not just Jeremiah Smith. Defense: still mad Wilder and Pettyjohn weren’t starting; those adjustments should already have been made. Otherwise “not much you can take from this game.” Garrison: Agrees. You want to see younger guys and incremental improvement, but this isn’t a measuring-stick win. Same logic applies to the negatives — don’t overreact to missed throws either. Julian Sayin / passing game (2:40–3:35, 8:40–10:10) Fans on social media ripping Sayin. Garrison: he missed four throws. Final line they cite: 241 yards, 11.0 YPA, 2 TD, 0 INT. Denzel: “not enough for me to cry and moan.” Played well. Critique: two consecutive red-zone plays inside the 10 (3rd-and-4 / 4th-and-4). OL opened a lane; Sayin missed an open receiver and didn’t take the run. Garrison tweeted that Ryan Day should have been in his ear. Sayin showed willingness to run vs Texas and Ball State — needs that awareness when the lane is there. Running backs (3:35–5:50) Bo Jackson: 11-73, 6.6 YPC, 1 TD. Jacoby Jackson: 8-47, 5.9 YPC, 2 TD. Both hosts liked the vision/weaving through traffic. Isaiah West: Walk-in TD look where everyone blocked; West ran to get tackled instead of finishing. Disappointing given offseason hype and first-team reps. Talent/power is there; “needs to put it together.” Kent State — lower the shoulder or make someone miss. Consensus: holes are often there; RBs have to hit them harder or create. Short-yardage issues more on backs than OL. Offensive line (5:50–8:20, 26:20–28:20) Looked fine. One sack — “boo-hoo.” Gabe Van Sickle (Coopersville, MI — Garrison hometown): solid. Looked better than last time out. Garrison has heard the “can he start?” talk from high-school coaches. Younger guys getting in was encouraging. Short-yardage still a problem; Day harped on it. Denzel thinks it gets fixed and is more on RB reads/finishing than OL. Tyler Bowen: solid second year, recruiting well (Sam Greer film “crazy,” next class looks good). Development “solid, not great.” Neither host has OL as a top worry. Backs aren’t getting hit in the backfield; they’re missing holes or failing to make someone miss. Jeremiah Smith record (10:30–12:20) Becomes Ohio State all-time receiving yards leader (needed 27 yards / 26 catches entering the game). Passed Michael Jenkins, Chris Olave, David Boston, Marvin Harrison Jr. territory, etc. Both thankful he stayed instead of Miami NIL buyout talk. Sad it’s his last year. Projection: he’ll hold every receiving record when he leaves. What-ifs: MHJ if he’d started as a freshman; JSN if healthy (hurt Notre Dame game, limited 2020). Other receivers (12:20–17:00) Chris Henry Jr.: Hitch, jukes two guys, gazelle speed. Day said they’re building confidence. Denzel annoyed he didn’t play more vs Texas — size/speed/red-zone mismatch with Smith. Wants him and JJ opposite sides in the red zone. 6-5/6-6 vs Smith’s 6-4 helps short-yardage/red-zone issues. Brock Boyd: 4 rec, 66 yards (longest 39). Route running, inside/outside, speed. Coming along. Brandon Inniss: 4-78-1 TD (49-yard). Energy up when involved. “He be open. He be catching.” More middle-of-field throws from Sayin = more Inniss. On pace for a solid year. Game flow better than Texas because everyone got touches early → better blocking and juice. Spread it, then isolate Smith. Defense (17:00–26:00) Not much to take vs Kent State, but: Secondary: Looks good. Jermaine “JT” Timmons (true freshman) — both ask if anyone on defense is playing better right now. Can play anywhere in the back end. Pedigree (dad). Earl Little close second. Sanchez graded differently until he faces Indiana/Oregon/USC again. Tackling improved vs Texas. Riley Pettyjohn: “The kid’s different.” Coverage PFF they cite as elite (9 vs Pierce’s 15 mentioned in chat). Want him starting with C.J. Hicks / Alfred over current starters. Christian Allegretti: Solid game, hits holes harder, more speed/length than Peyton Pierce. Still prefer the younger pair for higher ceiling. DT room ranking (Garrison, 3 weeks in): John Walker III 2–3. Jason Moore / Edrick Reese Then Will Smith, James Smith. Moore looks like it’s clicking after inconsistency last year. Texas tape was good. If he hits 60–80% of ceiling, DT room jumps. Jameer Perez (true freshman, Glenville/Cleveland, ~340): Scoop-and-score plus a spin-off-guard move. Fast/quick for size. Want him (and Walker) in goal-line packages after Texas got moved off the ball. Caden Wilder: Limited snaps. Day: he’s the third-down starter; they want him to “own that package” first. Played 1st and 4th quarters. Denzel annoyed — talent is obvious, most pressure per snap on the DL; live with the mistakes. If Bo Atkinson can play, Wilder can play more than just 3rd down. Use him inside (3-tech) or outside. Play-calling / Arthur Smith (29:20–30:20) First three series called well. Drag/go concept with Smith (similar to Washington last year) looked unstoppable. Why wasn’t that the 3rd/4th-down call vs Texas? Big Ten snapshot / perspective (30:20–38:00) USC 42-35 Rutgers — shootout possible; worry is OSU pass rush vs that offense. Secondary fine. Indiana blew out WKU after slow first half. Mendoza 18-24-273-2 TD; Richard 15-149; Charlie Becker 5-127-1 (top-5/10 WR in CFB per Garrison). Michigan 52-17 UTEP after 17-14 half. Underwood 19-25-223-2 TD + another fumble. Best RB game of year. Wildcat to get offense going = “laughable,” not worried. Garrison’s even-keel point: watching the rest of the conference puts OSU’s “problems” in perspective. Overreactions (especially on Sayin) are wild. Poll of “concern level 1–10 on Sayin” showed a lot of 7s–8s–10s. Sayin returning 2027: Garrison fine/happy. Denzel likes the offense but notes it backs up recruiting (Tavion gone, Fahey year 2, new commits Marcus / Brady Edmonds stacked). Bets / other scores (38:00–42:00) Garrison 2-for-3 on the card discussed: – Missed Smith over 125 yards. – Hit Chris Henry anytime TD (spectacular). – North Texas/Texas State 49-35 hit. – Minnesota -23.5 vs Akron hit. – SMU/Louisville over 58.5 hit. – Missed UTEP under 48.5 (Michigan second half). – MSU +29.5 vs Notre Dame hit (27-10; rain + Fitzgerald fight). Northwestern 41-7 Colorado. Chip Kelly “put Coach Prime’s squad in a blender.” Garrison had it as a lock. Aiden Chiles 17-22-241-3 TD. “Harvard of the Midwest.” RJ Day coming soon joke. Outro (42:00) Ohio State Primetime Live Mondays 7 p.m. ET with Garrison, Denzel, Riley. Like / share / subscribe. O-H-I-O. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.