3 Things To Watch From Ohio State vs. Ball State

Ohio State opens its season Saturday, Sept. 5, hosting Ball State at 12:30 p.m. in a game televised by The Big Ten Network that doubles as a celebration around Ohio Stadium — Senior Day has been moved up from its usual spot before the Michigan finale, legendary former Ohio State head coach and current Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel will be inducted into the stadium's Ring of Honor, and the Buckeyes' alumni band will be on hand.

But underneath the pageantry, the top-ranked Buckeyes have real business to attend to: get the ground game rolling, put Ball State's first-time starting quarterback through the wringer, and get extended run for the young and inexperienced players who will matter later in the season.

Establishing The Run Early

Ohio State's passing game barely needs an opener like this to prove itself. The run game is a different story. In the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami that ended the Buckeyes' 2025 season, Ohio State was held to negative rushing yardage in the first half, and the back who had carried the offense for most of the year, Bo Jackson, saw the ball only a handful of times.

Head coach Ryan Day has referenced that stretch repeatedly throughout preseason camp, and he's made it clear the priority this fall is a run game that can be trusted to close out games rather than abandoned when the Buckeyes fall behind schedule.

Jackson enters his sophomore season as the starter after a freshman year that saw him top 1,000 rushing yards — the third-most by any first-year back nationally last season. Day has praised Jackson's improved vision and his ability to finish runs through contact this preseason, framing it as the difference between a good freshman season and a foundational one.

Behind him, Ohio State has stacked the room with talent: Florida transfer Ja'Kobi Jackson, who ran for over 500 yards and seven touchdowns for the Gators in 2024, and second-year back Isaiah West, who flashed with more than 300 yards on limited carries as a freshman.

Then there's the freshman class. Five-star signee Legend Bey, whom Day has compared to Tyreek Hill for his explosiveness, and four-star Anthony "Turbo" Rogers, a top-100 recruit who redshirted in the 2025 season, both missed time in the spring with injuries but are expected to see the field early — especially in a game where Ohio State is heavily favored.

A Ball State defense that finished 4-8 last season is about as favorable a proving ground as the Buckeyes will get to establish tempo on the ground before Big Ten play begins.

Defense Keys On An Unproven Keldric Luster

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State's defense — again coordinated by Matt Patricia — is bracing for a Ball State attack led by a quarterback making his first career start.

Redshirt junior Keldric Luster was named the Cardinals' starter in late August after transferring in from Texas State, following earlier stops at SMU. He's a well-traveled prospect but a largely untested one: across three college seasons and nine game appearances, Luster has completed just 4 of 12 passes for 37 yards, with a modest 16 carries for 76 yards on the ground.

What Luster does offer is mobility and size — he's listed around 5-foot-10 and near 250 pounds — which gives Ball State coach Mike Uremovich a quarterback capable of extending plays and picking up yards with his legs even if the passing numbers haven't caught up yet.

That's precisely the profile Ohio State's defense will be drilled to shut down: contain the quarterback in the pocket, force him to beat the Buckeyes with his arm, and take away easy throws before he ever gets comfortable. With Ball State's leading rusher, TJ Horton, also in the backfield and receiver Donovan Hamilton back after 11 starts last season, the Cardinals aren't without weapons — but the game plan for Ohio State's defense starts and ends with making Luster's college debut as uncomfortable as possible.

Backups And Freshmen Expected To See Extended Snaps

Given the talent gap — Ohio State enters as the preseason No. 1 team in the country, while Ball State is coming off a losing season — this opener is expected to be lopsided enough that Day can rotate deep into his roster well before the fourth quarter; Ohio State is favored by the oddsmakers by 50 points.

That means meaningful reps for the young running backs mentioned above, but also depth pieces across the roster: backup quarterbacks Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey figure to get extended work behind starter Julian Sayin, and true freshmen up and down the two-deep should see live snaps that simply aren't available in a tighter game.

For an Ohio State program with a brutal schedule stretch ahead — a trip to Texas looms just one week later — the opener against Ball State is as much about developing depth and building live-game experience for newcomers as it is about the final score. Expect the starters to set the tone early, the ground game to get every opportunity to prove it has been fixed, and a steady stream of backups and true freshmen to close things out well before the final whistle.

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