Ohio State closes out first-half rout of Kent State with Hail Mary touchdown

No. 6 Ohio State shook off last week's tough loss to Texas by taking care of business against Kent State. In a 59-3 rout over the Golden Flashes, the Buckeyes took a 35-0 lead at halftime with a big Hail Mary touchdown in the final seconds of the first half.

After OSU's defense forced Kent State to turn the ball over on downs with less than 30 seconds remaining, the Buckeyes and starting quarterback Julian Sayin quickly went to work. Thanks to a roughing-the-passer call and a 15-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith, OSU ended up just past midfield with three seconds left on the clock.

Kent State's defense put pressure on Sayin after the snap, leading the quarterback to scramble into space. From there, he launched the ball toward the end zone; Inniss was there to pull down the ball, beating five Kent State defenders to give the Buckeyes another touchdown.

The score, as the clock hit zero, marked the Buckeyes' fifth touchdown of the first half. Ohio State added another touchdown early in the second half, taking advantage of a forced fumble to bring the score to 42-0.

With the game well in hand, head coach Ryan Day opted to pull many of his starters. Smith, who had broken the school's career receiving yards record earlier in the game, ended up on the bench shortly after halftime; Sayin joined him later in the third quarter.

With the second-stringers in, Ohio State wasn't quite as productive on offense, but still managed to score later in the half. Freshman QB Luke Fahey got picked off by Kent State in the end zone before the end of the third quarter, but made up for it with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Chris Henry Jr. on the Buckeyes' next drive.

The eight touchdowns in all gave OSU a 59-3 win , with Kent State breaking up the shutout with a field goal late in the fourth quarter. Still, the Buckeyes were able to cap off their non-conference schedule with a definitive victory.

Even against a lesser opponent, Ohio State's stats spoke for themselves: The Buckeyes racked up 527 total yards, including 382 passing yards from Sayin and Fahey, while allowing just 134 total yards from the Golden Flashes.