Ohio State 59-3 Kent State (Sep 19, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Kent State · Ohio State

Kent State1-23

No. 6 Ohio State2-159Final

Sat, Sep 19 · Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio · Crowd 100,009

No. 6 Ohio State routed Kent State 59-3.

We had Ohio State favored. It won.

Next: Kent State beat Ball State 26-13, Sat Sep 26

Next: Ohio State beat Illinois 42-19, Sat Sep 26

Top comment in the game thread

Hey Michigan, that’s what it looks like when there’s legal time on the clock for a Hail Mary touchdown

Q2 0:20 · r/CFB game thread · Sat, Sep 19

How it swung

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Ohio State a 99% chance, and the closing betting line (Ohio State was a 52.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.

Ohio State led by 21 after the first quarter and by 35 at the half.

75-yard TD pass

Ohio State · Q4 14:27Fumble return TD

Ohio State · Q4 14:19

FinalOhio State 59-3 Kent StateOhio State wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

No single play moved the chance by 20 points.

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q2 7:35Ohio State fans criticize Sayin after sack turnover on downsSayin what are you doing lmaor/CFB game thread
Q2 2:00Ohio State fans criticize Sayin after an incomplete pass causes a turnover on downsdoes Sayin have the yips?r/CFB game threadSayin...😭r/CFB game thread
Q2 0:20Sayin throws a Hail Mary touchdown to Inniss as the half endsQuoted at the top of the page.That hail mary didnt even need an extra second added to the clockr/CFB game thread
Q4 14:19The rare game where Al Michaels would have more energy calling it.r/CFB game threadWhy does Gus sound depressed everyone they score?r/CFB game thread

Ohio State’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Ohio State -52.5), at 100% for Ohio State (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Ohio State or Kent State flair (1,538 and 27); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Ohio State’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Ohio State scored on 8 of its 14 drives; Kent State on 1 of its 14.

Ohio State’s drives are teal, Kent State’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

“Didn’t even need an extra second”

A fan of another team

How fans reacted

Steady

The second quarter is when fans got loud.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was steady; the crowd was steady.

What it cost

Ohio State’s chance to make the playoff rose from 67% to 75%.

Make the playoff

Kent State · lost0% → 0%

Ohio State · won67% → ▲75%

Win the conference

Kent State · lost2% → 2%

Ohio State · won37% → ▲53%

Before the game (September 18, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Box score

Ohio State 59, Kent State 3

Ohio State covered −52.5 by 3.5. The total, 62, went over 58.5.

Team totals	Kent State	Ohio State
Total yards	134	527
Passing	8 of 21, 63 yds	22 of 28, 382 yds
Rushing	34 for 71 yds	38 for 145 yds
First downs	6	25
Third down	4 of 16	1 of 8
Fourth down	0 of 2	2 of 4
Turnovers	3	2
Penalties	13 for 100 yds	3 for 19 yds
Time of possession	29:39	30:21

Kent State leaders

Passing Dru Deshields 6 of 15, 35 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Brandon White 5 for 21 yds; Donovan Delaney 9 for 20 yds
Receiving Wayne Harris 2 for 29 yds; Da'Realyst Clark 1 for 14 yds

Ohio State leaders

Passing Julian Sayin 18 of 22, 241 yds, 2 TD
Rushing Bo Jackson 11 for 73 yds, 1 TD; Ja'Kobi Jackson 8 for 47 yds, 2 TD
Receiving Jeremiah Smith 5 for 85 yds; Brandon Inniss 4 for 78 yds, 1 TD

No rain and calm

71° at kickoff · 0.02 in of rain by radar over the stadium · wind 8 mph from the south-southeast, mostly at an angle to the field, gusts to 18

September game-day temperatures at Ohio Stadium

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

First quarter, 15:00 left12:12 p.m.

Kent State 0, Ohio State 0 · Ohio State 100% to win

no rain · wind 9 mph from the south, mostly along the field · 75°

Sayin 9-yd pass to Inniss

Where this weather comes from

Measured at Columbus/st Univ airport, 6.3 miles away, and Columbus airport, 7.4 miles away. The paler thunder bar is thunder reported in the vicinity of an airport. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last two games

Kent State · 1-1

Rated 122nd in our preseason ratings, 132nd now.

1-1 in its last two — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

W 36-15 vs Wofford #195 of 668

won by 21 as a 10-point favorite

L 0-57 @ South Carolina #17 of 668

lost by 57 as a 35.5-point underdog

Last two games

Ohio State · 1-1

Rated 4th in our preseason ratings, 1st now.

1-1 in its last two — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

L 23-24 @ TexasTop 25 #4 of 668

lost by 1 as a 2.5-point underdog

W 56-3 vs Ball State #144 of 668

won by 53 as a 50.5-point favorite

Week by week

Ohio State

Wk 1Wvs Ball State56-3
Wk 2Lat Texas23-24

Kent State

Wk 1Lat South Carolina0-57
Wk 2Wvs Wofford36-15

Power rating by week

Ohio State is rated 19.8 points ahead as of week 2. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Kent State’s EPA/play against Ohio State, 94 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Kent State’s EPA/play against Ohio State’s defense
Kent State offense, 1st percentile · Ohio State defense, 95th
Kent State’s rushing EPA against Ohio State’s defense
Kent State offense, 3rd percentile · Ohio State defense, 92nd
Kent State’s explosive plays against Ohio State’s defense
Kent State offense, 45th percentile · Ohio State defense, 79th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

Kent StateOhio State

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Ohio State leads the series 3-0

3 meetings since 2002 · Ohio State has won the last 3

2014Ohio State 66-0
2007Ohio State 48-3
2002Ohio State 51-17

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Ohio State fans are feeling it less than most fanbases this week (15th among FBS fanbases), and the other side is no happier.

Ohio State favored by 52.5 · Total 58.5

How games like this usually go

Ohio State by 52.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.

The market

The total rose 2 points.

Weather at kickoff

Warm and dry. Feels like 79° at kickoff.

Kent State at Ohio State · Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 · Ohio Stadium, Columbus

79°feels like at kickoff
Dryno rain at kickoff
90weather score, Comfortable
4thbest of the day's 8 kickoff times

At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Kickoff times that Saturday

Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was the fourth best of the day's eight kickoff times. At Ohio Stadium that day, a 6 pm kickoff would have scored 94, against 90 at noon.

noon: 90, Comfortable (this game)
1 pm: 75, Mixed
2 pm: 64, Rough
3:30 pm: 65, Rough
4 pm: 66, Rough
6 pm: 94, Comfortable
7:30 pm: 93, Comfortable
7:45 pm: 93, Comfortable

Weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.

At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.

Home field

Ohio State is worth +6.3 points (±3.7) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 86th percentile.

95% at home, 86% on the road against FBS opponents (53-3 home, 32-5 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +1.6 at home vs. away over 95 games — inside the ±5.9 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

The visitors travel about 119 miles to get here.

No. 6 Ohio State routs Kent State 59-3