True freshman quarterback Luke Fahey threw three touchdown passes and junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith broke the Big Ten career receiving yards record on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, as No. 20 Ohio State defeated Northwestern 28-19 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. The Ohio State vs Northwestern victory snapped a two-game losing streak for the Buckeyes (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) and marked their 12th straight win over the Wildcats (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten).
According to the official Big Ten box score, Fahey completed 21 of 32 passes for 201 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while taking one sack to earn his first career win as a starter. Running back Bo Jackson carried 20 times for 114 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 20 yards, helping Ohio State finish with 369 total yards (201 passing, 168 rushing) and 24 first downs. The Lantern and Northwestern Athletics identified Ohio State by its No. 20 College Football Playoff ranking, while The Associated Press listed the Buckeyes at No. 21 from the AP Top 25 poll.
Jeremiah Smith breaks the Big Ten career receiving yards record
Smith caught 11 passes on 17 targets for 117 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown in the official Big Ten box score and The Lantern‘s report, though LimaOhio.com listed his single-game total at 111 yards. During the second quarter, the junior passed former Purdue receiver John Standeford to claim the Big Ten career receiving yards record, finishing the afternoon at 3,875 career yards, The Associated Press reported. His 117-yard outing also gave him 17 career 100-yard receiving games, tying the conference record shared by Purdue’s David Bell and Michigan’s Braylon Edwards.
“I’m blessed to have the record but today was all about the win. That was the main focus today.” Smith said after the game, according to The Associated Press. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day praised his receiver’s consistency while explaining why the offense kept feeding him targets: “The No. 1 goal is to win, but we also have an obligation to this young man, what he’s done for our program. He deserves the opportunity to touch the football,” Day said.
How the Ohio State vs Northwestern game unfolded
Northwestern senior kicker Jackson Kleather put the Wildcats on the board first with a 44-yard field goal in the opening quarter. Ohio State answered 45 seconds into the second quarter when Fahey connected with running back Isaiah West on a 4-yard touchdown pass, and Jackson punched in a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:51 remaining before halftime. Kleather hit a 46-yard field goal to trim the Buckeyes’ lead to 14-6 at the break, and redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol capped the opening drive of the third quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run to pull Northwestern within 14-13.
With the lead down to a single point, Fahey capped a third-quarter drive by hitting wide receiver Devin McCuin for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 2:52 left in the period to make it 21-13, then connected with Smith on a 10-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to stretch the margin to 28-13. Marchiol completed 18 of 31 passes for 225 yards with no interceptions and threw a touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore tight end Luke Dehnicke (five catches on 10 targets for 88 yards) as time expired, a play Northwestern Athletics recorded at 17 yards and The Associated Press listed at 18 yards. Running back Caleb Komolafe led Northwestern on the ground with 11 carries for 54 yards as the Wildcats finished with 278 total yards (225 passing, 53 rushing).
Ohio State’s pass rush sacked Marchiol five times, led by defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. with two sacks and one sack each from Qua Russaw, Will Smith Jr. and James Smith, while fifth-year long snapper Dalton Riggs recovered a muffed punt by Northwestern returner Drew Wagner. Those plays offset three Buckeye turnovers: an interception by Fahey and lost fumbles by West (10 carries for 45 yards, three catches for 20 yards) and defensive back Devin Sanchez. Safety Robert Fitzgerald paced Northwestern’s defense with 11 combined tackles and half a sack, and defensive back Braden Turner recorded an interception and a fumble recovery. (Northwestern Athletics also credited linebacker Braydon Brus with a fumble recovery and Jack Sadowsky V with nine tackles, whereas the official box score credited only Turner with a defensive fumble recovery and listed Sadowsky V with eight tackles.)
“Where this one really stings is you come into a hostile environment against a good team, position yourself well into the fourth quarter at times with momentum where you think you are going to break through but fall short” Northwestern head coach David Braun said afterward, according to The Associated Press. In comments published by Northwestern Athletics, Braun added, “It doesn’t change the expectation from our guys in that locker room or our program long term.” Marchiol struck a similar note after Northwestern’s third consecutive defeat, saying, “This game is a metaphor for life. You’ve got to respond.”
Luke Fahey’s path to his first win and what comes next
Fahey beat out Tavien St. Clair for Ohio State’s backup quarterback job earlier this year and was forced into the starting role after starter Julian Sayin suffered a season-ending elbow injury during the Buckeyes’ 19-15 victory at No. 5 Indiana on Oct. 17. Ohio State lost Fahey’s first two starts, falling 30-18 on the road at USC on Oct. 31 before a 41-28 home loss to Oregon on Nov. 7. Speaking with LimaOhio.com after Saturday’s victory, Fahey said he was starting to feel a bit more comfortable running the offense while noting that a quarterback can never get too comfortable and must keep growing, and Buckeyes linebacker Christian Alliegro told the outlet the win lifted a major weight off the team’s shoulders.
Ohio State travels to Lincoln to face Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 21, before returning to Columbus to host rival Michigan on Nov. 28 at noon EST. Northwestern returns to Evanston to play Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. CST on FS1.