Barring a miracle in favor of the Kent State Golden Flashes, Ohio State should be looking at Saturday’s game as an opportunity to put last week’s monumental second-half collapse against Texas in the rearview mirror.

But the final score should not be the most important thing coming out of this game.

Nobody needs to see the Buckeyes beat Kent State 77-0. Nobody needs to see Ohio State rush for 300 yards or hang endless points on the scoreboard to prove that it is better than the Golden Flashes.

What Ohio State needs to see is who makes the plays when the spotlight moves away from the stars.

We already know Jeremiah Smith is really, really good at football.

Smith is talented enough to take over a game almost by himself, and against a team like Kent State, he could potentially do exactly that.

The same can be said for quarterback Julian Sayin and running back Bo Jackson. Ohio State knows what it has in its marquee players.

Saturday should be about finding out what the Buckeyes have around them.

The Other Guys

Championship teams cannot survive on a handful of stars.

Eventually, opponents will find ways to limit the players they fear most. When that happens, somebody else has to win a matchup. Somebody else has to make the third-down catch. Somebody else has to break a tackle. Somebody else has to make the key block.

That is what makes Kent State an interesting game for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes need to see more consistent contributions from “The Other Guys.”

The offensive line is at the top of that list.

Ohio State has shown flashes of being able to move people at the line of scrimmage. There were stretches against Ball State and Texas when the Buckeyes created room for their running backs.

But flashes are not enough.

Against Texas, Ohio State's longest run was just 11 yards. For an offense that wants to establish itself as one of the best in the country, there needs to be more consistency up front.

Saturday provides an opportunity for the offensive line to show that it can dictate a game rather than simply survive one.

The Buckeyes don't need to run the ball 50 times.

They need to create the kind of push that makes you believe this group can eventually do it against the best teams on the schedule.

More Than Jeremiah Smith

Then there is the receiving corps.

Smith's talent is not a question. His production isn't either.

The problem is what happens when defenses inevitably decide that stopping Smith is priority No. 1.

Against Texas, only two Ohio State receivers not named Smith caught a pass. Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin each had one reception.

Smith accounted for 164 of Ohio State's 278 passing yards.

That is an enormous percentage of the passing offense being funneled through one player.

Again, there is nothing wrong with getting the ball to your best player. In fact, Ohio State would be foolish not to do so.

But there needs to be a second, third and fourth option that opponents have to respect.

Brandon Inniss and Phillip Bell need to establish themselves as reliable pieces of the passing game. Chris Henry and Brock Boyd have received opportunities and need to turn those opportunities into production.

And then there is freshman athlete Legend Bey.

Bey dazzled during the season opener against Ball State, showing the type of explosiveness that can make an offense difficult to defend. Yet he received only one snap against Texas.

That kind of inconsistency in playing time is understandable for a young player, but Ohio State needs to find out what it has in these players before the games become even more important.

Kent State is the perfect opportunity to do that.

Give them snaps.

Give them targets.

Give them carries.

Let them make mistakes.

Most importantly, let them make plays.

The Search for RB2

The running back room presents a similar question.

Bo Jackson has emerged as one of the most important pieces of the offense, but Ohio State needs someone behind him who can consistently shoulder the load.

A championship-caliber offense needs more than one dependable running back.

Whether that is a player already on the roster or someone who emerges over the next several weeks, the Buckeyes need to start identifying that option.

Kent State should provide enough cushion for Ohio State to experiment.

If the Buckeyes are going to build depth for November, they need to start doing it now.

A Defensive No-Win Situation

The defense faces a slightly different challenge.

There is almost no way for the Buckeyes to completely satisfy everyone Saturday.

If Ohio State shuts down Kent State's rushing attack and dominates from the opening kickoff, some will simply point out that Kent State is overmatched.

If the Golden Flashes find success running the football, suddenly the same defense that struggled to maintain its level against Texas will be facing more questions.

It is, in many ways, a lose-lose situation.

But that does not mean there is nothing to watch.

The Buckeyes need to make a statement at the line of scrimmage.

They need to eliminate explosive runs. They need to tackle well. They need to generate pressure without needing to bring the entire defense on a blitz.

And perhaps most importantly, they need to play with the kind of physicality and consistency that was missing at times during the second half in Austin.

This is not about proving Ohio State has a great defense.

It is about seeing whether the defense can respond.

Saturday Is About Development

There is a temptation in games like this to focus entirely on the final score.

If Ohio State wins by 40, everyone goes home happy.

But that would miss the bigger picture.

The Buckeyes don't need another reminder that they can beat an overmatched opponent. They need evidence that the roster is developing into a team capable of beating elite opponents when the margin for error disappears.

That means the offensive line finding its identity.

It means another running back emerging.

It means receivers other than Smith becoming legitimate threats.

It means young players such as Bey getting opportunities and showing they deserve more of them.

It means the defense responding after Texas.

And it means Ohio State's stars doing what stars do without having to carry the entire operation.

The best teams in college football are not simply teams with the best players.

They are teams with the fewest weaknesses.

Ohio State already knows what Jeremiah Smith can do.

Now, the Buckeyes need to find out what everyone else can do.

Saturday against Kent State is less about proving Ohio State is better than Kent State and more about proving the Buckeyes have enough “Other Guys” to eventually beat the teams that matter most.