Ohio State’s young stars had big moments vs. Kent State. The broadcast didn’t reflect that

Buckeye Talk Podcast491/49Ohio State Buckeyes vs Kent State, September 19, 2026By Buckeye Talk Podcast, cleveland.comcleveland.com Express DeskCOLUMBUS, Ohio — In its win Saturday against Kent State, Ohio State football saw two freshmen deliver memorable moments. The first came from Chris Henry Jr., who scored on a 75-yard receiving touchdown early in the fourth quarter of the 59-3 win. The other came from defensive tackle Jamir Perez, who scored the heaviest touchdown in program history. Both plays made highlight reels. However, Fox play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson’s energy didn’t match the moment, according to Buckeye Talk co-hosts Stephen Means and Stefan Krajisnik. “If you’re an Ohio State fan, it must be tough to look back on some of those (Chris) Olave and Garrett Wilson touchdowns and (Marvin Harrison Jr.) touchdowns and how Gus kind of helped make those moments — and then to see a big moment for Chris Henry Jr. and feel like that wasn’t there,” Krajisnik said. Ohio State’s offense still can’t solve short-yardage problemOhio State football vs. Iowa: Kickoff time, TV slot announced for Big Ten matchupThis Big Ten coach has a chance to make a statement in Week 4: Big Ten Power Rankings 2026How Riley Pettijohn, Payton Pierce and the rest of Ohio State’s defense graded vs. Kent StateJohnson built his reputation as one of the great voices of March Madness and college football for legitimate reasons. The resume is real. But Means argued that reputation doesn’t carry a voice indefinitely. His point was blunt: no one gets to coast.“Every day you show up and... depending on the situation in life, you are either proving people right or proving people wrong,” Means said.Means believes the circumstances of a game might contribute to the energy a broadcaster brings. However, that leaves the door open to under-delivering in what could turn into a big moment. “What if we look back one day and we’re trying to celebrate the career of Chris Henry Jr. and his first highlight is, ‘There goes Chris Henry Jr. up the field,’” Means said in a dull tone.The frustration doesn’t fall entirely on Johnson. Krajisnik acknowledged the awkward bind Fox has created by assigning its marquee broadcast team to Ohio State games that aren’t worthy of the hype. The broadcast team likely deserves a better game, but Fox benefits from having Ohio State in the Big Noon Kickoff spot. As a result, there are unenthusiastic moments stemming from a financial decision made by Fox. It lends itself to a no-win situation for multiple parties involved, including the broadcast team and Ohio State fans. “I’m not sure Gus Johnson should be calling Ohio State-Kent State games,” Krajisnik said. “It feels like he should be calling better games than that.”This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.