Ohio State threw for a school record 474 yards against UNLV

There’s been a lot of handwringing about the state of Ohio State’s passing attack this season, but on Saturday, the Buckeyes got things going in a major way.

Ohio State’s quarterbacks combined to throw for a whopping 474 yards against UNLV in a 54-21 blowout win over the Rebels. That’s the most passing yards Ohio State has ever thrown for in a game, breaking the previous record of 459 against Penn State way back in 1997.

Additionally, seven different Buckeyes caught a touchdown pass, breaking the previous school record of five, and tying the Big Ten mark.

J.T. Barrett was excellent, turning in a nearly perfect performance. Barrett finished 12-17 for 209 yards and a whopping five touchdowns, and ran for 15 more yards, hitting players in stride both horizontally and vertically. Barrett could have thrown for far more, but didn’t play for the entire second half, as the game was already out of reach.

Dwayne Haskins finished 15-23 for 228 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick-six, while Joe Burrow added a perfect 4-4 for 37 yards late in the 4th quarter.

Ohio State’s passing problems likely aren’t totally solved, as UNLV may have one of the worst defenses in all of FBS, but running up huge numbers on even overmatched competition is still a positive development. A ton of Buckeyes got playing time and experience, and perhaps that confidence will carry on deeper into the season.

If Ohio State can throw the ball just a fraction as well as they did against the Rebels, this offense will be tough to stop.