Why Luke Fahey earned passing grade in Ohio State's win vs Northwestern

Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey earned his first victory as a starter and threw three touchdown passes during the Buckeyes 28-19 win over Northwestern Nov. 14.

In his third start, Fahey heavily targeted wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. On 17 targets, Smith caught 11 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. During the game, Smith broke the record for most all-time receiving yards in the Big Ten, passing Purdue receiver John Standeford's total of 3,788.

Fahey threw an interception on his first drive after the football bounced off wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.'s head and landed in the hands of defensive back Braden Turner.

Luke Fahey stats

Fahey completed 21 of 32 passes for 201 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Luke Fahey’s best: Targeting Jeremiah Smith

Ohio State's offensive coaching staff made Smith the focal point of the game script. For the most part, Fahey executed. On Ohio State's second drive, Fahey found Smith three times, including a 22-yard pass in the middle of the field that got the Buckeyes to the red zone. Ohio State scored three plays later; Fahey glanced at Smith in double coverage before locating a check down to Isaiah West for the score.

The Buckeyes operated similarly to the first touchdown drive moving forward. Because of the efficient run game, Ohio State operated with balance and did not rely on Fahey to convert deep third-down tries and stayed in rhythm.

Northwestern played defense in deep off-ball coverage to prevent Smith from catching deep balls. In response, Smith ran several hitch routes to pick up short and intermediate gains that Fahey timed well.

Fahey still aimed Smith's way when he was in tight man-to-man coverage. In the second quarter, Smith ran a corner route to the end zone and pivoted to catch Fahey's pass. Even though Fahey underthrew the ball, Northwestern cornerback Ore Adeyi pushed Smith out of the way and drew a pass interference flag. The penalty set up Ohio State's second touchdown.

After a Northwestern muffed punt, Fahey located Smith for a 10-yard touchdown that sealed the game. The performance of Fahey and Smith gave Ohio State a sense of direction for the offense going forward.

Good things happened when Fahey threw the ball to Smith. If the throw was not there, however, Fahey still found ways to move the ball upfield by locating the check down or scrambling out of the pocket.

Luke Fahey’s worst: intermediate and deep throws

Fahey's day did not start well. Nearing the red zone on the first drive, Smith targeted Henry, whose head was not turned around when the ball arrived. The ball bounced off Henry's helmet right to the hands of Turner for a Northwestern interception. The two players were not on the same page, resulting in a turnover and a missed scoring chance.

Fahey's best throw of the day – and perhaps his starting tenure – was on an incomplete pass. On the Buckeyes' first drive out of the second half, Fahey floated a deep ball perfectly over Henry's shoulder, but the freshman receiver dropped it.

OH NO CHRIS HENRY JR… pic.twitter.com/wBhuMoQ34a

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 14, 2026

Fahey's worst throw of the day came in the fourth quarter. On third-and-12, Fahey shuffled out of the pocket and glanced at Devin McCuin, standing open in the middle of the field. Fahey short-armed the throw and spiked it several yards short of McCuin. Buckeyes fans responded with boos.

"There is no explanation for how bad of a throw that was," FOX analyst and former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III said on the broadcast.

Fahey's on-the-run throwing has been largely inconsistent. He did complete one throw while shifting to the left side of the pocket earlier in the game to McCuin for a touchdown.

Grade: B-

Fahey had some bad throws and a turnover but got the ball into the Buckeyes' best player and earned his first victory as a starter.

Dan Aulbach is the breaking and trending sports reporter for the Columbus Dispatch. You can email him at daulbach@dispatch.com, or follow his coverage @AulbachDan on X or@daulbach.bsky.social on Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why Luke Fahey earned passing grade in Ohio State's win vs Northwestern