​COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 14: Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith #4 celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Northwestern Wildcats at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on November 14, 2026. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Ohio State was able to snap their two-game losing streak, beating Northwestern 28-19 on Saturday afternoon in Columbus. The performance wasn’t exactly smooth over 60 minutes, but after suffering defeats against USC and Indiana, the Buckeyes are just happy to get back in the win column. The win by Ohio State was their 36th in the last 37 meetings with Northwestern, and the 12th in a row by the Buckeyes over the Wildcats.There were a number of Ohio State players who had strong performances in the win over Northwestern. Players on the defensive side of the football who have had to deal with some criticism of their play over the last few weeks rebounded on Saturday, while it was obvious the Buckeyes put an emphasis on getting the football into the hands of their best players when the offense was on the field.Before we turn our attention to the final road game of the regular season against Nebraska, we are going to highlight Ohio State’s best players in Saturday’s win over Northwestern. Jeremiah SmithEarly on it was obvious the game plan for the Ohio State offense was to get the football into the hands of Jeremiah Smith. Across the first three drives for the Buckeye offense, Smith not only hauled in seven passes, the junior also drew his first pass interference penalty of the season as Ohio State was knocking on the door of the end zone with just under four minutes left in the second quarter.With being targeted frequently early, Smith was able to break the Big Ten career receiving yardage record in the first half, passing John Standeford of Purdue. Smith now has 3,875 career receiving yards, which passes Corey Davis of Western Michigan for the most by a receiver through their first three seasons of their collegiate career. Not only is Smith the only Ohio State receiver to reach 3,000 yards in their career, he will likely finish his college career with over 4,000 yards receiving.Smith extended Ohio State’s lead to 15 points with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter when he caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Luke Fahey. The score was the 42nd receiving touchdown for Smith, which gives him the most by an FBS receiver through their freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. Along with adding to the records he has broken as a Buckeye, Smith also stayed in the Heisman Trophy conversation with his performance against Northwestern.Bo JacksonAfter rushing for 1,000 yards as a freshman, Bo Jackson continued to work his way to a second consecutive season hitting quadruple digits on the ground. On Saturday the sophomore running back eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the third time in the last five games