COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The raging offensive bonfire K.J. Hill helped ignite had all but gone out completely.

The deep, dynamic group of young wide receivers that had burst onto the scene, led initially by the redshirt freshman when he hauled in the first touchdown of the season, had hit a lull. Perhaps not a coincidence, Hill had been sidelined by an ankle injury for part of that difficult stretch, and the Buckeyes were struggling to fight through some growing pains.

What they needed was another jolt of energy. It didn’t necessarily have to be another electrifying scoring grab, but Ohio State clearly was looking for somebody to step up, beat a defender down the field and offer a little warmth for an offense that, by this program's standards, was in a deep freeze.

And with one wide-open wheel route in the fourth quarter of a tight game against Northwestern two weeks ago, Hill once again gave the No. 5 Buckeyes the boost they so badly needed.

“I think that was a game-changer,” coach Urban Meyer said. “I've seen that happen before. It sparks, energizes the group, and [that catch] certainly has.

“I think we've thrown for [more than 500 combined] yards in the last two games or something. So, there's been a little bit of a spark.”

With no shortage of talent ready to be unleashed again, the Buckeyes didn’t need to reignite such an explosive offense. But Hill’s clutch 34-yard catch has nonetheless served like a match.

After a couple weeks where successful deep shots had all but vanished from the offense, the Buckeyes turned that toss down the left sideline into a momentum-building play that carried over into practice and then into a 290-yard, four-touchdown passing performance last week in the rout of Nebraska.

Perhaps it’s not as simple as a single play or the return to health of just one of Ohio State’s many options on the perimeter that had made the difference. There is protection provided by the offensive line to consider, accuracy from quarterback J.T. Barrett to factor in and also the types of defensive looks that teams throw at the Buckeyes that all can slow down an offense’s ability to move the football through the air.

But if there was a turning point for Ohio State, right now it’s not that hard to identify it.

“Yeah, that changed a lot,” Hill said. “You know, it changed my confidence on the field. I didn’t have nothing going into it because of the injury with my ankle at Oklahoma, so really that’s what boosted my confidence.

“[Making a play] changes the way you feel. I feel more like myself, like I’ve got my swagger back.”

The Buckeyes seemingly had an unlimited supply of that self-belief in September. Starting from the moment when Hill hauled in a 47-yard strike from Barrett in the opener against Bowling Green, hinting at just how dangerous Ohio State could be this season, it looked like Meyer’s offseason spent trying to retool the passing attack to provide balance for the powerful ground game had paid off in a major way.

By the middle of October, though, Meyer was publicly challenging his wideouts to establish themselves. And privately he and the coaching staff were searching for answers after watching the Buckeyes complete just nine passes in a win over Indiana and struggle to stretch the field in an upset loss at Penn State.

But November already looks like it will be more like what Ohio State had in mind. And it’s probably not a surprise that Hill’s five catches against Nebraska helped provide some of the fuel.

“When he made that play [against Northwestern], it was one small victory, a chance for him to build momentum in his own personal career and show how valuable he is with his role in the team,” wide receivers coach Zach Smith said. “It was obviously a critical play and it was a big thing we needed to see him do ... and he came through and made the play. It was a big deal for him -- and a big deal for us.

“K.J. is coming. Every week he’s getting better and better and better.”

And all that’s going to do is allow the Ohio State offense to get hotter and hotter.