Aside from the season opener against Notre Dame, Ohio State’s offense seemingly didn’t miss Jaxon Smith-Njigba much during the first half of the season.
The Buckeyes have scored at least 45 points in each of their last five games and have averaged 573.4 yards per game over that same span even though Smith-Njigba played in only a portion of one of those five games. Ohio State’s receiver play has been elite even without Smith-Njigba as Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming have combined to catch 81 passes for 1,413 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Considering all of that, it’s fair to question how much better Ohio State’s offense can really be than it’s already been. Ask Ohio State’s other receivers and his coaches, though, and they’ll tell you they think they’re only scratching the surface of how good they can be once Smith-Nigba returns.
“I think definitely it could be historically great,” Harrison said Wednesday. “We’re just taking it one game at a time. Get better in practice each day. But we have so many weapons on the offensive side of the football.”
While Ryan Day hasn’t yet provided an official update on Smith-Njigba’s status for Saturday’s game against Iowa, there have been indications that JSN will be back on the field this week. He was seen in full uniform after Wednesday’s practice, and Harrison said Smith-Njigba has been participating in practice this week, even though he didn’t want to give away more information than he should.
“He's been practicing. I’m not gonna tell you too much about what he’s doing,” Harrison said with a laugh. “He’s gonna be ready.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba catching passes on the jugs machine after Ohio State practice tonight. pic.twitter.com/YKkP0rh9k9
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 19, 2022
Ohio State already leads the nation in passer rating (204.9) and passing touchdowns (25) and ranks third in the FBS in yards per play (10.8) even though it hasn’t had Smith-Njigba fully healthy since he injured his hamstring in the first quarter against the Fighting Irish. Still, the return of Smith-Njigba should make the Buckeyes’ offense even more dangerous, considering Smith-Njigba set school records with 95 catches for 1,606 yards a year ago.
“I feel like it's a whole different ballgame with him,” Fleming said. “Obviously, we’re really dynamic as a receiver group and we’re striving to be the best receiver corps in the country. So just having him come back and being healthy is gonna be a whole dynamic for our offense.”
How exactly will Smith-Njigba allow Ohio State to build upon what it’s already been able to do? In Fleming’s mind, Smith-Njigba is so good that he couldn’t even find the words to quantify the impact JSN can make.
“I mean, Jaxon’s Jaxon, you saw what he did last year,” Fleming said. “So I feel like his game … play the film and like, it really speaks for itself. It's hard to really take a deep dive into him when he's just an amazing football player, he’s one of the best receivers in the country, there's no doubt about that. So just having him back, it's gonna be a huge boost for all of us.”
Harrison said he wouldn’t want to be an opposing coach trying to come up with a game plan to stop Ohio State’s offense with Smith-Njigba in the mix.
“I really don't know what you do as a defensive coordinator,” Harrison said. “Kind of got to pick one and say your prayers, but it’s just gonna be fun to watch.”
Fleming believes the return of Smith-Njigba coupled with all of Ohio State’s other weapons will open up the field more for everyone.
“It's gonna be really, really hard to focus in on one receiver with all the threats we have,” Fleming said. “We’re a really, really deep room across the board. So I feel like it's gonna be really hard for defenses to really hone in on one person and leave somebody else in single coverage.”
The return of Smith-Njigba could theoretically mean fewer targets to go around for the rest of Ohio State’s receivers, but they say they’re not bothered by that. Rather, they’re excited to have Smith-Njigba back on the field competing with them.
“Absolutely not,” Harrison said when asked if Smith-Njigba’s return would lead to any friction among receivers competing for targets. “We’re one. If someone scores, we all score. That's how Zone 6 is. We cheer each other on. So there's not gonna be no friction at all.”
“I really don't know what you do as a defensive coordinator. Kind of got to pick one and say your prayers.”– Marvin Harrison Jr. on defending Ohio State’s offense with Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Fleming could be the receiver who drops out of the starting lineup when Smith-Njigba is back, but he said he’s thrilled JSN is close to returning to action.
“It's great to have him back,” Fleming said. “Obviously we missed him the past couple weeks. And it's great to see his face back in the mix and seeing what he can do on the field just in practice and everything like that. So, I mean, that's one of my brothers. I'm super excited for him. Super excited to play with him again.”
Day believes all of the receivers will benefit from Smith-Njigba’s return because it will allow the Buckeyes to rotate more, keeping them all fresher.
“It takes some stress off the other guys, which they've taken on a lot in these first six games,” Day said. “I think if you, seven weeks ago, said, ‘Here's what's going to happen,’ you would have realized that's a pretty heavy burden for those guys. Special teams, a lot of reps at their position and I think they've done well and benefited from that. I think we all have. But getting him back certainly would take some stress off of them and then I think we'll be at full strength.”
Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson says the impact Smith-Njigba can make in his return to the field extends beyond just his playmaking ability.
“He's a great player, great kid, but he just loves to play ball,” Wilson said. “He has a natural energy to him. He's a tremendous player. Very, very competitive. I feel for him because I know personally wanted a great year, but the good lord’s got those plans. But our football team will be better when he's kind of doing a fair amount. But getting him back, if we get him back and get him consistent, we'll be better not just because he's gonna make plays, but just the energy he brings as a practice player.
“I just love what he brings to us on a daily basis … he just brings a lot of great juice and karma to our team that's awesome.”
