Facing the No. 3 team in the country on the road during primetime is not the ideal situation for true freshmen to be on the field.
Nine Ohio State freshmen traveled to Eugene, but Jeremiah Smith was the only one to play snaps from scrimmage in the Buckeyes' heartbreaking 32-31 loss to Oregon.
Smith had another big game and led the receiving unit with 63 offensive snaps. One of his snaps will be on the minds of many until Ohio State hosts Nebraska in 13 days.
Down one point with 0:28 remaining in the game, it appeared Will Howard connected with Smith for a 9-yard gain to put the ball in better position for a possible game-winning field goal. However, Smith was penalized for offensive pass interference against Nikko Reed and the Buckeyes were pushed back 15 yards.
Another look at the OPI called against Jeremiah Smith pic.twitter.com/UPukzS6XcU
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 13, 2024
Facing 3rd-and-25, Howard tried to connect with Smith on an out route to the left sideline, but Jabbar Muhammad jumped the route and broke up the pass. After the play, Oregon was penalized for having 12 men on the field and the four seconds that ran off the clock proved costly.
On the positive, Smith led the team with 100 receiving yards on nine catches. He also caught a history-making 6-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give Ohio State a 28-22 lead.
JEREMIAH SMITH
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 13, 2024
Will Howard finds Jeremiah Smith to put @OhioStatefb back in front pic.twitter.com/gMVGkJvRAR
Smith has now caught at least one touchdown pass in each of the season's first six games and is the first player in program history to accomplish this feat. He has seven touchdown catches this year and is one away from tying Cris Carter's freshman record.
| PLAYER | REC | YARDS | TD | LONG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith | 32 | 553 | 7 | 70 | 17.3 |
| Cris Carter | 23 | 315 | 4 | 36 | 13.7 |
| Devin Smith | 9 | 187 | 3 | 36 | 20.8 |
| David Boston | 9 | 167 | 3 | 58 | 18.6 |
| Carnell Tate | 8 | 162 | 1 | 55 | 20.3 |
Smith's 32 receptions are also nine shy of tying Carter's freshman record of 41 catches that was set in 1984.
TreVeyon Henderson holds the Ohio State freshman record with eight consecutive games with a touchdown (receiving or rushing) to start the season. Smith is on track to tie Henderson at Penn State and could possibly break the record against Purdue.
Most of the other freshmen who traveled to Eugene did not see action. Jaylen McClain was on the field for the Buckeyes' six kickoffs and five of the team's six kickoff returns.
Under the NCAA's redshirt rules, a player can appear in up to four games during the regular season – plus play in any postseason games – and still count it as his redshirt year.
Six games into the season, 17 Ohio State freshmen have played in at least one game, with five freshmen – McClain, Peoples, Pierce, Scott and Smith – now ineligible for a redshirt as they have played in five or more games.
| NAME | POS | DEBUT | OREGON STATS | GP | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAYLEN McCLAIN | S | Akron | Special teams | 6 | 8 tackles, 1 TFL |
| JEREMIAH SMITH | WR | Akron | 9 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD | 6 | 32 catches, 553 yards, 7 TD; 2 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD |
| JAMES PEOPLES | RB | Akron | 5 | 35 carries, 153 yards, 2 TD; 1 catch, -2 yards | |
| PAYTON PIERCE | LB | Akron | 5 | 1 tackle | |
| AARON SCOTT JR. | CB | Akron | 5 | 1 PBU | |
| EDDRICK HOUSTON | DE | Akron | 4 | 1 tackle, 2 PBU | |
| ERIC MENSAH | DT | Akron | 3 | 4 defensive snaps | |
| DOMINIC KIRKS | DE | Akron | 2 | 5 defensive snaps | |
| NICK McLARTY | P | WMU | 2 | 2 punts, 32.5 average | |
| JULIAN SAYIN | QB | WMU | 2 | 5-7, 84 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 5 yards | |
| GARRETT STOVER | LB | Akron | 2 | Special teams | |
| SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON | RB | Akron | 2 | 4 carries, 44 yards | |
| MYLAN GRAHAM | WR | WMU | 1 | 4 offensive snaps | |
| MAX LeBLANC | TE | WMU | 1 | 5 offensive snaps | |
| IAN MOORE | OT | WMU | 1 | 5 offensive snaps | |
| BRYCE WEST | CB | WMU | 1 | Special teams | |
| DORIAN WILLIAMS | WR | WMU | 1 | Special teams | |
| DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | OL | ||||
| DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG | OL | ||||
| MILES LOCKHART | CB | ||||
| AIR NOLAND | QB | ||||
| LEROY ROKER | S | ||||
| GABE VANSICKLE | OL | ||||
| DAMARION WITTEN | WR |
(Note: The table does not include freshman walk-ons who have not yet played.)
- #3 Oregon 32, #2 Ohio State 31
- • Buckeyes Fall to Ducks, 32-31
- • Defense Not Outstanding "In Any Area"
- • The OPI Call Felt Across the State
- • Josh Simmons Likely Out for the Season
- • Ohio State Postgame • Oregon Postgame • Photos • After Carmen
- • Five Things • Notebook • Social Reax • Three Key Stats
