Twelve Ohio State freshmen traveled east to Penn State as the Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions, 20-13, and extended their winning streak to eight straight against their nonrivals.
On a day that Jeremiah Smith broke Ohio State's record for receiving yards in a season by a freshman, another record streak he had came to an end. For the first time in his collegiate career, Smith did not score a touchdown, and his seven-game streak came to an end. However, he came through with a couple of key first-down receptions.
The first was when Will Howard and the offense were pinned deep in their own territory late in the third quarter. Howard was facing dangerous pressure and was able to find the receiver on a crossing route in which the sensational Smith hauled it in for an important 18-yard gain.
When in doubt, find Jeremiah Smith @ohiostatefb pic.twitter.com/vKz1e2MtIJ
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 2, 2024
Later in the 12-play scoring drive, Howard again found Smith in a crucial situation. This time, Ohio State was facing 3rd-and-9 at the Penn State 38-yard line, and the duo hooked up for a perfectly timed sideline out route in which Smith picked up 14 yards and a critical first down. Four plays later, Jayden Fielding banged in a 39-yard field goal to give the Buckeyes a 20-13 lead.
Jeremiah Smith pic.twitter.com/TlszasLidt
— Valentin (@ScoutValentin) November 2, 2024
Unfortunately, the play many fans remember is the catch that Smith did not make. A few snaps before the third-down catch mentioned above, Ohio State had 1st-and-10 from its 49-yard line and Howard unleashed a deep pass to a wide-open Smith. It appeared the sun might have affected Smith's vision as he slowed down a bit and could not come down with a ball he normally catches and scores with.
Good ball from Will Howard here, but looks like WR Jeremiah Smith slowed up a bit around the 20, and the downfield pass falls incomplete. pic.twitter.com/OGNMFqqjzR
— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) November 2, 2024
Had he made the play, Smith would have extended his streak of games with a touchdown to eight and given the Buckeyes a game-breaking 24-13 lead. In the end, he finished the day with four catches for 55 yards and is now the most prolific freshman receiver in school history with 678 receiving yards, breaking Cris Carter’s previous record of 648 yards in 1984.
| PLAYER | REC | YARDS | TD | LONG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith | 39 | 678 | 8 | 70 | 17.4 |
| Cris Carter | 25 | 325 | 4 | 36 | 13.0 |
| David Boston | 13 | 228 | 4 | 58 | 17.5 |
| Devin Smith | 10 | 227 | 4 | 40 | 22.7 |
| Carnell Tate | 12 | 197 | 1 | 55 | 16.4 |
With four regular-season games to play, Smith needs just two receptions to tie Carter for the most catches by a freshman in Ohio State history.
Here is to Smith getting a touchdown on his third reception against Purdue on Saturday. If he does, Smith will break Carter's records for receptions and touchdowns by a freshman Buckeye on a single play.
For the second week in a row, the only other freshmen to see playing time for the Buckeyes were Jaylen McClain and Eddrick Houston. McClain played on the kickoff, kickoff return and punt return teams. Houston again saw action at defensive tackle and was on the field for six defensive plays.
With Purdue on tap, we might see some freshmen on the field that have gone missing over the last several weeks.
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. Seven games into the season, 17 Ohio State freshmen have played in at least one game, with six freshmen – Houston, McClain, James Peoples, Payton Pierce, Aaron Scott Jr. and Smith – now ineligible for a redshirt as they have played in five or more games.
| NAME | POS | DEBUT | PENN STATE STATS | GP | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAYLEN McCLAIN | S | Akron | Played on special teams | 8 | 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU |
| JEREMIAH SMITH | WR | Akron | 4 catches, 55 yards | 8 | 39 catches, 678 yards, 8 TD; 2 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD |
| EDDRICK HOUSTON | DE | Akron | Played at DT | 6 | 1 tackle, 2 PBU |
| 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 | |
| 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.)
- #4 Ohio State 20, #3 Penn State 13
- • Buckeyes Earn 8th Straight Win Over PSU
- • Season-Defining Performance for the O-line
- • Defense Shows It's Still Elite
- • Penn State Fans Aren't Happy With Franklin
- • Ohio State Postgame • Penn State Postgame • Photos • After Carmen
- • Five Things • Notebook • Social Reax • Three Key Stats
