There was never much doubt Jeremiah Smith could handle the pressures of a starring role as a freshman in the College Football Playoff, but any that existed got erased within the first three minutes of game time.
That's all it took for Smith to collect a 37-yard touchdown grab and put Ohio State up 7-0 on its opening drive against Tennessee, paving the way for the wideout's fourth 100-yard game of the season as the Buckeyes rebuffed the Volunteers 42-17 and advanced to the CFP quarterfinals.
"You see what the kid does with the ball in his hands and what he does with the ball, you know, not in his hands," Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said after the game. "He runs unbelievable routes. He's smart. He works hard. He's just everything you would want in a teammate, in a receiver, and all those guys, man, are studs. You were able to see that put on display tonight."
Smith finished the game with six receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns, just a yard short of Tennessee's total passing production as a team, and the Volunteers didn't score once through the air. That says as much about Ohio State's pass defense as it does Smith, but still, he's having a freshman year the likes of which is seldom seen in college football.
The Florida product broke all three of Cris Carter's Buckeye freshman receiving records – that's receptions, yards and touchdowns – in just eight games. Against Tennessee, Smith became the first freshman to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season in the FBS since former Alabama receiver Amari Cooper in 2012. Smith is just the 10th pass-catcher in Ohio State history to surpass that benchmark.
"No, he does not surprise me," Howard said. "I think all of us can agree that we're not surprised by how good he is now. He's a dude, man. I think he's the best receiver in the country. I think we've got the three best receivers in the country, but I'm a little biased."
A better game plan from Ohio State than it had against Michigan helped Smith post another set of gaudy receiving numbers in his first CFP matchup. It was a better game plan in large part because he and fellow wide receiver Emeka Egbuka were more involved.
Following Smith's opening-drive score, the Buckeyes came out for their second possession and drew up a gorgeous run-pass option concept with Smith running a slide route behind the line of scrimmage. Howard dumped him the ball and he dashed 18 yards to midfield. Ohio State scored its second touchdown three plays later.
A classic mesh concept collected 10 yards for Smith and converted a 4th-and-4 for the Buckeyes in the second quarter, then another RPO gave him his second touchdown on the Scarlet and Gray's first possession of the second half, this time on a go route against press-man coverage.
Freshman Jeremiah Smith's second touchdown of game extends OSU's lead! pic.twitter.com/eEOuUhp0JV
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 22, 2024
"We called this game more aggressive, there's no question about that," Ryan Day said. "But also I think we did some things in this game that maximized what we have in terms of our strengths and minimized our deficiencies. Not that everything was perfect in this game, it wasn't, but I do think that. And I also thought Will was excellent in this game, played really well ... and certainly Jeremiah was front of mind again."
Smith's speed is obvious watching his two scoring snags, both of which came on go routes, but he also used his large frame and ahead-of-the-curve musculature to shield off defensive backs. He was the first freshman ever named an Iron Buckeye by Ohio State's strength and conditioning staff for a reason.
"His size," Day said when asked on Monday what Smith's most underrated quality is. "When you get up on him, you realize how big he is and how big he plays. And that will be something that he'll have to do in this game as well, is play big, play strong, play powerful. I think (wide receivers coach Brian Hartline) has done a great job again this year with our receivers. And we're going to need them all in this game, just like when we played them last time."
Ohio State will need Smith and company at their best in the quarterfinals, where the Buckeyes are slated for a rematch with No. 1 Oregon at the Rose Bowl. Smith had nine receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in the two sides' first meeting, but was called for a controversial offensive pass interference penalty that knocked OSU out of field goal range on its final drive in a 32-31 loss.
"Creating separation and making plays is what's important," Day said. "Our receivers have done that, and certainly Jeremiah's done that this year, and we'll need that again here on the 1st."
The Bucks and Ducks kick off at 5 p.m. on Jan. 1, with ESPN set to broadcast the affair.
