Ohio State kept its College Football Playoff momentum rolling in its 41-21 Rose Bowl beatdown of the Oregon Ducks. Six freshmen saw the field in the program's largest margin of victory against a No. 1 ranked team. Eddrick Houston played 14 defensive snaps, Mylan Graham played two offensive snaps and Jaylen McClain, Payton Pierce and Bryce West helped out on special teams. As has been the case all season, though, it was the Buckeyes’ star freshman receiver from Florida who stole the show.
Jeremiah Smith talked the talk during media interviews leading into the Rose Bowl. He walked the walk on the field. On the third offensive play of the game, Will Howard completed a short pass to Smith, who went 45 yards for the game's opening score.
Jeremiah Smith puts Ohio State on the board pic.twitter.com/2uiZd90RHf
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 1, 2025
On Ohio State's first drive of the second quarter, Smith struck again. This time, he twisted Oregon's safety into knots and was wide open for a 43-yard touchdown. That scoring strike put Ohio State up 24-0 with 10:28 remaining in the first half.
Obviously, he's a physical freak. But the subtle body lean and head bob to manipulate the DB on this route is so, so good, esp for a freshman.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 2, 2025
It's more than just size/speed w/ Jeremiah Smith. pic.twitter.com/OgTqA8JdSe
Smith finished with seven receptions for an Ohio State freshman-record 187 yards and two touchdowns. He surpassed Purdue's Rondale Moore for sole ownership of the Big Ten's record for receiving touchdowns by a freshman with 14.
It was also Smith's fifth 100-yard receiving game, marking the 12th time an Ohio State player has had five 100-yard receiving games in a single season. For his efforts, Smith was named the Rose Bowl's Offensive Player of the Game.
How good is Smith? This table should leave no doubt.
| PLAYER | REC | YARDS | TD | 100-YARD GAMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith | 70 | 1,224 | 14 | 5 |
| Cris Carter | 41 | 648 | 8 | 2 |
| David Boston | 33 | 450 | 7 | 1 |
| Garrett Wilson | 30 | 432 | 5 | 1 |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | 25 | 359 | 4 | 0 |
His performance on one of college football’s biggest stages showed the nation just how good he is.
JEREMIAH SMITH IS ABSURD #PMSCFPESPN2 pic.twitter.com/d2oPXjWbHk
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 1, 2025
The Julio Jones comps are normally forbidden but in Jeremiah Smiths case it may be warranted
— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) January 1, 2025
pic.twitter.com/596qyXu0l8
Jeremiah Smith: 94.6 PFF Grade vs Oregon
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 2, 2025
Highest Graded Playoff Performance by a WR in the PFF College Era@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/GFNN37eoH9
Rece Davis: Can anybody stop you?
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) January 2, 2025
Jeremiah Smith: No.
Accurate.pic.twitter.com/OXuSyfRg9g
Six Ohio State freshmen used a year of eligibility by playing in more than four regular-season games this year: Houston, McClain, James Peoples, Pierce, Aaron Scott Jr. and Smith. The rest of Ohio State’s freshmen all played in four games or fewer, preserving their four remaining seasons of eligibility. Under the NCAA’s redshirt rules, postseason games no longer count against a player’s redshirt eligibility, so all of Ohio State’s freshmen are eligible to play in the CFP without burning their redshirts.
| NAME | POS | DEBUT | OREGON STATS | GP | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAYLEN McCLAIN | S | Akron | Special teams | 14 | 14 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU |
| JEREMIAH SMITH | WR | Akron | 7 catches, 187 yards, 2 TD; 1 carry, 5 yards | 14 | 70 catches, 1,224 yards, 14 TD; 5 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD |
| EDDRICK HOUSTON | DE | Akron | 14 defensive snaps | 12 | 5 tackles, 2 PBU |
| PAYTON PIERCE | LB | Akron | Special teams | 11 | 4 tackles |
| BRYCE WEST | CB | WMU | Special teams | 6 | 1 tackle, 1 PBU |
| MYLAN GRAHAM | WR | WMU | 2 offensive snaps | 4 | 15 offensive snaps |
| JAMES PEOPLES | RB | Akron | 8 | 49 carries, 197 yards, 2 TD; 1 catch, -2 yards | |
| AARON SCOTT JR. | CB | Akron | 7 | 1 tackle, 1 PBU | |
| GARRETT STOVER | LB | Akron | 5 | 1 defensive snap | |
| MAX LeBLANC | TE | WMU | 4 | 14 offensive snaps | |
| IAN MOORE | OT | WMU | 4 | 31 offensive snaps | |
| JULIAN SAYIN | QB | WMU | 4 | 5-12, 84 yards, 1 TD; 2 carries, 24 yards | |
| DOMINIC KIRKS | DE | Akron | 3 | 1 tackle | |
| ERIC MENSAH | DT | Akron | 3 | 7 defensive snaps | |
| SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON | RB | Akron | 3 | 7 carries, 60 yards | |
| NICK McLARTY | P | WMU | 2 | 2 punts, 32.5 average | |
| LEROY ROKER III | S | Purdue | 2 | Special teams | |
| DORIAN WILLIAMS | WR | WMU | 1 | Special teams | |
| DAMARION WITTEN | WR | Purdue | 1 | 1 offensive snap | |
| DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | OL | ||||
| DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG | OL | ||||
| MILES LOCKHART | CB | ||||
| AIR NOLAND | QB | ||||
| GABE VANSICKLE | OL |
(Note: The table does not include freshman walk-ons who have not yet played.)
