COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jeremiah Smith has terrorized opposing defenses in big games over the past two-plus seasons.
“I’m always looking forward to a matchup like this. You want to play big games. “They are definitely loaded, have a great defense and we have to be prepared for that.
So I’m always excited for the big ones,” Smith said during a television interview after last weekend’s 56-3 victory over Ball State . 1 Texas, said several factors kept Smith in check, even though half of Sayin’s 20 pass attempts targeted him.
Quarterback Julian Sayin, who made his first collegiate start in last year’s game against then-No.
During the Buckeyes’ 2024 run to the national championship, Smith had 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns during the first half of the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. He then had a 56-yard reception on third down late in the fourth quarter of the CFP title game against Notre Dame that set up a field goal to put the Buckeyes up by two scores.
Despite losses to Indiana in the Big Ten championship and Miami in the CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, Smith had at least seven catches and 144 yards in both games, including one catch for at least 50 yards. Because he has to recognize what’s going on and respond, julian will be a big part of that. I wouldn’t say they limited him in any aspect. The junior also hopes to continue his penchant for big performances in key games. “I mean it’s no mystery that when the ball is in his hands, good things happen. “Coach Muschamp’s a great coach, and we all respect him, but he hasn’t called the game in a while. “We know there’ll be a plan to stop Jeremiah. Identifying that and having contingency plans is important. “We have other guys on the field, and there’s a balance we’re striking, but we all know the impact he can have on games. “What makes a great player great is he makes everybody better. Jeremiah certainly does that. We’re going to work hard to make sure he has a major impact on the game.”
“Whether it’s a certain coverage or they tried to double-team him, sometimes the ball just didn’t go as well,” Sayin said. And so he’ll always be a part of how we game plan and what we do,” coach Ryan Day said. So there are unknowns about how it will play out and what they’ll do defensively,” Day said. And when he has the impact like he’s done in other games, you see what happens to the rest of the guys,” Day said of Smith.
“There were opportunities last year where I could have thrown to him.
