Jeremiah Smith keeps rewriting Ohio State’s record book, and Saturday against Iowa he finished the job.
In the Buckeyes’ 31-14 win, Smith hauled in 11 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, giving him the program records for receptions and receiving touchdowns to go with the receiving yards mark he already claimed on Sept. 19 against Kent State. With one game, he now owns all three of Ohio State’s major receiving records.
Smith needed 10 catches and two touchdown receptions entering the Iowa game to move past Emeka Egbuka’s 205 career receptions and Chris Olave’s 35 touchdown catches. He got there in style, including a 57-yard touchdown from quarterback Julian Sayin that came on his ninth grab and pushed Ohio State ahead 24-6 while quieting the Kinnick Stadium crowd.
The big day also made it back-to-back games for Smith with more than 10 receptions, over 200 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns. That kind of production has become routine enough that even Ryan Day sounds almost resigned to it.
“The first thing every coach in America is going to say [is] ‘We’ve got to take this guy away,’ so the challenge is trying to figure out ways to get it to him,” Day said.
Smith said the Buckeyes had been setting up that moment all week.
“I knew all week, building up to the game, that this is the play coach Arthur Smith wanted and we had to execute it,” Jeremiah Smith said.
After his second touchdown, Smith struck the Heisman Trophy pose. He explained the celebration simply.
“I’m the best player in the country, so I’ve got to be there,” Smith said.
He still wasn’t finished after that. Smith added two more catches after his second score, which put him over the top as Ohio State’s all-time receptions leader.
There are more marks within reach, too. Smith is 238 receiving yards away from the Big Ten record held by Purdue’s John Standeford, who totaled 3,618 yards from 2000-2003.
He also needs four more receiving touchdowns to break the conference record of 39, held by Michigan’s Braylon Edwards from 2001-2004. The Big Ten receptions record belongs to Purdue’s Taylor Stubblefield, who finished with 316, and Smith is 110 catches away from that one.
Sayin said Smith’s value goes beyond the numbers.
“[Smith’s] a great leader for the younger player in his [receiver] room and the younger players on our team,” Sayin said. “He’s a great representation of our program and a great captain.”
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Delivered The Kind Of Road Win Fans Needed
Ohio State went into Kinnick Stadium and delivered the sort of response win its fans had been waiting for, beating Iowa 31-14 and handing the Hawkeyes their first loss of the season. The Buckeyes controlled the game on both sides of the ball, piling up 484 total yards while keeping Iowa to 238 and a paltry 39 rushing yards, which made this feel less like a tense road test and more like a statement about the gap between the two teams.
Jeremiah Smith was at the center of it, turning the trip into one of those performances that travels well beyond the box score. He finished with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, giving Ohio State a dynamic edge whenever it needed one and helping offset a couple of turnovers forced by the defense. For a team that needed a clean, convincing road result, this was exactly the kind of night it was looking for. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Just Put Ohio State Fans On Notice Again
Jeremiah Smith kept the Buckeyes moving in Iowa City, turning a road test against the Hawkeyes into another showcase for Ohio States passing game. The freshman wideout tied the Ohio State touchdown record while finishing with 11 catches for 206 yards and two scores, a performance that helped push the Buckeyes to a 4-1 start and add another layer to what has already become a must-watch season in Columbus.
Smiths latest breakout only raises the stakes for what comes next, because Ohio State now heads back home to face Maryland with its young star drawing even more attention. For a team that has spent the early part of the season trying to establish its identity, his ability to create production anywhere on the field has become one of the biggest reasons the Buckeyes keep looking like a contender. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Earned The Big Ten Spot Fans Wanted Most
Week 5 brought a clearer picture of the Big Ten race, and Ohio State came out of it looking like the conference team fans expected to see at the top. The Buckeyes handled Iowa in a game that carried more weight than a typical early-season road test, adding a quality win to a rsum that is starting to separate from the pack as the league standings and the national picture begin to take shape.
The rankings around them still have plenty of movement left, with Indiana continuing to push forward, Oregon and UCLA drawing attention for different reasons, and Michigan still trying to sort out its own path. But Ohio States recent momentum is the kind that can hold up as October approaches, especially if the Buckeyes keep matching style points with results in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]