Jeremiah Smith keeps rewriting Ohio State’s receiver record book, and he didn’t need long to do it this time.
Entering the Buckeyes’ game against USC, Smith was only 16 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. He got there on Ohio State’s second drive in Los Angeles, hauling in a 27-yard catch and becoming the first receiver in program history with three 1,000-yard seasons.
That milestone came in just eight games, making Smith the second Ohio State receiver ever to reach 1,000 yards that quickly. Terry Glenn did it in eight games in 1995.
The latest 1,000-yard year also gives Smith the outright lead for the most such seasons in Ohio State history. He had been tied with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, but this third season moved him past both of them. Smith reached the mark in his third year as a Buckeye.
His place in the Buckeyes’ record book is already crowded with big numbers. Smith is the first 3,000-yard receiver in Ohio State history, and his career total now sits above 3,560 receiving yards. That leaves him fewer than 220 yards behind former Purdue receiver John Standeford’s Big Ten career record of 3,788 yards, a mark Standeford set over four seasons.
Ohio State’s list of 1,000-yard receivers now includes Smith three times, with his latest entry still in progress. The full group also includes Cris Carter in 1986, Terry Glenn in 1995, David Boston in 1998, Michael Jenkins in 2002, Parris Campbell in 2018, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka across the seasons listed in the program’s history.
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Ohio States Bigger Problem In Los Angeles Was Never The Freshman QB
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Missed tackles, penalties, special teams problems and defensive miscommunications all helped put Ohio State in a hole before the game could settle in. Fahey was not the reason the Buckeyes were chasing the scoreboard, and the way the first half unfolded made that plain. The more pressing concern for Ohio State was how many different areas were breaking down at once, leaving the freshman quarterback to absorb blame he never really owned. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
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The Buckeyes also had no answer for the explosive play that tilted the night, with Mark Bowman ripping off a 70-yard catch-and-run that helped put USC in position to finish the job. It was a statement win for Lincoln Riley, his first top-five victory with the Trojans, and for Ohio State it leaves a lot more to sort through than just the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Added More Fuel To Ohio States Ugly Night
USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State was already the kind of result that left a mark, but Lincoln Riley added another layer to the night in the aftermath. In his postgame press conference, the Trojans coach leaned into the idea that the satisfaction came from inside the building, not from outside approval, a fitting tone after a victory that sent Ohio State back to Columbus with plenty to sort through.
The scene around the tunnel at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was less polished. Riley and his family ran into a bottleneck on the way out, and the moment escalated into a verbal exchange in which Riley reportedly directed profanity at Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and other staff members. Former Buckeye Maurice Clarett stepped in to try to calm things down, a reminder that even after the final whistle, the emotions from a game like this can linger well beyond the field. [Read more 🡒]