Jeremiah Smith keeps forcing Ohio State into a simple, uncomfortable truth: sometimes the easiest answer is still the right one.
After another big day in a 45-16 win over Maryland, the Buckeyes’ junior receiver moved within two touchdowns of Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten record of 39 career receiving scores. Smith finished with four catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and now Ohio State may need him to keep rolling when it heads to Indiana for what could be the season’s most anticipated regular-season game.
The timing matters. Smith has been the most dominant player in college football through six games, and he’s sitting atop the Heisman Trophy betting odds. Ohio State, meanwhile, is 5-1 and staring at a second-half stretch that leaves little room for error if it wants a College Football Playoff berth.
That’s why the trip to Bloomington feels so important, and why Smith looms so large.
The Buckeyes have pieces elsewhere. The run game has flashed.
Other receivers have made plays. The pass rush and linebacker group have had their moments, too.
But Indiana’s secondary has become more vulnerable since cornerback D’Angelo Ponds moved on to the NFL, and that gives Ohio State a clear place to attack.
LeBron James saw the same thing Saturday, posting on X during the Maryland game: “Throw it to 4 (Smith),”
Ohio State has still tried to broaden the offense around quarterback Julian Sayin. Coach Ryan Day and his staff have worked on building chemistry with other targets, and there have been signs it can matter.
Devin McCuin turned in an 80-yard outing at Iowa. Nate Roberts hauled in a 68-yard touchdown against Maryland.
But there have been misses, too.
Sayin left McCuin stranded on a potential game-ending touchdown in the Week 2 loss at Texas. He missed McCuin again at Iowa, instead throwing to Smith into triple coverage. Against Maryland, he didn’t see Brock Boyd running down the seam and went to Smith in the flat.
Even so, Ohio State keeps finding ways to win.
Smith’s presence at Texas nearly helped erase the Buckeyes’ fourth-quarter mistakes. At Iowa, he turned a catch against three defenders into a 54-yard gain. Against Maryland, he took a short throw 33 yards to the end zone.
That’s the part defenses have to solve, and so far no one has. Sayin’s rough edges are obvious enough that NFL teams will pick at them when he’s draft-eligible. But at Ohio State, Smith keeps making the debate feel secondary.
Now it’s Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines who has to wrestle with that problem. The Hoosiers, like USC, Oregon and the other opponents still ahead on Ohio State’s schedule, will try to take Smith out of the game.
The bigger question is whether that’s even possible.
And if Haines chooses to live with Smith while shutting down everyone else, the Buckeyes may get the answer to an even more dangerous question: does it matter when one player is good enough to carry you past championship-caliber teams?
In Other News...
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With college football now split across a maze of broadcast windows and streaming packages, Ohio State fans looking to catch todays game have a few different paths to choose from. The latest rundown lays out the major services carrying games this season, including DIRECTV MySports, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and Fox One, with an eye toward which one gives viewers the best mix of price and channel access.
For fans trying to keep costs down, the useful part is not just knowing where the game is, but which bundle is the least painful way in. The guide compares monthly pricing, trial offers and availability so viewers can sort through the clutter without overpaying, which matters more every week as college football moves deeper into the season and the viewing options keep multiplying. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Freshman RBs Shrinking Role Now Carries A Bigger Concern
Legend Beys role has already thinned out for Ohio State, with the freshman running back not appearing in the last two games after seeing only limited work earlier in the season. For a Buckeyes backfield that leans on depth and reliability, any young player who slips out of the rotation quickly becomes a storyline worth watching, especially when the season is still in its early stretch.
Beys situation has taken on a more serious edge because of reports tying him to a speeding citation and an alleged eviction over unpaid rent. It remains unclear whether those off-field issues are connected to his reduced playing time, and the coaching staff has not confirmed any link, which leaves the situation unresolved even as the concern around it continues to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Now Gets The Undefeated Indiana Showdown Everyone Feared
Indiana did not make things easy on itself at Nebraska, but the defending national champions did what winning teams do and found a way to stay perfect. Josh Hoover delivered the biggest throws of the night, hitting Nick Marsh for two fourth-quarter touchdowns after Nebraska had briefly threatened to spoil the evening with a late Anthony Colandrea scoring run. The result kept Indianas win streak rolling and preserved the unbeaten record that has made every week feel like a test.
Now comes the game Ohio State has had circled for some time, the one that will tell a lot about how real this Indiana run is. The Hoosiers head into that matchup still unbeaten, still carrying the pressure that comes with being the champs, and still looking like a team that can survive ugly stretches and win anyway. For the Buckeyes, it is the kind of showdown that brings the stakes up fast, especially with Indiana arriving in Columbus with momentum and no blemishes. [Read more 🡒]