Jeremiah Smith has put his name at the top of Ohio State’s receiver ledger, and he did it early against Kent State.
The freshman entered the game needing 26 yards to pass Michael Jenkins and become the all-time leading receiver in Buckeyes history. He got there in the first quarter, on the second drive, needing only two catches to set the mark.
That kind of ascent has become normal for Smith. He has been the best player on the field in almost every game he’s played, and now the record backs it up.
Ohio State was already ahead 7-0 when he broke through, and the Buckeyes barely had to lean on him on the opening drive to get into the end zone. They finished that possession with a touchdown pass to Nate Roberts.
The record also arrived at a time when Ohio State was expected to roll. The Buckeyes needed a huge margin of victory against the Golden Flashes to keep fans satisfied, and Smith’s early milestone only made the blowout path look even more obvious. At that point, it felt like he could have sat the rest of the afternoon and Ohio State still would have won comfortably.
Even with Smith operating at this level, the Buckeyes still need more help around him. Ohio State has to find another outside target to draw some attention away from Smith, and the list of possible answers includes Devin McCuin, Brandon Inniss, Kyle Parker, and Chris Henry Jr. If the Buckeyes want to chase another national championship, Smith cannot carry the passing game on his own.
What he has already done, though, puts him in rare air. Smith is now not just the top receiver in Ohio State history, but one of the best players the program has ever had.
To add to that legacy, he’ll need a second national championship in three years, and he still has Michigan later in the year. For now, though, the moment belongs to him.
Ohio State is going to look different on offense next year when Smith heads to the NFL, and the Buckeyes will miss him. He could end up being the first overall pick in the Spring.
In Other News...
Jeremiah Smith Just Entered Rare Ohio State Receiver Company
Jeremiah Smith has already put himself in some rare Ohio State company, and the numbers behind it only underline how quickly he has become the centerpiece of the Buckeyes passing game. By moving past Michael Jenkins to become the schools all-time leading receiver, Smith added another mark to a resume that keeps growing even as he still has plenty of football ahead of him.
Smith has made clear he is not finished, either, saying he wants to chase more school records as Ohio State moves through the season. Ryan Day has been just as effusive, praising both Smiths production and the way he carries himself, and for a program that has seen its share of star wideouts, that combination is what makes this climb feel especially notable. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Have A New Fox Frustration After Another Blowout
Ohio States latest rout gave fans another chance to notice something besides the scoreboard, and it was Foxs broadcast that drew the heat this time. During the Buckeyes 59-3 win over Kent State, play-by-play voice Gus Johnson was criticized for sounding unusually flat on several big moments, an odd fit for a game that spent most of the afternoon as a one-sided showcase.
The reaction picked up after Chris Henry Jr.s touchdown catch, when Johnson described it as Henrys first score as a Buckeye. Fans also pointed to the same muted tone on other big plays, including Jamir Perezs fumble return touchdown and earlier Ohio State scores, continuing a pattern that has followed Johnson through previous Buckeyes blowouts. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Most Unexpected Touchdown Came From A Player Fans Didn't Expect
Ohio States defense got an unexpected jolt in its rout of Kent State, and it came from a player built more for clogging the middle than finding the end zone. Freshman defensive tackle Jamir Perez turned a fumble recovery into a touchdown in the 59-3 win, a rare scoring moment for a position group that usually measures success in tackles and quarterback pressure rather than points.
For a Buckeyes team that cruised through the afternoon, Perezs run to the end zone stood out as one of the games most memorable moments. Ryan Day even had a little fun afterward when the play and the celebration came up, a reminder that sometimes the biggest surprise of a lopsided game is the one nobody saw coming. [Read more 🡒]