The 111th annual Rose Bowl Game and College Football Playoff (CFP) quarterfinal game displayed the talents of a rising star in freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. His record-breaking performance helped the Ohio State Buckeyes upset the undefeated and top-seeded Oregon Ducks 41-21.
“The way that [Smith has] come in from the get go, he had a look in his eye that he wanted to make an impact as a freshman,” said Ohio State quarterback Ryan Day. “He comes in serious, he doesn’t say a whole lot but when he does, people listen.”
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard connected with him on the third play of the game, sending Smith a 45-yard bomb. Smith eased into the endzone and the Buckeyes never looked back. By the end of the first quarter, Ohio State was up 14-0 and Smith compiled 118 reception yards.
Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning said that Smith is “NFL ready.”
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“He attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve seen,” Lanning said. “(Ohio State quarterback) Will Howard did a great job of getting the ball to him tonight. [Smith is] tough to defend, he’s physical, he’s got all the tools.”
He finished the day leading the Buckeyes with seven catches for 187 yards for two touchdowns, breaking a 40-year-old single-game record for the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl Game. The previous record was held by Cris Carter who had 172 yards against the USC Trojans in 1985.
The Ducks and the Buckeyes met earlier in the season where Ohio State lost to Oregon 31-32.
“We went through a lot of tough conversations after that game and a lot of changes we had to make,” Smith said. “We talked about execution . No matter what, no matter who’s across the ball, do your job.”
The Miami Gardens, Florida native was the top-ranked athlete of the nation as a senior in high school. MaxPreps named him Player of the Year in Florida. As a senior in Chaminade-Madonna Prep, he led their football team to a state championship with his 88 receptions, 1,376 receiving yards, and 19 touchdowns.
During his first season with the Buckeyes, Smith amassed 1,224 catching yards and 14 touchdowns along with 52 rushing yards and one touchdown run.
The eighth-seeded Buckeyes now head to the CFP Semifinals to battle the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on January 10 at 7:30P.M.
