Jeremiah Smith leads Ohio State with spectacular performance in the Rose Bowl

PASADENA, Calif. – It’s only been 14 games, but Ohio State University offensive coordinator Chip Kelly had already seen enough of receiver Jeremiah Smith to make his statement.

“He’s the best receiver in the country and he showed it tonight,” Kelly told USA TODAY Sports.

It’s hard to argue.

As the College Football Playoff stretch grows, the Buckeyes’ freshman receiver continues to shine. His most recent performance – a dominant performance against top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl to propel his team to the semifinals. He finished the night with seven catches for 187 yards — a career-high that broke the school record for most receiving yards by a freshman in a game — and two touchdowns. He was named offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl.

It only took three games for his impact to be felt on Wednesday. Smith took a short throw from quarterback Will Howard and evaded several tacklers before jogging into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown.

As he made his way to the end zone, he held up a peace sign, signaling the Oregon crowd to be quiet, and they did so whenever No. 4 got his hands on the ball.

Smith did it the way he wanted. He won one-on-one matchups against a top-10 pass defense and maneuvered his way through the secondary to get wide open for big plays. Every time Howard threw the ball in Smith’s direction, you could feel the impending doom that awaited the Oregon fans and the anticipation of celebrating for the Scarlet and Gray.

What’s even more impressive about Smith’s performance is that he did most of his damage in the first half. Smith had five catches for 161 yards as Ohio State held a comfortable 34-8 lead at halftime while Oregon totaled just 131 yards.

It’s a tough run for Smith, as a loss to Michigan knocked the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten title game. Through two playoff games, Smith has now recorded 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns as Ohio State has faced two of the best defensive units in the country.

There may have been extra incentive for Smith to perform against Oregon. Ahead of the Rose Bowl, he recalled the disappointment of the one-point loss to the Ducks in October and how that experience positively influenced Wednesday’s performance.

“We knew we had to get the ball to the perimeter, make shots and win one-on-one duels, and we did that,” Smith said.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning showed off Smith’s skills in that first meeting as he had nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Now that he’s seen Smith mess up his defense again, Lanning believes he’s ready for the next level – even if he has to wait two more seasons.

“He’s strong, attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve ever seen. The guy is NFL ready. He’s so talented and so special,” Lanning said. “He has all the tools. A really talented player.”

There’s a certain irony in that Ohio State is full of veterans and transfers lured by name, image and likeness, but it’s a true freshman who sets the tone in the postseason.

But that was the feeling Buckeyes coach Ryan Day had when Smith first stepped onto campus.

You just don’t happen to be the best recruit in the country. Day said Smith has a serious demeanor and isn’t the type to talk much, but when he speaks up, “people listen.”

“He felt like he wanted to make a difference as a freshman,” Day said.

It’s clear that Smith has maturity, responsibility and confidence. He remembered telling Howard, who was having his own big day with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns, to just get the ball to him and the other receivers and they would make the play for him.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a bad ball or not, we’re going to make our quarterback look good,” Smith said.

Ohio State has been a cottage industry producing outstanding receivers in recent years. Smith is looking for someone who will be in the 2027 NFL Draft. Until then, Buckeyes fans have the rest of these playoffs and more time to marvel at their new star.

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Jeremiah Smith leads Ohio State with spectacular performance in the Rose Bowl

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