Jeremiah Smith eyes a breakthrough vs Texas as top-ranked Ohio State meets the No. 4 Longhorns

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jeremiah Smith has terrorized opposing defenses in big games over the past two-plus seasons.

The only one Ohio State’s All-America wide receiver has not done it against is Texas.

As the top-ranked Buckeyes and No. 4 Longhorns meet Saturday for the third straight season, Smith will be looking to reach the end zone for the first time against Texas.

Ohio State won the past two meetings, but Smith was a nonfactor. He had one catch for 3 yards in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl and six receptions for 43 yards in last year’s season opener in Columbus.

“I’m always looking forward to a matchup like this. You want to play big games. So I’m always excited for the big ones,” Smith said during a television interview after last weekend's 56-3 victory over Ball State. “They are definitely loaded, have a great defense and we have to be prepared for that.”

Only the coaching staff and teammates know Smith’s thoughts on the matchup against the Longhorns’ secondary. He is not being made available to the media this week.

Quarterback Julian Sayin, who made his first collegiate start in last year’s game against then-No. 1 Texas, said several factors kept Smith in check, even though half of Sayin’s 20 pass attempts targeted him.

“Whether it’s a certain coverage or they tried to double-team him, sometimes the ball just didn’t go as well,” Sayin said. “There were opportunities last year where I could have thrown to him. I wouldn’t say they limited him in any aspect.”

Smith goes into Austin with momentum. He had eight receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns during the first half against Ball State. Smith did a Heisman pose after his 3-yard toe-tapping TD catch in the back of the end zone late in the second quarter.

The junior also hopes to continue his penchant for big performances in key games. Despite losses to Indiana in the Big Ten championship and Miami in the CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, Smith had at least seven catches and 144 yards in both games, including one catch for at least 50 yards.

During the Buckeyes’ 2024 run to the national championship, Smith had 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns during the first half of the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. He then had a 56-yard reception on third down late in the fourth quarter of the CFP title game against Notre Dame that set up a field goal to put the Buckeyes up by two scores.

“I mean it’s no mystery that when the ball is in his hands, good things happen. And so he’ll always be a part of how we game plan and what we do,” coach Ryan Day said.

Two key factors are Will Muschamp as Texas’ defensive coordinator facing Smith for the first time, and the growing chemistry between Sayin and Smith in the 54 weeks since the last Ohio State-Texas matchup.

“Coach Muschamp’s a great coach, and we all respect him, but he hasn’t called the game in a while. So there are unknowns about how it will play out and what they’ll do defensively,” Day said. “We know there’ll be a plan to stop Jeremiah. Identifying that and having contingency plans is important. Julian will be a big part of that because he has to recognize what’s going on and respond.”

Smith leads the nation in receptions (171), receiving yards (2,709) and touchdown catches (29) since entering college football in 2024. Even though Muschamp hasn’t faced Smith, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian knows what they’re up against.

“The challenge with him is the size, speed and the catch radius. He’s a big, physical guy who can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. It doesn’t always look like it, but it almost feels like it. You can feel his presence on the field,” Sarkisian said. “Because he is so strong, 50-50 catches are very difficult with him.”

Day knows other receivers must step up with more attention on Smith.

Devin McCuin had 97 yards receiving and a touchdown last week, while Brandon Inniss also can move the chains.

“We have other guys on the field, and there’s a balance we’re striking, but we all know the impact he can have on games. And when he has the impact like he’s done in other games, you see what happens to the rest of the guys,” Day said of Smith. “What makes a great player great is he makes everybody better. Jeremiah certainly does that. We’re going to work hard to make sure he has a major impact on the game.”

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