Jeremiah Smith admits one thing that the Texas Longhorns will definitely be taking note of for when they play at Ohio State
Many major college football programs start the season with a soft opener or two—but that won’t be the case for the Ohio State Buckeyes. They’ll host the Texas Longhorns in Week 1 on Aug. 30. It will mark the beginning of the Arch Manning era for Texas, while Ohio State is expected to start Julian […]
Many major college football programs start the season with a soft opener or two—but that won’t be the case for the Ohio State Buckeyes. They’ll host the Texas Longhorns in Week 1 on Aug. 30.
It will mark the beginning of the Arch Manning era for Texas, while Ohio State is expected to start Julian Sayin at quarterback.
In a rematch of last season’s Cotton Bowl—won by Ohio State 28–14—star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is preparing for what could unfold differently this time around.
Jeremiah Smith admits he got in his head against Texas in the College Football Playoff
Smith was held to just one catch for three yards in the playoff game against Texas—his most frustrating performance of the season. Though the Buckeyes won, Smith was often used as a decoy, drawing heavy defensive attention.
“I know I’m going to get probably a lot of double or triple coverage, I should say,” Smith said of his mindset going into this season, via 10TV’s Adam King. “Just staying in the game—I feel like I didn’t really do that when we played Texas last year. I was getting in my head because I wasn’t getting the ball as much. Just being a great teammate, allowing my teammates to eat—that’s all I can say about that.”
Ohio State has the talent around Smith to make defenses pay for focusing too much on him. Carnell Tate is a legitimate 1,000-yard threat as the No. 2 option, while Brandon Inniss is stepping into a bigger role. Sophomore Mylan Graham and freshman Quincy Porter could also work their way into the rotation.
And that’s not to mention the Buckeyes’ addition of standout Purdue transfer tight end Max Klare via the portal. If defenses manage to bottle up Smith, there’s no shortage of playmakers to keep the offense rolling.
Expect Texas to take a similar defensive approach this time around—forcing someone other than Smith to beat them. You can just about take that to the bank. Whether it works again, though, remains to be seen.
‘It was super close’ – Big Ten star defender who Ohio State will see this year admits he was nearly a Buckeye
He could have been a Buckeye.
