Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith tried to warn Oregon about what the Buckeyes were going to do in the Rose Bowl
We didn’t know what version of Ohio State we were going to get in the Rose Bowl, but the Buckeyes came out just like the team that beat Tennessee last week.
Ohio State jumped out to a 34-0 lead before the Ducks found the scoreboard just before halftime, and eventually rolled to a 41-21 win.
Star freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith was the story of the first half for the Buckeyes. Smith caught five passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Earlier in the week, Smith warned Oregon that the Buckeyes would be taking shots and that’s what they did.
“I’m just laughing in my head. Why are y’all really playing man-on-man against us, or against me, I should say?” Smith said. “And when we see man [coverage] against any of our receivers, we’re going to take a shot down the field. So I’m just letting everybody know right now that if you play man Wednesday, we’re taking a shot.”
Smith finished with seven catches for 187 yards against Oregon, bringing his season total to 287 yards receiving against the Ducks this season.
The Buckeyes lit up Oregon for 500 yards of total offense. Offense was not hard to come by in the first game either, but the Buckeyes hit a different level in this one.
Smith was called for an offensive pass interference penalty late in October’s game against Oregon. It was a play that he fondly remembered leading up to this one.
“I think about that call probably every day. It was a crazy call,” Smith said on that call. “The DB was holding me. I just cleared his hands. I guess receivers can’t be physical in football anymore, but DBs can hold 10 yards, 15 yards down the field.”
Smith and the Buckeyes got the job done when it mattered most and now they move onto the semifinals where they play Texas for a spot in the National Championship.
