Jeremiah Smith's eye-opening Ohio State warning to Notre Dame ahead of CFP Final
Yesterday at 12:45 PM
Ohio State football wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is making a bold statement, heading into the College Football Playoff championship. Smith is hungry to have a big game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
“If you are going to play man [to-man defense] against Ohio State, be ready,” Smith said, per ESPN. “I can’t wait to put on a show.”
Smith’s already had a terrific freshman season for Ohio State. The wideout posted 71 receptions for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has continued those great performances in the CFP. Smith had seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon alone.
In the CFP semi-finals against Texas, Smith was held to just one catch for three yards.
“You watch the film — they doubled, tripled me,” Smith added. “It’s frustrating, but being a decoy helped us win the game.”
Ohio State and Notre Dame play Monday night, for all the marbles.
Ohio State football enters the CFP final with good injury news
Ohio State has two defensive players ready to go in Denzel Burke and JT Tuimoloau, who were both hurt in the Texas game. Their additions are certainly good news for Ohio State’s defense.
The Buckeyes defense will welcome a big game from Smith and the Ohio State offense. The squad has had some strong games so far in the CFP, with wins over Tennessee, Oregon and Texas.
Smith had two games in this playoff with more than 100 receiving yards. Before the Oregon game, he posted 103 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee.
“He’s one of the most talented dudes I’ve been around … you always want to try to get him the ball,” Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said, per ESPN. “But he can also take out two or three guys at a time [as a decoy], and sometimes that’s a good thing.”
The Buckeyes must now come up with a plan to get Smith in space, so he can rebound from a frustrating game against Texas. Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline knows it won’t be easy to attack Notre Dame.
“What [the Irish do] they do very, very well. So for them to change up what they do, would be kind of silly,” Hartline said. “They’re really, really good players, great players on the outside. And we’re really great players on the outside, too. It’s what you want in a game of this magnitude.”
Notre Dame enters the final after posting wins over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State.
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