There is one good reason why Notre Dame has a chance to win the College Football Playoffs championship. But the Ohio State Buckeyes erase it with one player: freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Scrappiness gives the Irish a puncher’s chance in the underdog role. But simple grit and willpower won’t affect the Buckeyes’ super-talented wideout. And Smith will blast the Irish for a pair of scores and over 100 yards receiving.
How good is Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith?
Well, maybe he’s not as good as the bonkers claim by ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky that Smith would be picked No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft if he was eligible. But for this moment, game — and more specifically, the matchup — Smith will be Notre Dame’s unquestioned biggest issue.
As Smith so pointedly noted recently, the Irish are heavy in man coverage. And Smith said that’s an open door for a standout game, according to espn.com.
“If you are going to play man against Ohio State, be ready,” Smith said. “I can’t wait to put on a show.”
Texas made sure Smith didn’t have a chance to get loose in the semifinals. And while the Longhorns made it close against the Buckeyes, the strategy ultimately failed.
“(Texas) doubled, tripled me,” Smith said. “It’s frustrating, but being a decoy helped us win the game.”
Smith’s numbers speak for themselves. He has 71 receptions for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. And he’s averaging 17.3 yards per catch.
Of course, the Irish defense is no slouch. It leads the nation in pass efficiency defense. Their 99.50 season rating is five points ahead of second-place Texas. Also, the Irish leads the nation with 32 takeaways. Notre Dame certainly has Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s attention. Kelly said Notre Dame has a well-coordinated unit, according to kget.com.
“You’ve just got to be impressed,” Kelly said. “As a football guy, you’ve got to sit back and say, wow, that’s pretty good. They do some really good things. It’s going to be a heck of a matchup on Monday night.”
However, Smith is a unique talent. Think Randy Moss. He’s that kind of talent that Moss showed at the college level. The only scheme to stop him is what Texas did. And if a defense isn’t willing to do that? They’ll pay in yards and touchdowns for the Buckeyes.
QB Will Howard likes chances with one-on-one covered Smith
“He’s one of the most talented dudes I’ve been around … you always want to try to get him the ball,” the Buckeyes quarterback said. “But he can also take out two or three guys at a time [as a decoy], and sometimes that’s a good thing.”
To Smith’s credit, he said winning is foremost. And he doesn’t mind helping the team win in the same way he did against Texas.
“If I’ve got to be a decoy in this game, I’ll be a decoy,” Smith said. “All I want to do is win.”
Irish defensive back Leonard Moore said the Irish will do their thing.
“A lot of teams have went to the zone mindset when playing them,” Moore said. “But I think that going into this game we’re not going to change who we are. We’re going to play man coverage like we do every week. We’re going to go out there and challenge their receivers.”
Uh. Good luck, Irish. ☘️
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