Jeremiah Smith gave a glimpse of his potential in his debut, suggesting he might meet the high expectations placed on him at Ohio State.
The freshman receiver stood out on Saturday, leading the team with six catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. His performances showed his unique skill of finding open spaces even when it seemed unlikely. The No. 2 Buckeyes defeated Akron 52-6.
Coach Ryan Day, who has seen many talented receivers, was impressed by Smith. Smith became the first Ohio State freshman to catch two touchdown passes in a season opener since 1996.
“He’s built differently, just with his approach,” Day said. “You can see his size (6 foot 3, 215 pounds) and speed, but usually, someone with that kind of talent lacks discipline and focus.
“Sometimes he seems almost unreal, but he’s human,” Day added. “He will make a few early mistakes, but not many.”
The first pass thrown to Smith, on Ohio State’s first series, was a drop (Smith later said he was glad to get that out of the way). He improved significantly from that point.
Later in the first quarter, Smith made a smooth catch in the end zone from a 16-yard pass by Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard.
“If he’s in a one-on-one situation, just throw it up and he’ll make a play. That’s exactly what he did,” Howard said. “I just need to give him a chance, and he’ll take care of the rest.”
Before halftime, Smith caught a 9-yard pass in the end zone while being tightly covered by cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson. His standout moment might have been a 45-yard catch in the third quarter with a defender’s hand in his face.
That catch set up a 2-yard scoring run by Quinshon Judkins, marking his first touchdown as a Buckeye after transferring from Mississippi.
