One of the main story lines of the Cotton Bowl so far has been the performance of Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State’s scintillating freshman wide receiver.
Smith, who tore apart Oregon in the Rose Bowl, has been almost shut out through three-and-a-half quarters tonight. Texas has limited him to only one catch for three yards, making Ohio State beat them elsewhere with passes to Carnell Tate, Emeka Egbuka and Gee Scott. The Buckeyes have been able to do just enough to take a 21-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Still, Smith’s output, or lack thereof, is still concerning to many.
Social media has been blowing up with fans and media members who can’t understand why OSU hasn’t force fed Smith more.
“GET THE BALL TO JEREMIAH SMITH – FLIP IT TO HIM, TOSS IT TO HIM, JUST GIVE HIM A TOUCH, GET HIM INVOLVED. HE’S THE MOST EXPLOSIVE PLAYER ON THE FIELD. ASK OREGON,” said Skip Bayless.
“Awful miss on that hold of Texas. But biggest miss of the night is Ohio State not throwing it anywhere near Jeremiah Smith. Again. This is Michigan all over again,” added OutKick’s Clay Travis.
“I must’ve missed it. Did Jeremiah Smith decide to opt out of this game?” asked podcaster Cousin Sal.
“It’s just odd that Ryan Day and Chip Kelly not setting up any plays to get Jeremiah Smith in the open field. He has 1 catch. He’s your best weapon. This really suspect,” another person added.
“Jeremiah Smith on a damn milk carton,” a fifth person chimed in.
“Jeremiah Smith has to get open if we want to win this game,” an OSU fan said succinctly.
Hey, if Ohio State can win this game even with Smith being shut down, more power to them. Fans won’t be complaining too much.
If Texas ever rallies and wins though, Ryan Day and Chip Kelly will have to answer some tough questions, especially with a loss costing them a berth in the national title game.
It should be a good ending in Arlington.
Related: Anonymous NFL Executive Gets Very Honest About Jeremiah Smith