The last time Ohio State played in Atlanta, its star wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., was unable to finish the game. He was knocked out of the game with a concussion and Ohio State blew a two-touchdown lead to end its season.
This time around, its star wide receiver was able to finish and effectively end the game. Freshman Jeremiah Smith, on team that leaned so heavily on its seniors, won Ohio State a national title.
With 2:44 remaining and facing a third-and-11, quarterback Will Howard heaved up a pass to Smith. He knew he was getting the ball as he left the huddle and effortlessly separated from the defensive back to come down with a 57-yard reception.
Like Smith so often has, he made it look easy. The first down set up the winning points for Ohio State’s 34-23 win over Notre Dame. Ohio State was the most talented team in college football this season and in the end, it’s most talented player was a freshman.
The Buckeyes will lose a ton from this year’s team. Gone will be star seniors Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka and Lathan Ransom.
So to will be quarterback Howard, who played a near-perfect first half on Monday night. He finished the night completing 17 of his 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He added 70 yards on the ground. By the time Notre Dame’s defense finally got a stop on third down, there was 7:57 remaining in the third quarter and Ohio State led 28-7.
Notre Dame found a way to cut the deficit to 31-23 in the fourth quarter and was a third-down stop away from having a chance to tie the game.
Smith made sure that didn’t happen.
“For some reason, they wanted to go, man. Great,“ offensive lineman Luke Montgomery said. ”Good luck on number 4."
While the big reception was the deciding play, it wasn’t the only big one Smith made in the game.
On Ohio State’s opening offensive drive, Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray knew Smith was getting the ball. He still couldn’t be stopped.
Smith came in motion and stopped in the backfield for a beat. As Howard scanned the defense, Smith then reversed field and found nothing but green field turf between him and the end zone.
“He thought I was going the other way, but I wasn’t,” Smith said after the game. “Which, he looked stupid on that play, but it worked for sure.”
Many on social media pointed out how similar the score was to DeVonta Smith’s Alabama touchdown in the 2021 national championship game against the Buckeyes. Jeremiah Smith told reporters the play was put in this week after having never been repped throughout the season and was from the 2021 game.
Alabama won a national title against that Ohio State team. Because of Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes came out on top this time.
That national championship for Alabama was its most recent, as the Crimson Tide have slowly slipped away from their championship perch. DeVonta Smith, the last wide receiver to win the Heisman went on to the NFL.
Jeremiah Smith looks more than capable of matching DeVonta Smith’s feat. And probably suiting up in the NFL next season. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, Smith has two more seasons of college football.
Like Smith on offense, sophomore defensive back Caleb Downs might be the best defensive player in the country. He was a unanimous All-American this season, his first for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State could very well enter next season with the best two players in college football.
Moving forward, The Buckeyes will need a new quarterback, along with an entire new defensive line. In the secondary, Downs — perhaps the equivalent of Smith on the defensive side of the ball — is the only starter set to be back. This championship team was powered by the overwhelming veteran presence.
“We had to learn so much from this team, especially all the seniors that came back,” Smith said. “They were like big brothers to me. It’s hard to say that they’re leaving, but next year it’ll be you guys' turn to take over this team.”
This Ohio State team in represents the last of the super team era. The likes of 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama or 2021 Georgia won’t be as prevalent due to the transfer portal and NIL.
One of the players who could’ve vied to replace Howard and throw to Smith — quarterback Devin Brown — entered the transfer portal prior to Ohio State’s playoff run. He won’t have the pleasure of throwing to Smith moving forward.
In an age where there’s less total depth and elite talent is a more rare commodity, having two mega stars like Smith and Downs makes winning all the easier.
Smith finished the night with five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. Downs had five tackles. As the game became tight, the Buckeyes leaned on their star freshman to ice away the game.
Ohio State will face plenty of challengers next season. Arch Manning will take over at Texas, while Penn State returns its starting quarterback and top two running backs. Georgia, Oregon and Tennessee will all look to advance further in the College Football Playoff than they did this season.
Whoever challenges Ohio State better have some cornerbacks who can hope to stay with Smith. Notre Dame didn’t and it lost a national championship because of it.
The Buckeyes won the first iteration of the four-team College Football Playoff back in 2014. That 2015 team brought back the likes of running back Ezekiel Elliott and defensive end Joey Bosa, who were the first non-quarterbacks taken in the 2016 NFL Draft.
But that Ohio State team didn’t repeat. It went 11-1 during the regular season but missed the College Football Playoff. It’s impossible to imagine that happening in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
Especially with a monster like Smith back for Ohio State.
“I’m just ready for next season,“ Smith said. ”Ready to put on an even better show for next season.”
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