Ohio State Must Bolster Receiving Corps Around Jeremiah Smith Before Indiana Game

Ohio State led Texas 20-3, and Jeremiah Smith was carving up the Longhorns.

Texas was the only defense that had shut him down in two previous meetings, where he caught a combined seven passes for 46 yards, including a career-low 3 yards on one catch in the College Football Playoff semifinal two seasons ago.

Midway through the third quarter Saturday, his father, Chris Smith , sent a text message.

"God is good."

Two minutes later, Smith caught a 43-yard pass in traffic to convert a third-and-10. His total jumped to 164 yards on eight catches, more than triple his output in the previous two games against the Longhorns. Ohio State pulled away, and Smith was making his early-season case for the Heisman Trophy.

A time zone away, Brian Hartline was fresh off his first win as USF's head coach. The man who recruited and coached Smith for two years as Ohio State's receivers coach was watching, too.

"That's what he does," Hartline said in a text message. "Looks bigger and faster."

It was the last pass Smith caught all night.

After that big third-quarter gain, he went quiet. Texas stormed back, scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and secured an improbable 24-23 victory.

Smith struggles in loss

The loss stung, and another issue emerged, too. The No. 1 Buckeyes never found anyone else who could stand tall alongside Smith.

Ohio State's reliance on Smith cuts both ways. When it works, it's deadly. When it doesn't, the offense goes quiet. The Buckeyes scored only three points in the second half.

Julian Sayin completed 12 of 16 passes for 192 yards before halftime, but was 5 of 16 for 86 yards with an interception after halftime. Smith dropped one pass early in the fourth quarter and the rest of Ohio State's wide receivers combined for two catches and 24 yards.

"I mean, when you go 2 for 12 in the second half throwing the football, there's not a rhythm in the pass game," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday, using a count that left out a few snaps in the final seconds.

Smith's workload has increased since last season. Pro Football Focus data shows he's been targeted on 42% of his routes, up from 29% last season. His average target travels 16.1 yards downfield, nearly 5 yards deeper than last year. His catch rate has fallen from 82% to 64%.

Smith drew 16 of Ohio State's 30 targets on Saturday, too.

How Ohio State approaches the problem is critical in determining whether the Buckeyes return to the CFP. Last season, Smith had help. Carnell Tate caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns, and Pro Football Focus' passer rating for OSU's quarterbacks when targeting Tate (151.8) was higher than when targeting Smith (149.3). Tate wasn't as explosive as Smith, but he was just as reliable.

Other targets for Buckeyes

Tight end Max Klare, the team's third-leading pass catcher last season, drew 55 targets. He's gone. Ohio State's tight ends have eight targets combined this season.

"So we've got to get other guys involved," Day said. "We've got to take some pressure off of Jeremiah, be consistent in the run game and then find ways to spread the ball out. That's definitely part of where we've got to go moving forward."

Ohio State had an embarrassment of riches at receiver in the first half of the 2020s, with Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tate providing a revolving door of elite, blue-chip talent and top-tier production.

Devin McCuin showed against Ball State what he can do when the ball finds him with six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, but he caught one of three targets for 5 yards against the Longhorns. Freshmen Chris Henry Jr. , who caught a touchdown pass in the opener, and Brock Boyd weren't targeted against Texas on a combined 21 snaps. Henry Jr. was rated the nation's No. 2 receiver in the class of 2026, per 247Sports.

Brandon Inniss , a senior many at Ohio State hoped would be more reliable this season, caught one pass for 19 yards.

Most of Ohio State's chunk plays in the first half came against zone coverage, but Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp switched hats at halftime, bringing more pressure while relying on man coverage. The plan worked.

Ohio State still had its opportunities. Clinging to the lead late in the fourth quarter, Ohio State called a fade to Smith on third-and-4 to ice the game. A Texas cornerback rode him toward the sideline, and the pass fell incomplete at the 2-yard line. The aggressive call, and yet another tell of Ohio State's reliance on Smith, led to a missed field goal and allowed Texas to get back on the field and win the game.

"Yeah, I absolutely own that," Day said of the call.

Miss that will linger

The miss that will linger came with 8:20 left in the third quarter. Texas blew a coverage in the middle of the field, and McCuin broke free for what would have been a touchdown. With pressure coming from his right on second and 10, Sayin sailed the throw over McCuin's head. A completion would have stretched the lead to 27-3 and likely iced the game.

"I ended up missing him high and, you know, I want that one back for sure," Sayin said.

Any coach would love to have Smith on their roster, but for Ohio State, it's now clear that finding a second and third option in the passing game matters more. Hartline said this summer that Smith is "by far, in my mind, the best player in the country." Every defensive coordinator on the schedule has reached the same conclusion, and you can bet they'll glean information from Texas' game plan.

Three days after the loss, Day faced an onslaught of questions about the offense, the lack of a reliable second option behind Smith and the plan for the future.

"I think any of us, if we were playing quarterback, when you look at Jeremiah, even when he's covered, he's probably open, which worked for a majority of the game," Day said. "Listen, when, when you're that late in the game and the game's on the line, when you're in one-on-one situation, if we don't throw the ball to Jeremiah, the question would be, 'Why didn't we go to him?'"

Ohio State will be favored in its next four games, starting Saturday against Kent State , before an Oct. 17 trip to Bloomington to face reigning national champion Indiana . That is four weeks to develop a second option.

Smith did his part in Austin. Ohio State needs another receiver to make the next defense pay for noticing.

Now thriving in its third decade, Bucknuts.com is THE leading brand when it comes to coverage of Ohio State athletics. With the most experienced and trusted staff in the market, the site provides comprehensive news, analysis and insight ideally suited for Buckeyes enthusiasts. Recruiting. Team coverage. Community. There's no better place for an Ohio State fan to be than Bucknuts.com. Join today!

Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ohio-state-wr-jeremiah-smith-buckeyes-indiana/)._