‘You Play Man On 4, You’re Done’ – Buckeyes React To Jeremiah Smith’s Dagger Versus Notre Dame

The Buckeyes were facing a third-and-11 from their own 34-yard line with 2:45 left in Monday night’s National Championship Game, holding on to a 31-23 lead against Notre Dame, but already having lost the momentum.

After leading 31-7 in the third quarter, the Fighting Irish had clawed back to within one score and were on the verge of forcing a punt and getting the ball back with plenty of time to tie the game.

This wouldn’t be the first time the Buckeyes would have to create their own momentum, and it wouldn’t be the first time they turned to their amazing freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to get it done.

It may have been third-and-long, but it was also “third-and-Jeremiah,” and that’s usually a pretty favorable situation.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard dropped back. The Notre Dame defense brought seven defenders to try and stop the play before it ever went anywhere. The five Buckeye offensive linemen held up their end of the bargain, and so did running back TreVeyon Henderson and tight end Will Kacmarek, who stayed in to help protect their quarterback.

Howard threw the ball deep down the field where Jeremiah Smith was running past Notre Dame sophomore cornerback Christian Gray. The ball fell into Smith’s arms around the Irish 30-yard line and he was finally tackled 20 yards later at the Notre Dame 10-yard line.

JEREMIAH SMITH DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE
pic.twitter.com/GVtQqoDKdz

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 21, 2025

The game wasn’t necessarily over, but the intents and purposes were certainly warming up.

“We felt like we had an advantage with Jeremiah on that shot, and we talked about it all week,” said Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. “We really hadn’t thrown one all game, and it was like, ‘You know what, game on the line, let’s just go. Let’s be aggressive.’ I just thought to myself, only one National Championship, you only get one opportunity a year to do this, let’s just lay it on the line and put it out there and be aggressive. And that’s what we did.”

This wasn’t a new message to the team. In fact, it was a constant refrain.

“I talked to the defensive guys and I talked to the offensive guys that we were going to continue to be aggressive throughout the game,” Day said. “I told the team that leading up to the game. And I had to make sure I followed through on that. But ultimately we have to make the plays. The protection was excellent by the offensive line, and then the throw and catch by Jeremiah and Will was special and, again, a huge play in Ohio State history.”

The Buckeyes finished that drive with a game-sealing field goal from kicker Jayden Fielding to make it 34-23 with just 26 seconds left.

For Smith, this was a very fitting cap on what was an historic season for the freshman. He finished this game with five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, but on the season he caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.

To put it another way, this was not his first big play. That’s one of the reasons none of his teammates were surprised that he was the one to be called upon to try and put the final nail in Notre Dame’s coffin.

“I already knew what was going to happen,” junior linebacker CJ Hicks said of his thoughts when the ball was in the air. “You can’t play a man on Four. You play a man on Four, you’re done.”

Standing next to Hicks in the cigar-smoke-filled locker room after the game, fellow linebacker Arvell Reese was just as confident as Hicks when the ball was in the air.

“I knew he was catching it,” Reese said. “Come on, man, come on. I knew he was catching it. I think I turned around when the ball was in the air. Honestly, I think I threw my hands up. For real.”

All-American safety Caleb Downs is no stranger to making plays, but he was powerless to do anything but watch as Howard lofted the ball from one 30-yard line to the next.

What was going through his mind?

“‘Lord, please,'” he said. “I mean, that’s all I can say. At the end of the day, it’s out of my hands when I’m not on the field and I can’t stress about nothing.”

How difficult is it to defend Jeremiah Smith in big moments?

“I mean, I wouldn’t want to be in that situation,” Downs said. “They were at zero coverage on their last play, and I get why they called it, but our OC and Coach Day made a good call. So it’s down to history now.”

Speaking as somebody who has been in those situations against Smith in practice, senior cornerback Denzel Burke knew what was about to happen when Howard released the ball.

“I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s getting that. He’s getting that,'” Burke said before adding some advice. “He has a chance to be one of the greatest ever to come through college. I would just say for him, don’t get complacent, brother. Just keep going, man. You’re great.”

Senior defensive end JT Tuimoloau had a perfect angle from the sideline as he watched the play unfold.

“The ball was in the air for so long,” he said. “I just glanced down to see what was open. I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is either a touchdown or…’ I mean, I knew he was going to catch it, but I was like, ‘Look, it can either be a touchdown or he gets close,’ so I watched him catch it, turned around, and I said, ‘Look, we did it.'”

For those on the field, however, they had a bit of a different perspective, including senior receiver Emeka Egbuka.

What was going through his mind when the ball was in the air?

“I was a little preoccupied, you know, running my own route,” he chuckled.

Then, like the leader he has been for most of his career, Egbuka made sure his team was ready to finish the job.

“When I saw him catch it, I was definitely feeling a lot of things, but complacent was not one of them,” he said. “I wanted to finish the game the right way. So everyone was kind of celebrating, but I was just getting on the team, making sure we were able to get the snap, not turn the ball over. And then once the game finally ended, I was able to release.”

On a team loaded with seniors who all came back to win a national championship, at the end of the game, it was true freshman Jeremiah Smith who was called upon to seal the deal.

And each one of those seniors knew exactly what was about to happen when the ball was in the air.

“It’s ‘Bomb squad,'” said senior safety Jordan Hancock. “He’s gonna come down with it every time.”

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