Columbus, Ohio, is the official home of Wide Receiver U., but Pasadena, California, is where Ohio State’s pass-catching legends have made some of their biggest impacts. Jeremiah Smith added his name to the list.
The Buckeyes star Chris Carter, David Boston, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith’s performance in the 41-21 Rose Bowl Game victory against Oregon had shades of all three of Ohio State’s wide receivers.
With Boston in the 1997 Rose Bowl, Smith scored two touchdowns that helped deny his previously undefeated West Coast teammates their national championship dreams.
Now, Boston’s second touchdown against Arizona State in the 1996 season finale came with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter; Smith’s first and most important touchdown came 60 seconds into the Granddaddy of ‘Em All’s 2025 installment.
However, that 45-yard reception from Will Howard set the tone for an impressive College Football Playoff win thus far.
Another 43-yard scoring catch early in the second quarter put an exclamation point on Smith’s sensational day and effectively buried the Ducks. As Ohio State built a 24-0 lead on Smith’s second possession, then extended that advantage to 34-0, the freshman phenom’s contributions weren’t needed much in the second half.
If the 112th Rose Bowl Game had played more like the 109th, when Ohio State and Utah went to the wire in a 48-45 shootout, perhaps Jeremiah Smith would have seen as much work as Smith-Njigba’s Granddaddy a record-setting 347 yards. 15 reception.
As it stands Wednesday, Smith left Pasadena with a different Rose Bowl record: His 187 yards on seven catches set a freshman game record.
The previous owner was another Buckeye, naturally. Chris Carter went for 172 yards in 1985.
For the record, Carter also gave Smith a resounding endorsement on social media, writing: “The best WR in college football wears #4.”
And with the No. 4 seed playing its best football at the end of what has been a spectacular rookie season, the No. 8 seed in the playoff bracket looks like the best team in college football.
In playoff wins over Tennessee and Oregon, the Buckeyes averaged 22.5 points per game. Smith cleared 100 yards in both and scored four of his 14 touchdowns on the season in the postseason win.
Never mind writing his name into Ohio State’s Rose Bowl game history: Smith becomes one of the most notable contributors to the Buckeyes’ national championship annals, a legacy that has seen only eight teams claim crowns in program history.
While the similarities that will be made between Smith and those who preceded him like Boston, Carter, or Smith-Njigba are undeniable, the current Buckeye is creating his own legacy. Ohio State coach Ryan Day explained after the Oregon game:
“Whether it’s players or coaches, it’s easy for everyone … don’t put him in a box, but categorize him based on who he’s been,” Day said. “Jeremiah belongs to him. And I think the way he’s come in from the moment he left, he’s had a look in his eyes that he wants to make an impact as a freshman.”
It’s fair to say that Smith did more than make an impact and instead set the standard. Whether it’s three years since Smith-Njigba’s record-setting day against Utah, nearly 30 years since the Boston Warriors vs. Arizona State, or for 40 years when another Ohio State student perhaps puts up a Rose Bowl welcome sign, Jeremiah Smith’s name will be used. among the Buckeyes’ all-time champions.