Jan. 18—ATLANTA — It was a game unlike any other this season for Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith when Texas held him to one catch in OSU’s 28-14 win in a College Football Playoff semifinal by double-teaming him and at times triple-teaming him.
When Smith looked ahead to Monday’s national championship game against Notre Dame during media day on Saturday for that game he said he “can’t wait to put on a show,” but that winning the game is the thing that matters most.
Smith has 71 catches for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. In Ohio State’s first two playoff games against Tennessee and Oregon, he had 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns.
“I’m not selfish. All I want to do is win,” he said. “If that’s what it takes — for me to be a decoy — that’s what I’ll do. It was frustrating but being a decoy helped win the game (against Texas).”
Quarterback Will Howard said, “Obviously after the first two rounds of the playoffs, we knew he was going to draw some attention in that game. They did pretty much everything they could in the Cotton Bowl to eliminate him and not let him beat them. I thought our other guys stepped up really well.
“There are ways to get him the ball. You’ve just got to scheme it up and figure out different ways to attack it.”
Some of the other top quotes from media day:
Ryan Day about the highs and lows of coaching college football at the highest level: “I say to my wife all the time, we signed up for it. It’s the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This game will take you to your knees and give you some of the greatest experiences in the world, and that’s it. Not a lot of people get to experience those highs and lows and you have to manage the tough times and enjoy the good ones, and that’s it.”
Howard about the bump that appeared on the back of his left hand during the game against Texas: “The hand is good. It’s just a weird bruise thing on my hand. It didn’t hurt at all. It just looked terrible. I didn’t even realize it until after the TV realized that my hand was pretty blown up.”
Defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau on he and Jack Sawyer combining for 10 sacks in three playoff games: “We knew during this playoff run we had to be on our “A” game. We had to elevate. It’s a tribute to Coach (Larry) Johnson, to Coach (Jim) Knowles, to Coach (Ryan) Day for continuing to push us and trust us and it’s just now we’re showing what we’re capable of.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman on Jeremiah Smith: “You know, it’s not just one thing you can do to defend Jeremiah Smith. He’s one of the best receivers I’ve ever seen in the college football game at a young age. He’s a dynamic football player. He’s physically a big presence, but he can run and he can catch.
“You’re going to have to do some different things to try to keep him off balance but also keep the rhythm of the quarterback off balance,” he said.
Sawyer on sophomore All-American safety Caleb Downs: “Caleb Downs is a phenomenal player. One of the best I’ve been around. We joke around. We call him the co-DC (defensive coordinator) because of how smart he is. He sees things and reacts so fast. He brings a different element. We have seen it since day one. We knew Caleb would be a great player and he hasn’t been anything short of that.”
Sawyer on Ohio State having five players on its roster from his hometown of Pickerington: “It’s awesome. It’s special. People say there’s something in the water there.”
Howard about TreVeyon Henderson: “He’s one of the most underrated guys in college football. That dude is an explosive guy when he gets the ball in his hands.”
Notre Dame freshman running back Jeremiyah Love on the favorite thing he bought with NIL money: “My favorite NIL purchase? I would say my car. I bought a car over the summer, gave it to my mom, a Porsche. My mom has it now. It’s hers now basically. I have another car that I drive.”
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