‘Ohio State Is Too Reliant on Jeremiah Smith’ — Buckeyes Called Out for ‘Chasing’ WR’s Heisman Trophy After Texas Loss

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Week 2 already gave us one of the games of the year in the highly touted matchup between Texas and Ohio State. The Buckeyes looked like they were going to dominate and cruise to an easier win than expected, until the Longhorns put together a miraculous comeback in the fourth quarter.

Now, there are questions about whether Ohio State is trying to boost the Heisman hype around star player Jeremiah Smith and whether that could be affecting the team as a whole. There could be some truth to it, or it could simply be fans and analysts overanalyzing the situation and not giving the Longhorns enough credit for pulling off a huge win in a crucial game.

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One college football analyst had this to say on Twitter:

“Jeremiah Smith is NOT a problem, but Ohio State chasing his Heisman might be:
Vs Texas:
• Smith had 15 targets, 8 rec, 164 yds, TD
• Other WRs had 5 targets, 2 rec, 24 yds
• Broadcast said Sayin wants to get Smith to NYC for the Heisman ceremony
• Texas DBs got more physical”

Jeremiah Smith has been nothing but spectacular since joining the Buckeyes two years ago, and now he’s in his third and most likely final season with the program. But are the Buckeyes putting too much emphasis on trying to get Smith the ball?

Is it because they want to boost his Heisman chances, or is it simply because the team actually needs him to have the ball in his hands as much as possible? That’s the million-dollar question.

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For the first three quarters against Texas, Smith couldn’t be stopped. Then the fourth quarter came around, and it was a completely different story.

CBS Sports college football analyst Tom Fornelli had this to say: “Jeremiah Smith is awesome, but I’m kinda wondering if maybe Ohio State is being too reliant on Jeremiah Smith.”

This kind of beats the same drum as before, acknowledging just how special a talent Smith is while also questioning whether Ohio State is becoming too reliant on his production to get them wins.

We saw some of that in the loss to Texas, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier from here. If the Buckeyes continue leaning heavily on Smith, those cracks could start to show even more as the season winds on.

247Sports took to Twitter saying: “Week 2 Heisman Frontrunner: @OhioStateFB wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ‘A loss doesn’t take Ohio State out of the playoff race, and it certainly doesn’t take Smith out of Heisman consideration.’”

Smith’s Heisman case is only getting louder after the performance he put together against the Longhorns, dominating for most of the game. But to what extent should Ohio State keep leaning on him?

If getting Smith the ball at such a high rate starts costing the team wins and, ultimately, a chance at making the CFP, I’m sure the Buckeyes would trade his Heisman candidacy for another shot at winning a championship.

One Ohio State fan said on Twitter: “Jeremiah Smith thrust himself into 2nd place with a huge performance, but THIS was his Heisman moment. Chance to seal the game & put himself front and center for the award. MJ thrived in these moments & that’s who JJ wants to be. He won’t miss the next one.”

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Smith had Heisman moments all throughout the Texas game, but this fan highlighted one play in particular where he could have come down with a difficult touchdown catch. It was a good play by the defense and certainly no easy catch to make.

Still, this adds to the bigger question of just how much Smith needs to do for this team to come out on top against elite competition this season. The talent surrounding Smith might not be what people originally expected, and that could become a bigger issue as the season goes on. It’s fair to question with Jeremiah Smith having a PFN CFB WR Impact Score of 91.8 and the next closest receiver being an 83.2 and having 213 fewer receiving yards.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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