Ryan Day Takes Urban Meyer’s Advice to Fix Major Jeremiah Smith Problem

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Ohio State’s passing game has a Jeremiah Smith problem, and it is not because Smith is doing anything wrong. The Buckeyes have become far too dependent on him, and Texas exposed exactly what happens when defenses force someone else to beat them. After the 24-23 collapse, Ryan Day finally admitted the rest of the WR room needs to start producing, essentially confirming the warning Urban Meyer had been sounding before the game.

“Between Devin, Brandon, Brock, and Chris, we’ve got to get that going,” Ryan Day told reporters viaBuckeye Insiders. “We know now that we’ve got a big month ahead of us here, going into the bye week. So, this next month, we’ve got to build chemistry there. I thought there were a couple of really good things at practice today. Some guys stepped up and made some plays, so that’ll be important.”

That matters because Jeremiah Smith was carrying almost the entire passing game against Texas. He finished with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown, but Ohio State became more dependent on him as the game wore on. Once Texas started shading extra attention his way, the rest of the WR room gave the Longhorns little reason to change course. Early on, though, that formula looked unstoppable.

Ohio State got Jeremiah Smith involved early against Texas after he had been kept relatively quiet in the teams’ previous meetings. He had six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown before halftime, including an 18-yard grab between two defenders in the end zone that pushed the Buckeyes ahead 20-3.

Ohio State's offense has some work to do beyond their star receiver. Subscribe for more interesting stories.

On one possession, Julian Sayin came under pressure and found Jeremiah Smith for a 43-yard completion. The play helped set up a field goal. It was another reminder of why the QB kept counting on Smith. And that’s also where the problem begins once Texas adjusted and tightened the coverage around him. He didn’t catch a pass in the fourth quarter while Ohio State managed just 150 total yards in the second half.

Ohio State does not need Jeremiah Smith to become less dangerous. It needs everyone else to become dangerous enough that defenses cannot build their plan around stopping him. Urban Meyer had already warned about that before the Texas game. On Sept. 9, he described Smith as a “big play waiting to happen” but explained how defenses can limit the damage by giving him extra attention.

“You can roll up on Jeremiah Smith and two-for-one him and kind of keep him in front,” he said on The Stampede. “He’s going to make some catches, but you just don’t want to leave him by himself out there very often because I know all good offenses and you have a guy like that, you get individual coverage.”

That’s what happened in the Texas upset. The Longhorns eventually did what Urban Meyer had described. Jeremiah Smith still produced a huge night, but Ohio State’s other WRs largely didn’t. Outside of Smith, they combined for only two receptions. Brandon Inniss finished with one catch for 19 yards. Devin McCuin had one reception for five yards. Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd are still young, while Kyle Parker has yet to become a consistent part of the rotation.

After the game, Urban Meyer also pointed to Ohio State’s inability to get a defensive stop during Texas’ comeback. The Longhorns opened their first touchdown drive of the second half with a 15-play, 91-yard march that lasted nearly six and a half minutes. But the offensive lesson may linger longer.

Jeremiah Smith proved again that he can wreck a game. The issue is what happens when an opponent decides one player will not beat it. Ryan Day now has the bye-week stretch to find that answer.

Trending Articles

The post Ryan Day Takes Urban Meyer’s Advice to Fix Major Jeremiah Smith Problem appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos