Terry Smith tips cap to Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate in postgame press conference

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When people discuss the Penn State–Ohio State rivalry, they discuss one major discrepancy between the two sides. Throughout the years, Ohio State has been able to recruit elite receiving talent that have gone on to lead them to postseason heights Penn State could only dream of. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions have struggled to find consistency at the position at all, leading to them falling behind their biggest rival and trying to play catch-up. This problem reared its ugly in their Week 10 loss to the Buckeyes. While Penn State's offense floundered after the first half, Ohio State's offense thrived to their electrifying duo of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Both were the difference makers in the game, with over 240 combined yards between them. In his postgame press conference, all interim head coach Terry Smith could do was shower praise on them for their elite presence and performance.

"Credit to those guys. They are the two best guys in the country, just watching these guys live. And I don't mean this disrespectfully to the past Ohio State receivers, these two are better than all of them. And those guys are all good. They put it on film, and they were outstanding today. We could not cover them", he said after the game. Considering the fact that Ohio State have had players such as Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba over the past half-decade, it's scary that Smith believes both to be the best of the lot, especially when you add in the fact both have at least two more years of eligibility left. Most importantly, it offers a morbid contrast between the power Ohio State wields over its Big Ten rival and what Penn State has been unable to do to get level with the Buckeyes in any meaningful way.

When Penn State went to the transfer portal to get three elite receivers, they truly believed their offense could elevate to the next level. Instead, it has been stuck in the mud with no signs of life all season long. To put their receiving woes into perspective, their leading receiver for the game was not one of those three receivers. It was running back Nicholas Singleton, who only had 28 yards. Devonte Ross and Koby Howard were the only other two who eclipsed 20 yards. While excuses can be made about Ethan Grunkemeyer in his second career start, it is inexcusable for the receivers to not produce. The bottom line is whoever becomes the next head coach for Penn State must find a way to level the playing field and recruit guys like Smith and Tate to Happy Valley. Otherwise, this rivalry could continue to become a laughingstock.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Terry Smith tips cap to Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate in postgame press conference

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