Jeremiah Smith runs circles around Illinois as Ohio State rolls

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In the SB Nation college football preview we identified Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as one of the 26 most important figures in the sport, stating that all that was left for him to accomplish at the collegiate level was pure dominance.

That is exactly what he did Saturday against Illinois.

The all-everything wide receiver torched the Illini secondary, hauling in eight passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns … in the first half alone. That set an Ohio State record, as he became the first player in program history to eclipse 3,000 receiving yards. By the time the game ended, a 42-19 home win for the Buckeyes, Smith had hauled in 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns, with the yardage representing a new career-high mark for the wide receiver.

Smith got the Buckeyes on the board early with this twisting adjustment to a back-shoulder throw from quarterback Julian Sayin:

Here is another look at the adjustment from Smith:

But Smith’s second touchdown of the day is the moment that will send shivers down the spines of every defensive back, not just in the Big Ten, but around the football world. Working on the right side of the formation, Smith gets into the secondary in the blink of an eye, runs by the safety on a deep route, and then runs circles around him on the way to the end zone:

Just move on to the next snap, my friend. Forget this play happened:

To be fair, sharing a third clip might not help this defender forget the play, but here is that route and touchdown from field level:

Smith closed out his historic first half with this touchdown, again showcasing his incredible ball skills:

As you watch this replay angle, notice how Smith gets his left foot down in bounds, just before the right foot touches the white paint:

The body control Smith displays on this play will have NFL scouts very, very excited. Here is another look from field level of Smith getting that left foot down:

But those scouts were probably very excited about Smith before this third touchdown of the afternoon. However, the play left Joel Klatt up in the booth almost speechless:

Smith picked up right where he left off as the second half began for Ohio State, catching a slant route and turning it into a 16-yard gain, as he inched closer to 200 receiving yards on the afternoon. But the Illinois sideline finally figured out a way to slow Smith down in the third quarter.

Do not let him see the field.

Ohio State ran just five plays in the third quarter, as the Illini held the ball for nearly the full 15 minutes during that stretch, relegating Smith, Sayin, and the rest of the Buckeyes offense to spectators with phenomenal views of the action from the sideline.

Eventually, the Illini turned the ball over on downs, and Smith’s march to 200 receiving yards continued. He pulled in a short throw on a smoke screen from Sayin and turned it into a 13-yard gain, moving to 179 yards on the afternoon.

He hit the 200 mark on his fourth touchdown of the day:

Again, this is another incredible route from Smith, who sells the defensive back on a route breaking to the inside, before driving his left foot into the turf and breaking to the outside to work himself wide open. Watch this replay angle, highlighting the route from Smith, and remember that he is listed at 6’4, 222 in Ohio State’s program:

That is elite movement and route-running.

With that catch, Smith became just the fifth Buckeye in school history with four receiving touchdowns in a single game, joining Noah Brown, Dane Sanzenbacher, Terry Glenn, and Bob Grimes.

Illinois would not go away, and a touchdown pass from Katin Houser to Ty Robinson with under seven minutes to go cut Ohio State’s lead to 35-19. The ensuing onside kick failed to travel the requisite ten yards, and the Buckeyes took over with 6:02 remaining, with a chance to salt away the victory.

Still, Smith was able to add to his tally on the day, catching an out route from Sayin to pick up another 12 yards and a fresh set of downs for Ohio State.

Ja’Kobi Jackson finished off that drive with a short touchdown run, and with the extra point, the Buckeyes were out to a 42-19 lead, which held up as the final score in Columbus.

But the story was Smith, was was the first to carry the Illibuck Trophy to midfield.

“Just played a great game,” said head coach Ryan Day about his wide receiver. “It goes back to his work ethic, and the way he practices every day. A lot of these guys here look up to him, he’s a great example not only for the young players in our program but a whole generation of kids that watch [Smith].

“He’s special.”

Dominant, even.

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