Plays of the game: Revisiting Jeremiah Smith’s four touchdowns in OSU’s 42-19 win over Illinois

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Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith continued his record-setting season with a spectacular showing in the No. 7 Buckeyes’ 42-19 win over the Fighting Illini Saturday, tying the school record for four touchdown catches in one game. He is the fifth receiver to achieve this feat. Additionally, Smith boasted career-high receptions and yardage, with 12 catches for 217 yards, the first time in school history a player has had double-digit catches, four touchdowns, and at least 200 yards in a single game.

No football game is realistically a one-man show, but Smith’s performance was so brilliant that some of the game recaps read more like Wikipedia entries for Smith, listing his accolades and how they compare to school records and conference records for multiple paragraphs before ever mentioning the Xs and Os of the game. 

His numbers are perhaps made more impressive because Illinois is a good football team. Despite the final score, the Illini remained within two touchdowns for most of the game, though Smith himself seemed to have no trouble turning their defense around. That’s less about the Illini and more about Smith, whose highlight reels at times feel like something out of a Madden game. You almost have to see it happen with your own eyes to believe something like that is unfolding outside of the world of aspirational video games.  

Ryan Day said as much in his post-game press conference, remarking, “I mean, if there’s a better player in the country, it’s hard to imagine. Or even just watching him play every game this year. I think he’s taking his game to the next level this year.” 

Each of Smith’s touchdowns on Saturday was impressive for different reasons, and while there were certainly other plays worth noting on both sides of the ball, including rushing touchdowns from Ja’Kobi Jackson and Julian Sayin and some big defensive plays, we’re keeping the focus on the man of the hour this week, ranking each of his touchdowns after a performance that solidified his standing as the Heisman frontrunner. 

No. 4: His opening drive touchdown 

Smith has a tendency to make even hard things look easy, and the first touchdown of the day was no exception. It’s not the flashiest look, but it put the Buckeyes on the board early and set the tone for the day. 

On 2nd and 5 from the Illinois 7-yard line, Sayin connected with Smith in the corner of the end zone, who got in front of Illinois’ Juice Clarke to make the catch. It was standard fare for the Buckeyes’ star duo in a day where Sayin, for his part, was on the throwing end of all of Smith’s touchdowns and threw for 367 yards on 36 attempts. 

No. 3: The grab that tied the school record

Smith tied the school record for four touchdowns in a game on a reception that, had it not involved the record books, would have looked to be business as usual. With just over 10 minutes on the game clock, Smith kept himself pretty open, nabbing a 26-yard catch from Sayin in the corner of the end zone. 

With this catch, Smith needs just one more touchdown this season to tie Chris Olave’s school record for most career touchdowns, two to beat it. It’s not unreasonable to think Smith will not just beat Olave’s record but will end the season with a final number that will remain untouched for a very long time. 

No. 2: The 72-yard okie-doke

Smith and Sayin followed the opening drive touchdown with a repeat performance on the second drive of the game. Many good encores benefit from a little flair to make them memorable, and the duo delivered in fine fashion here with a 72-yard touchdown, Smith’s longest reception of the day. 

The catch came with about three-and-a-half minutes left in the first quarter, giving the Buckeyes an early 14-0 lead over the Illini. Smith’s route left Illinois defensive back Mac Resetich dazed and confused, turning him around a couple of times as Smith made his way into the end zone. 

No. 1: The toe-tap 

It is touchdowns like this that make Jeremiah Smith the greatest player in college football. On a contested catch, Smith managed to tap his left foot down to score the touchdown before landing out of bounds. His footwork and agility are second to none, and this catch is one to add to the file on why he deserves the Heisman. 

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