Texas' HC Steve Sarkisian Raves About Buckeyes' Star Ahead of Week Two Matchup
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If there is anyone who has had success covering Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, it is Texas and their head coach, Steve Sarkisian.
Smith has pretty much torn up every single school in the country, but the one that he has struggled against is the Longhorns. In two games against Texas, Smith has seven catches for 46 yards and zero touchdowns.
That statline includes a 1-catch for a three-yard game in the College Football Playoff Semifinal back in 2024.
The flipside to this is that in those games, the other wide receivers have stepped up, and in both cases, that guy was Carnell Tate. In the Semifinal, Tate went for 7 catches for 87 yards, and then in last year's week one, Tate had two catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Sarkisian's team has largely done a nice job against the potent passing attack that is Ohio State's. He was asked on Monday how he handles Smith, along with the Buckeyes' attack.
He said, "He (Smith) garners your attention, and he deserves our attention. He's arguably the best player in college football. The challenge is with him is the size, speed, and catch radius. He is a big, physical guy who can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time… You can feel his presence on the field… You have to have a plan, but when you have a plan, you just can't throw fastballs… We've got to be able to mix our pitches up."
Reporter: “Limiting Jeremiah in the two games you’ve played…”
Steve Sarkisian: pic.twitter.com/xymBu695NU
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) September 7, 2026
He continued on and on about Smith, and it is worth listening to the 100-second clip, but what he said is absolutely true, and it backs up how Texas has handled him over the past two years.
One of the biggest things that his teams have done against Ohio State is that they have mixed up coverages and approaches constantly. They have had the guys throw man-to-man coverage at Ohio State, then switch it the very next play and play a different zone.
He has been content with letting other players beat the Longhorns, and to this point, they have.
For Ohio State, this opens the conversation around two players:Julian Sayin and Devin McCuin. These two players need to play their best on Saturday against Texas for the Buckeyes to win.
McCuin showed against Ball State that he is absolutely the No. 2 wide receiver on this roster. Saturday will be a major step up in class for McCuin. Throughout his career, he has taken a step back against the top competition while at UTSA. Saturday is his opportunity to flip that script.
For Sayin, this is his chance to wash the last two games of 2025 down the drain. Truthfully, he didn't play well last year against Texas, but that game was acceptable; it was his very first start at Ohio State.
He needs to do his best. He needs to process quickly, make smart decisions with the ball, and take full advantage of opportunities when they arise.
Saturday's showdown will be one for the ages, the Buckeyes need to be ready to roll.
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