Jeremiah Smith is going to be the most important player on the field Monday night as the Ohio State Buckeyes face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Smith is already a superstar, having lit up the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the CFP. He ended that game with 103 yards and 6 receptions, also having two touchdowns.
The true freshman followed that up with arguably the most impressive performance from any wide receiver in the college ranks this season, putting 187 yards and two scores on the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinal Rise Bowl.
Texas learned from those explosive performances, and it often put two or even three defensive backs on his side of the field, resulting in just one reception. However, the Buckeyes still managed 28 points.
The attention paid to Smith is largely why CBS Sports has named him the most important player in the upcoming game.
“If there was any question of how important Smith is to Ohio State, flip on the film of the Texas defense in the Cotton Bowl. Every single snap, the Longhorns were bringing doubles, bracketing the star freshman and clouding him to keep Smith contained. In the previous two games, Smith posted 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Notre Dame is a man-heavy defense but will have to figure out alternatives against a player of Smith’s caliber,” CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah wrote.
They are not wrong either.
Expect Smith to either explode again Monday or to be so covered that the frees up both other receivers and the run game. That’ll be the main test facing a strong Notre Dame defense.
