Smith wants to put on show, but winning his priority

Jan. 18—ATLANTA — It was a game unlike any other this season for Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith when Texas held him to one catch in OSU’s 28-14 win in a College Football Playoff semifinal by double-teaming him and at times triple-teaming him.

When Smith looked ahead to Monday’s national championship game against Notre Dame during media day on Saturday for that game he said he “can’t wait to put on a show,” but that winning the game is the thing that matters most.

Smith has 71 catches for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. In Ohio State’s first two playoff games against Tennessee and Oregon, he had 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns.

“I’m not selfish. All I want to do is win,” he said. “If that’s what it takes — for me to be a decoy — that’s what I’ll do. It was frustrating but being a decoy helped win the game (against Texas).”

Quarterback Will Howard said, “Obviously after the first two rounds of the playoffs, we knew he was going to draw some attention in that game. They did pretty much everything they could in the Cotton Bowl to eliminate him and not let him beat them. I thought our other guys stepped up really well.

“There are ways to get him the ball. You’ve just got to scheme it up and figure out different ways to attack it.”

Some of the other top quotes from media day:

Ryan Day about the highs and lows of coaching college football at the highest level: “I say to my wife all the time, we signed up for it. It’s the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This game will take you to your knees and give you some of the greatest experiences in the world, and that’s it. Not a lot of people get to experience those highs and lows and you have to manage the tough times and enjoy the good ones, and that’s it.”

Howard about the bump that appeared on the back of his left hand during the game…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/smith-wants-put-show-winning-003300307.html

Author : The Lima News, Ohio

Publish date : 2025-01-19 00:33:00

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