Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith explains disdain for rival Michigan: ‘With everything in me, I hate ’em’

Ohio State superstar Jeremiah Smith is just one year into his college football career but is already deeply entrenched in the Buckeyes’ bitter rivalry with Michigan. When former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer asked him what first comes to mind when he hears the words “the team up north,” Smith did not hesitate: “Hate.”

Smith is 0-1 against the Wolverines in his young career after last season’s shocking loss put a blemish on an otherwise terrific year for the freshman wideout and his national championship-winning squad.

“Hate ’em,” Smith said on “The Triple Option.” “With everything in me, I hate ’em.”

With one loss to Michigan on his ledger, Smith promised earlier this season never to lose another rivalry game as long as he is at Ohio State. In order to do so, he has to help the Buckeyes snap a four-game losing streak in the series that dates back to Ryan Day’s first full season at the helm.

“I hate ’em,” Smith said. “Where did I learn that? High school recruiting. First came in, I made a mistake. I was wearing dark blue. Coach [Brian] Hartline and Coach Keenan Bailey were like, ‘You can’t wear them colors here.’ And from that day forward, I was like, OK, it’s real.”

The Wolverines fared quite well defensively against Smith in last year’s clash, holding him to just five catches and 35 yards. While he did post a touchdown, he had just the third-most yards in the Buckeyes’ receiving unit on the day and sputtered through what ended up being one of his quietest outings of the season. Only twice did Smith post fewer than 35 yards in a game.

Defeating Michigan is one of the few boxes Smith still has to check in what is on track to be an illustrious college football career. He already notched the biggest team accomplishment with a national title…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ohio-states-jeremiah-smith-explains-disdain-for-rival-michigan-with-everything-in-me-i-hate-em/

Author : Carter Bahns

Publish date : 2025-08-20 17:30:00

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