Paolo Uggetti of ESPN
ATLANTA – After being limited to one catch Ohio StateCotton Bowl semifinal victory over Texasfirst-year phenomenon Jeremiah Smith gave a warning Saturday before the Buckeyes’ national championship game Our Lady.
“If you’re going to play man [to-man defense] against Ohio State, be ready,” Smith said. “I can’t wait to put on a show.”
Smith, who repeatedly emphasized during his press day that the Irish play “80 percent” defense between themselves, admitted that he likes it when the defense tries to stop him with just one defender.
“What [the Irish do] they are doing very, very well. So it would be kind of stupid to change what they’re doing,” Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline told ESPN. “They are really good players, great outside players. We’re also really great outdoor players. That’s what you want in a game of this caliber.”
After Smith’s best game of the season against Oregon in the Rose Bowl (187 yards and two touchdowns), the Texas secondary was outplayed to stop Smith, whose only catch in the Buckeyes’ victory was for 3 yards.
“Watch the film – they doubled me, tripled me,” Smith said. “It’s frustrating, but being the bait helped us win the game.”
During his first year at Ohio State, Smith was supernova, catching 71 passes for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns. Before this game, his average per catch was 17.3 yards.
“He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever met… you always want to try and get him the ball,” point guard Will Howard he said. “But he can also eliminate two or three players at once [as a decoy]And sometimes that’s a good thing.”
Smith’s performance in the Cotton Bowl was by far his least productive of the season, but it helped open up opportunities for other talented players like CarnellTate (seven catches for 87 yards) i Quinshon Judkins (two receiving touchdowns).
Time will tell whether the Irish will try to deviate from their usual style of play to limit Smith or if they will stick to their pattern. While Smith noted that Notre Dame’s secondary may be the best they’ve faced all season, he’s ready for the challenge.
“If I’m going to be a decoy in this game, I’m going to be a decoy,” Smith said. “All I want is to win.”
Also an Ohio State star, DE JT Tuimoloauwho sprained his ankle in the game against Texas, talked about his health and injury.
“I feel really good. I feel really good. First of all, our strength coach says there’s not much you can do to take care of your body, so I’m overloaded with taking care of everything.”
Tuimoloau said he had some limitations in terms of recovering his ankle in practice.
“Me and Coach Day butted heads. I want to go out there, he wants me to rest, so we met somewhere in the middle.”
