Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate lift Ohio State in return at Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jeremiah Smith broke away from the coverage.

Smith had made a double move on Michigan cornerback Zeke Berry, leaving him open along the sideline for quarterback Julian Sayin.

As the pass landed in his grasp, Smith tumbled into the south end zone at Michigan Stadium for a 35-yard touchdown.

The early sequence in Ohio State’s 27-9 win at archrival Michigan sparked a moment of controversy. Officials reviewed whether Smith had maintained possession while crossing the goal line before upholding the call.

It instead endured as a turning point, allowing the Buckeyes to take control early in the second quarter of the 121^st edition of The Game. After gaining a 10-6 lead, they never fell behind.

Smith was a vital piece of their offense as he and fellow star wide receiver Carnell Tate returned from unspecified injuries to provide deep threats.

Their chemistry with Sayin was evident. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said the play call that led to Smith’s touchdown catch on fourth-and-5 was one they had hardly practiced in the days leading up to kickoff.

Smith, who sat out last week’s win over Rutgers, had been limited in practices, leaving them to largely rep the play in walkthroughs.

“Some of the things you can practice,” Day said, “but some of them you can’t. That wasn’t a play we had a ton of practice at all. But we talked about it, we walked through it, and we have to give our guys credit.

“We felt like it was an aggressive call that we wanted to make in that moment, so we did, and they put on the field in a big way.”

Tate, who had been sidelined for three straight games, left his mark in the middle of the third quarter when he got over the top to catch a 50-yard touchdown to help put the game away.  

During the Buckeyes’ four-game losing streak to Michigan, their vertical passing game had come and gone. The longest touchdown pass in Ohio State’s two most recent losses was 14 yards. Only once in four losses had they completed a pass for a touchdown of at least 30 yards.

It made the return of Smith and Tate, who had been listed as questionable on the pregame availability report, critical for the Buckeyes to end the Wolverines’ recent run of dominance in the series, tapping into an explosive element.

“Just having those guys back is just awesome,” Sayin said, “because they’re such elite receivers.”

Tate led the Buckeyes with five catches for 82 yards and one touchdown, which was his sixth this year to come on a deep ball, as defined by Pro Football Focus of at least 20 yards. Smith finished with three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Day praised athletic trainers Shaun Barnhouse and Adam Stewart for their roles in helping the receivers in their rehabs, as well the resilience of Smith and Tate.

“If you really know how much work they put in to get on the field, how gutsy they are,” Day said, “I’m sure the fans and everybody would just appreciate what they did going out there and putting it on the line.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.