Ohio
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith makes case as best receiver in the country at Rose Bowl
Ryan Day discusses Ohio States’ rise back to dominance after beating Oregon
Just weeks ago fans and pundits were calling for Ryan Day’s job at Ohio State and now the Buckeyes are headed to the semifinal after beating Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
Sports Pulse
PASADENA, Calif. – It’s only been 14 games, but Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly had already seen enough of receiver Jeremiah Smith to make his proclamation.
“He’s the best receiver in the country, and he showed it tonight,” Kelly told USA TODAY Sports.
It’s hard to argue.
As the College Football Playoff stage gets bigger, the Buckeyes freshman receiver continues to shine. His latest offering – a dominant performance against top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl to get his team into the semifinals. He finished the night with seven catches for 187 yards – a career-high that broke the school record for most receiving yards in a game by a freshman – and two touchdowns. He was named Rose Bowl offensive MVP.
It only took three plays for his impact to be felt Wednesday. Smith took a short toss from quarterback Will Howard and evaded multiple tacklers before so jogging into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown.
As he made his way into the end zone, he held up a peace sign and signaled to the Oregon crowd to quiet down, and that’s pretty much what they did anytime No. 4 got his hands on the ball.
Smith was doing it about any way he wanted to. He was winning one-on-one matchups against a top 10 passing defense and he was maneuvering through the secondary to find himself wide open for big plays. Each time Howard threw the ball toward Smith’s direction, you could sense the impending doom awaiting the Oregon fans and the anticipation to celebrate for the scarlet and gray.
What’s more impressive about Smith’s performance is that most of his damage came in the first half. Smith had five catches for 161 yards as Ohio State was comfortably ahead 34-8 at the break, while Oregon has accumulated only 131 total yards.
It’s bee quite the run for Smith since a loss to Michigan knocked the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten title game. Through two playoff games, Smith now has 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns as Ohio State has gone up against two of the top defensive units in the country.
There may have been an extra incentive for Smith to show out against Oregon. Leading up to the Rose Bowl, he recalled the disappointment of the one-point loss to the Ducks in October and how that experienced helped Wednesday’s performance.
“We knew we had to get the ball to the perimeter, take shots and just win one-on-one matchups, and that’s what we did,” Smith said.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning had Smith capabilities in that first meeting as he finished with nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Now after seeing Smith befuddle his defense again, Lanning believes he’s ready for the next level – even if he has to wait two more seasons.
“He’s strong, attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve ever seen. The guy is NFL-ready. He’s that talented and that special,” Lanning said. “He’s got all the tools. A really talented player.”
There is some irony that Ohio State is full of veterans and transfers lured through name, image and likeness, yet it’s a true freshman that’s setting the tone in the postseason.
But that was the feeling Buckeyes coach Ryan Day had when Smith first stepped foot on campus.
You just aren’t the nation’s top recruit by accident. Day said Smith has a serious demeanor and isn’t one to talk much, but whenever he does speak up, “people listen.”
“He had a look in his eye he wanted to make an impact as a freshman,” Day said.
It’s clear there’s maturity, accountability and confidence in Smith. He recalled telling Howard, who had his own big day with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns, just to get the ball to him and other receivers and they’ll make the play for him.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a bad ball or not, we’ll make our quarterback look good,” Smith said.
Ohio State has been a cottage industry of producing standout receivers in recent years. Smith is looking every bit of someone who will be on the NFL draft stage in 2027. Before then, Buckeyes fans have the rest of this playoff run and more to marvel at their new star.
“He’s got a couple more years until he goes, but he’s as good as I’ve ever seen,” Kelly said.
“The Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) inspection of Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull on Tuesday found several significant issues that need to be addressed before the hospital can re-open, to ensure the health and safety of patients. Insight will need to contact ODH once these issues have been addressed. At that point, we will conduct another inspection to verify the standards have been met,” the statement reads.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Northeast Ohio finally picked up some much-needed rain to start the week, and more is on the way.
After a soggy Monday and start to Tuesday, conditions will improve through the afternoon. Clouds will linger, but most spots should stay dry with just a slight chance of a stray shower.
This should come as welcome news for the Guardians, who open a three-games series Tuesday night against the Tigers with first place in the AL Central and a possible trip to the postseason at stake.
The lull in precipitation will be short-lived as a new storm system lifts across the Great Lakes Wednesday and brings another round of widespread rain. Showers will spread back into the region during the morning and become steady through the afternoon, with a few thunderstorms possible, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
Rainfall totals from this midweek system could reach three-quarters of an inch to more than an inch across parts of Northeast Ohio, according to early projections. Localized higher amounts are possible where thunderstorms develop.
While they could bring higher rainfall totals, any storms that do develop aren’t expected to be severe, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The strongest risk for severe weather will stay well to the south.
Temperatures Wednesday will be limited to the low and mid 70s because of the cloud cover and rainfall. Lingering showers may hang on into Thursday, with highs again in the 70s.
By Friday and Friday night, high pressure will attempt to build in from the Upper Midwest. That should dry out most of Northeast Ohio, though an isolated shower can’t be ruled out.
Drier this weekend
Fortunately, the rain from the week won’t linger into the weekend for most of Northeast Ohio.
A cold front is expected to sweep across the state on Saturday, which could bring some showers to Lake and Ashtabula counties overnight.
By Sunday, the entire region is expected to be dry, though temperatures will turn a bit cooler. Highs on Saturday will reach the mid 70s to near 80 before highs fall back into the low to mid 70s on Sunday and Monday.
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US LBM Coaches Poll: Georgia looks strong, Clemson drops out
USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down Georgia’s comeback win over Tennessee and Clemson’s struggles to start the season
Another week of wild finishes and a few surprises shuffled the US LBM Coaches Poll. But once again, the changes didn’t reach the top.
The teams ranked No. 1 through No. 7 hold their positions, though some had an easier time this week than others. Ohio State remains in the top spot, receiving 62 of 67 first-place votes this week. Penn State stays at No. 2 with three No.-1 nods. No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU claim a first-place vote each. Oregon, Miami (Fla.) and Texas also hold steady.
Illinois climbs a notch to No. 8, a season-high ranking for the Fighting Illini on the eve of a key Big Ten clash with No. 17 Indiana. Florida State vaults three places to No. 9. Texas A&M makes the week’s biggest move, climbing seven positions to No. 10 on the heels of its last-minute victory at Notre Dame.
TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 3
The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, tumble from No. 8 to No. 21 as last season’s playoff runners-up are still seeking their first win of the campaign.
It was a rough weekend for the Palmetto State, as both Clemson and South Carolina went down to defeat. The Gamecocks, at least, stay in the poll at No. 24 after losing at home to Vanderbilt. The Commodores, thanks to that victory, make their season poll debut at No. 23.
Clemson falls out of the rankings after being handed its second loss of the young season by Georgia Tech, which also moves into the poll at No. 19. Also joining the rankings are No. 22 Missouri, after lurking just outside the Top 25 last week, and No. 25 Auburn, which edges out Brigham Young by just two poll points. South Florida and Arizona State also drop out.
(This story was updated to change a video.)
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