Ohio State led Texas 20-3, and Jeremiah Smith was carving up the Longhorns. Texas was the only defense that had shut him down in two previous meetings, where he caught a combined seven passes for 46 yards, including a career-low 3 yards on one catch in the College Football Playoff semifinal two seasons ago. Midway through the third quarter Saturday, his father, Chris Smith, sent a text message.
Two minutes later, Smith caught a 43-yard pass in traffic to convert a third-and-10. His total jumped to 164 yards on eight catches, more than triple his output in the previous two games against the Longhorns. Ohio State pulled away, and Smith was making his early-season case for the Heisman Trophy.
A time zone away, Brian Hartline was fresh off his first win as USF's head coach. The man who recruited and coached Smith for two years as Ohio State's receivers coach was watching, too. "That's what he does," Hartline said in a text message.
"Looks bigger and faster." It was the last pass Smith caught all night. After that big third-quarter gain, he went quiet. Texas stormed back, scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and secured an improbable 24-23 victory.
The loss stung, and another issue emerged, too. The No. 1 Buckeyes never found anyone else who could stand tall alongside Smith. Ohio State's reliance on Smith cuts both ways.
When it works, it's deadly. When it doesn't, the offense goes quiet. The Buckeyes scored only three points in the second half.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
