Jerod Smalley commentary: The rise of Jeremiah for Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A blowout of Biblical proportions. 

Even ye most faithful of Ohio State supporters likely were shocked by the result Wednesday night in Pasadena, California. 

In a place where the natural beauty of the grass, the mountains and the sky collide, it feels like a football heaven. 

Ohio State overwhelming No. 1 Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl delivered a blissful celebration in a sometimes-confusing season. 

It was only fitting for a man named Jeremiah to rise to prominence. 

Jeremiah Smith is a mere mortal man ... a freshman (and still a teenager) at that. But on a football field, he's already a leader ... a man among boys. Perhaps he's the closest thing we've seen in Ohio in youthful athletic excellence since ... LeBron? When asked after the victory who can guard him, Smith sternly stated "no one." 

From Jeremiah 33:3 ... 

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Seven catches for 187 yards with two touchdowns was the stat line vs. Oregon. Six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns was the stat line vs. Tennessee. In the playoffs alone, he's averaging better than 22 yards per catch. If he's even remotely open, Smith is going to elevate over defenders, throw his massive hands into the air, tap at least one foot inbounds and make it all look effortless. In the first minute of the Oregon game, just a simple crossing pattern to Smith looked impossible to defend as he split tacklers and jogged the remaining 30 yards to the end zone, flashing a peace sign as he crossed the goal line. 

But the numbers fail to tell the complete story of Smith's impact on Ohio State, and college football overall. Defenses having to account for his every move (sometimes with two people) allows more room for Emeka Egbuka and the elite running back tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. OSU's often-reconstructed offensive line deserves massive praise for not just surviving but attacking two of the best defensive fronts in the sport the past two weeks. Quarterback Will Howard is playing with freedom and elite footwork, delivering some of the best downfield passes he's thrown all year. The trickle-down effect of Smith's mere presence on the field seems difficult to measure. 

With his Rose Bowl performance, Smith broke Cris Carter's Ohio State record for receiving yards by a freshman. He's now set all the major records for an OSU freshman receiver. For the season, Smith has 70 catches for 1,224 yards with 14 touchdowns. Amazingly, both Smith and Egbuka have 70 catches this season. Defenses are in a blender, even presnap, trying to identify all the weapons OSU can deploy. Finding No. 4 among those weapons is priority No. 1, and it's still not that effective.  

The sport has not seen a dominant true freshman of this nature at the receiver position. In fact, Smith's elite abilities as a true freshman are likely only challenged by elite running backs like Georgia's Herschel Walker and Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson. Trevor Lawrence led Clemson to the national title as a freshman quarterback. And at OSU, the freshman standard of greatness has always been Orlando Pace, who pancaked his way into the lineup at tackle from his first day on campus. He's still considered, with some debate, the greatest offensive lineman in football history. 

And while Jaxon Smith-Njigba's legendary Rose Bowl performance vs. Utah still ranks as the all-time single game standard at Ohio State, you could argue Smith's day vs. Oregon was just as impactful. In a playoff game against the undefeated top-ranked team that had already defeated OSU this season, Smith made Oregon's defensive life miserable. In the overwhelming history of elite Ohio State receivers, it's not a great stretch to say perhaps the greatest of them all is currently wearing No. 4. 

With his Rose Bowl performance, Egbuka is now Ohio State's leader in receiving yards, and there's a nearly 100% chance Smith will not be around four years to have a chance to break that record. Egbuka joins Michael Jenkins, Chris Olave, David Boston and Marvin Harrison Jr. as the top five pass catchers at the school. That list does not include Carter, JSN, Garrett Wilson, Michael Thomas, Terry Glenn, Ted Ginn Jr., Joey Galloway, Santonio Holmes, Anthony Gonzalez, Terry McLaurin and on and on. None of those elite players ever won a Heisman Trophy. In 2025, Smith has the very real chance to be the first to strike the pose. 

For now, Ohio State stands two wins away from a national championship, with its next game Jan. 10 against Texas in the Cotton Bowl. As long as coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly continue to build game plans focused on finding No. 4, Smith's poised to lead them to the promised land.