The Ohio State Buckeyes’ star wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, has issued a stark and confident warning to their college football playoff rivals after beating the No. 1 Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.
The Buckeyes beat the Ducks 41- 21 at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Wednesday night. Smith scored two touchdowns and had a whopping 187 receiving yards. After the game, Smith didn’t mince words during his Rose Bowl MVP speech.
“Can anybody stop you?” Smith, 19, was asked. “No,” the receiver confidently replied. “We’re just hungry. We’re trying to win it all, and that’s what we’re going to do, for sure,” he added.
Ohio State will now take on the No. 3 Texas Longhorns on Friday night for a spot in Jan. 20’s College Football National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. If the Buckeyes win over the Longhorns, they will face one of the Georgia Bulldogs, Notre Dame, or Penn State.
The Buckeyes were firing on all cylinders against Oregon, whose head coach Dan Lanning praised the team. Towards the end of the regular season, Ohio State was shocked on their home field by defending national champions, the Michigan Wolverines, and following a flag plant, a massive brawl ensued.
They were clicking on all cylinders, Lanning said. We didnt have the ability to stop them, and we didnt have the ability to get something going on offense. We havent faced a lot of moments like that this season.
Ryan Day has praised his Buckeyes team for their laser focus in the playoffs and their execution. We believe that when were executing at a high level, we can play with any other team in the country, Day said. “These guys are resilient. Were at a place where you can hear a lot of noise, but they didnt do that,” he added.
As for Smith, he’ll stay in college football for a little longer, as he’s not eligible for the NFL Draft until the 2027 picking process. However, in Ducks HC Lanning’s mind, Smith is already NFL-ready. “Hes strong, and he attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver Ive seen,” Lanning said. “The guy is NFL-ready. Hes that talented, that special.”
The Ducks will likely be back in contention next season despite this year’s national championship disappointment. Oregon had an outstanding recruiting class for 2025.
They managed to get two five-stars committed, as well as 17 four-stars. However, their biggest rivals, Ohio State, Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Longhorns, had successful recruiting processes.
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