Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith put on a clinic in the Rose Bowl, leading the program to a comfortable victory over the Oregon Ducks. They’ll face one of the best secondaries in the country against the Texas Longhorns — who have had issues defending the pass in the College Football Playoff.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t sound overly confident when asked about the matchup.
Steve Sarkisian Praises Talented Ohio State Receiving Core, Hopes Longhorns Can Guard Them
After a riveting 39-31 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns will compete in the Cotton Bowl with a chance to advance to the national championship.
They’ll have to go through Ohio State, flying high off a 41-21 victory over Oregon that wasn’t as close as the final score revealed. Up 34-0 late in the second quarter, the Buckeyes cruised to a 20-point victory.
The catalyst behind the victory?
rewatching the Rose Bowl and my new favorite play is when this Oregon defensive back celebrated locking up Jeremiah Smith, only to find out he caught the ball in triple coverage pic.twitter.com/Qtqzq1qgAf
— Ohio’s Tate (@BarstoolTate) January 4, 2025
True freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught four passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter alone. On the day, he finished with seven receptions, 187 yards, and two touchdowns. The Ducks had no answers for Smith, and it led to their early exit in the CFP.
Sarkisian is hoping that won’t be the case for the Longhorns.
“I just hope we’re good enough to guard them. These guys are really good players,” he said. “We’ll find out.”
The Longhorns will also have to factor in other Buckeye receiving targets, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate. Too much attention on Smith could create cast opportunities for the two former five-stars.
In the Rose Bowl against Oregon, Egbuka showcased his speed, streaking past Duck defensive backs on his way to a 42-yard touchdown. He added four more catches and totaled 72 yards in the game, perfectly filling his role as the Robin to Smith’s Batman.
While Tate only caught one pass for 10 yards against the Ducks, the sophomore is more than capable of a larger workload if more targets come his way. He had 611 receiving yards on the season and caught four or more passes in seven games, stepping up down the stretch of the season with games of 56, 52, 68, and 58 receiving yards in the final four regular-season contests.
Combatting the talented receiving attack, the Texas secondary is led by first-team All-SEC defensive back Jahdae Barron. Whether Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pat Kwiatkowski decide for Barron to follow Smith is to be determined. When they match up, Barron will provide the biggest challenge Smith has seen this season.
Barron is known for his physicality, but his size may be his biggest issue against Smith. Standing 6’3″, Smith will be looking down upon the smaller Barron (5’11”).
Providing help for Barron on the back end will be third-team All-SEC safety Andrew Makuba. His elite speed and athleticism will benefit the Longhorns against the ultra-athletic Smith and speedy Egbuka.
He showcased his ball skills, finishing the Peach Bowl against the Sun Devils with a game-sealing interception. An interception against the Buckeyes could prove a huge difference-maker.
As a whole, the Longhorns have been one of the best in the country against the pass. They ranked third in the nation this year, allowing just 166.1 passing yards per game.
However, they’ve had trouble defending the pass of late.
In the CFP first round against the Clemson Tigers, quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns. His top receiver, T.J. Moore, added nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Longhorns couldn’t put the Tigers away until late in the fourth quarter, mostly due to the inability to stop Klubnik and Moore through the air.
As a team, the Sun Devils threw for nearly 300 yards, coming back from a 24-8 fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game.
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The Longhorns will have to clean up their secondary if they want to give themselves a chance against Smith and the Buckeyes. A bout of subpar coverage could be their demise.
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