A 4-touchdown day puts Jeremiah Smith in rare Ohio State company against Illinois

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — If Jeremiah Smith gets invited to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist in December, the Ohio State wide receiver can point to Saturday's performance against Illinois as a big reason why.

Smith became the first receiver in the Buckeyes’ storied history to have double-digit receptions for at least 200 yards and score four touchdowns.

The junior finished with 12 catches for 217 yards, and his four TDs tied a school record as No. 7 Ohio State opened Big Ten Conference play with a 42-19 victory over Illinois.

“I think when you looked at him the first couple years, it was hard to say, ‘OK, how can he get better?’ But you’re seeing it,” coach Ryan Day said. “He did it in a variety of ways today. He makes a spectacular catch in the corner of the end zone, wins on a fade, a home run post, and then a double move.”

The biggest improvement in Smith’s game has been yards after the catch. He had 53 on Saturday, including 27 on his 72-yard touchdown in the first quarter that extended the Buckeyes’ lead to 14-0.

“I feel like I got better this year on the little things I need to do here and there. My route-running has improved a lot from my freshman year to now,” he said.

Breaking down Smith’s touchdowns

Two plays after Julian Sayin connected with Smith for a 31-yard completion to the Illinois 12 on the opening drive, Smith got leverage on Illini defensive back Juice Clark and hauled in a 7-yard TD to give the Buckeyes a score on their first possession for the third straight game.

On the next drive, Smith showed off his big-play capability. The 72-yard touchdown was the second-longest reception of Smith’s career.

On first-and-10, Smith ran a go route down the middle and got behind Mac Resetich. He caught it at the Illinois 27, did a double move at the 19 to spin Resetich around in coverage, and took it to the house.

“I can say I feel bad for him. When I did that, I just started laughing,” Smith said.

Sayin — who was 27 of 36 for 367 yards — said they worked on that route this week. And Day said the play showed how Smith’s routes have become more refined.

“The double move, I mean, he spun the guy around, which was well timed and thought out,” Day said. “In the past, he’s so fast sometimes he would run the route and still do a great job, but you’re seeing a little bit more definition on the route. And so now those guys are having a hard time staying with him.”

The junior then had a highlight grab with 4:12 remaining in the second quarter to put Ohio State up 21-7. On first-and-goal at the 9, Smith got his left foot in near the corner of the end zone while Tywan Cox blanketed him in coverage.

Smith had eight catches for 150 yards and three TDs in the first half. It is the second time this season and third time in his career he has had at least 150 receiving yards and two TDs in a half.

He became the fifth player in school history with four receiving scores with 10:07 remaining in the fourth quarter when he was wide open on a 26-yard touchdown to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 35-13.

“Even when I was in the SEC and the NFL, you just see guys that are different-type players,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “He just continues to play extremely big. He’s very physical and, obviously, very dominant after the catch as well. He runs through a lot of arm tackles. You get in that kind of space to track him down and play near hip on him is very difficult.”

Blistering early pace

Smith has 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns, putting him among the national leaders. It's a strong start for someone who played only the first half of two of the Buckeyes’ first four games.

Smith said during Big Ten media day that he might have to match the season Alabama’s DeVonta Smith had in 2020, when he was the last receiver to win the Heisman. The Crimson Tide standout had 38 catches for 483 yards and four TDs in his first four games that season.

After setting Ohio State’s career receiving yardage record last week, he became the first Buckeye to reach 3,000 receiving yards on Saturday. He needs 10 catches to break Emeka Egbuka’s mark of 205 and two touchdowns to surpass Chris Olave’s 35.

“I’m always watching all the top receivers in the country when they’re playing. Illinois had a receiver (Collin Dixon) who had seven touchdowns coming into this week. I mean, he’s a great receiver. KJ Duff, another one at Rutgers, is having a great year. (Charlie) Becker at Indiana, Malachi (Toney at Miami), all of them guys. I love watching other players ball out.”

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here