Robert Griffin III went *off* on Demond Howard during Saturday’s Ohio State-Northwestern broadcast, telling him to “stop hating” on Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith. This wasn’t some quiet sideline chat, folks, this was a full-blown Heisman beef playing out live, and it’s got everyone buzzing.
Heisman Hype or Rivalry Rage?
It all started when former Michigan standout and ESPN analyst Demond Howard threw shade at Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith on Friday. Howard questioned Smith’s ability to be a true difference-maker in big games this season. “In the last two years, give me one game where Jeremiah Smith, the wide receiver at Ohio State, was the difference in a big game,” Howard quipped. He then went on to say that despite Smith’s “magnificent numbers and one-handed catches,” he needed “moments against the top competition” that scream ‘he is the guy!’ Well, a lot of folks on social media immediately pointed to the elephant in the room: Howard played for Michigan, Ohio State’s most hated rival. You can’t just drop a bomb like that and not expect the rivalry to be front and center!
That’s where Robert Griffin III, another former Heisman winner and current FOX Sports analyst, stepped in to defend Smith. During the Ohio State-Northwestern game broadcast, Griffin fired back, saying, “When you talk about the Heisman Trophy, my guy, Desmond Howard, he’s been very critical of Jeremiah Smith and said, ‘When does this guy ever show up in big-time games?’ Well, he’s shown up in big-time games all over the place, and Desmond Howard has to stop hating on Jeremiah Smith just because he goes to Ohio State.” Talk about a mic drop!
Smith Delivers, Odds Skyrocket
Jeremiah Smith clearly heard the noise, because he absolutely did his part to silence the doubters on Saturday. The Buckeyes’ do-it-all wideout hauled in 11 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State’s impressive 28-19 win over the Wildcats, who were 6-3 heading into the contest. But that wasn’t all. Late in the first quarter, Smith made a 22-yard catch that wasn’t just another big play, it was history. That catch pushed him past former Purdue standout John Standeford, making Smith the Big Ten’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,875. Standeford had tallied 3,788 yards from 2000-03, so that’s a serious record to break!
And get this, his Heisman odds absolutely skyrocketed after that performance. He’s now listed as the clear favorite at -145 to take home college football’s most prestigious award. Does Howard’s argument about Smith not being a difference-maker in big games hold up after all that? Let’s look at the numbers. In four games against ranked opponents this season , Texas, Iowa, Indiana, and Oregon , Smith has piled up 30 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns. That’s an average of more than seven catches for 143 yards and over a touchdown per game in high-pressure matchups. Ohio State might be 2-2 in those games, including a 41-28 loss to Oregon last weekend, but Smith was certainly not the reason for those losses. He’s been consistently putting up huge numbers when it counts. Griffin hit it right on the head, reminding Howard that there’s a certain way to do things in the Heisman brotherhood. “That’s not the right way to do this,” Griffin said. “We’ve got to be better in our Heisman brotherhood.”
The Heisman race just got a whole lot more personal. Smith is on fire, smashing records, and now we’ve got a public beef between Heisman legends. This isn’t just about stats anymore, it’s about respect, rivalry, and what it truly means to be the best. You gotta watch this space.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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