Jeremiah Smith put any doubt about the most dominant player in college football to bed on Saturday, delivering another historic outing in Ohio State’s 31-14 win over Iowa. He added a massive 206 yards and two touchdowns to his season totals, helping the Buckeyes cover the 14.5-point spread on the road. Entering the day already leading the FBS in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Smith just upped the ante for everyone else.
Smashin’ Records and Stacking Yards
What Smith did against Iowa wasn’t just another great game, it was a clinic. The guy hauled in 11 receptions for those 206 yards and two scores, with a long of 56. His second touchdown of the day, a 57-yard bomb in the third quarter, pushed him to become Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns. And not to be outdone, he also broke the school’s all-time receptions record on a less dramatic but equally historic play. Just two weeks ago, he set the single-game receiving yards record for the Buckeyes, too. This dude is writing his own chapter in the history books every time he steps on the field.
It’s getting tough to find new ways to describe Smith because he’s been putting up these insane numbers for three seasons now, but 2026 is on another level. He’s crossed the 200-yard mark in back-to-back games. His “worst” game this season was 85 yards on five catches against Kent State, and that was only because it was 35-0 at halftime and he barely played in the second half. Take that game out, and his lowest total is still 151 yards against Ball State. His 823 receiving yards are more than UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s 820 passing yards coming into Saturday. Honestly, it’s no wonder Smith jumped to the top spot in the latest Heisman odds at +115 from FanDuel. The feeling among everyone watching him against the Hawkeyes was crystal clear: this is a Heisman candidate.
Sayin’s Surge and The Road Ahead
While Smith is tearing up defenses, it’s fair to wonder how much of quarterback Julian Sayin’s success is his own growth versus playing with the best player in college football. Sayin put up good numbers against Iowa, going 20-27 for 324 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Through five games, he’s got 1,530 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, one interception, and a 72.5 percent completion rate. Look, Smith is absolutely the straw stirring the drink for Ohio State. His presence makes everything else click.
But Sayin’s development is going to be huge for the Buckeyes to stay in the playoff race, especially after that loss to Texas on September 12. Their margin of error got a lot narrower after that one. The game against Iowa was their first big test since that defeat, on the road against an undefeated Big Ten opponent. They looked a little sluggish early, but they definitely pulled away, scoring 21 unanswered points from the second through fourth quarters to seal it.
Next up, Ohio State gets to head home to host Maryland. Then, it’s a massive showdown on October 10 against No. 6 Indiana in Bloomington. That game is going to be intense because Indiana defeated OSU in the Big Ten Championship Game last season, then went on to win a national title. Smith is rolling, Sayin is developing, and the Buckeyes have a chance to show everyone they’re for real. Let’s see what they bring to Maryland!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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