Despite Loss, Texas Longhorns Clamp Down on Ohio State Buckeyes Star

The Texas Longhorns' defense sent a very clear message to the Ohio State Buckeyes early on in the Cotton Bowl: Jeremiah Smith was not going to be the one to beat them.

Smith, a freshman phenom from Miami Gardens, Florida, had been on an absolute tear throughout the College Football Playoff. In the Buckeyes' first-round game against the Tennessee Volunteers, Smith went off with six receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. In the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks, he was even better with seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas knew just how much of a game-wrecker Smith is, and did everything in its power to take him out of the game. Double-teaming, sometimes even triple-teaming, him proved to be very effective, as he finished the game with a season-low one reception for just three yards.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a first-down catch against Oregon during the 2025 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. | Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Just hats oﬀ to PK (defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski) and the game plan that we had and just mastering PK's game plan," defensive back Jahdae Barron told reporters post-game. "There's a lot of things that we should have done better, obviously, to prevent some points from them scoring. But PK's game plan on that situation on No. 4 was amazing."

As a consequence, though, other Buckeyes receivers made some big plays throughout the night. Carnell Tate had a team-high seven receptions for 87 yards, while Emeka Egbuka had five receptions for 51 yards. Running back Tre'Veyon Henderson also took his lone reception 75 yards to the house on a screen play just before halftime.

Still, the Longhorns' game plan for Smith worked to perfection.

"We knew they were going to be keying him," Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard said. "Obviously, the first two rounds of the playoffs, he went off. We knew they were going to do something to try and take him away. They clouded him. They doubled him. They were finding diﬀerent ways to get two guys over top of him. But all that means is that we need to be smart and get the ball to other guys.

"I think Texas, what they do on defense, likes to keep shell on things, make you work the game, and get the ball down the field methodically. I think they -- you know, credit to them. They've got a great defense, and they've got some dudes."

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to win the game, as the Buckeyes won 28-14 to advance to the national championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That said, the Longhorns did lay out a blueprint on how to stop Smith, which the Irish would be wise to follow.

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