The Ohio State Buckeyes have had no trouble since slipping up in the second half of their Week 2 loss to Texas, and that continued on Saturday. Ryan Day and company blew the doors off of Illinois in a 42-19 win in Columbus to get to 3-1 on the season.
Star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was the focal point of the Ohio State offense as he is so often in this one. The future first-round pick torched the Illini defense to the tune of 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns.
His second touchdown of the day will go on the highlight reel of his Ohio State career. Smith burned an Illinois defender, and then when Julian Sayin slightly under threw the deep ball, Smith still made the catch and fooled the DB with multiple jukes before strolling into the end zone.
JEREMIAH SMITH 72-YARD TOUCHDOWN 🔥
4 REC, 123 YDS, AND 2 TD IN THE FIRST QUARTER 🤯
(Via @BigTenNetwork)pic.twitter.com/HziSAJRS9Z
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2026
After the game, Smith revealed that he felt bad for the DB on the wrong end of the highlight and was literally laughing his way into the end zone per Underdog CFB.
Article Continues Below“Yeah, I can say I feel bad for him,” Smith said. “When I did that, I just started laughing when it happened. Feel kinda bad for him.”
Smith's third touchdown arguably outdid his second in this game. Sayin gave him a chance on a 50-50 ball in the back of the end zone, and Smith somehow made the catch and got a foot just inside the sideline for the score.
The former five-star recruit's stats in 2026 continue to grow rapidly and have him firmly in the Heisman Trophy discussion at this point in the year. Through four games, he has 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns a third of the way through the season.
Ohio State looked impressive on both sides of the ball in Saturday's win to open up conference play, but things will be getting tougher very soon. In Week 5, Day and company are headed on the road to Iowa City to take on an unbeaten Iowa team that is coming off of a road win at Michigan and will likely be ranked in the top 15 at kickoff.