Ohio State’s season is hanging by a thread after Oregon humiliated the Buckeyes in a brutal 41-28 defeat. What started as a promising showdown turned into an outright collapse as the Ducks stormed back and silenced the home crowd. But the scoreboard wasn’t the only embarrassment. Ohio State’s disastrous play-calling pushed star receiver Jeremiah Smith to his breaking point.
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Smith completely lost his cool on national television, and Ohio State’s coaching staff was directly in his line of fire!
The Buckeyes were trailing big time, down 31-14 late in the third quarter, and Oregon’s defense completely put the clamps on their passing game.
Smith hadn’t caught a single pass since the first quarter, which is crazy for a guy of his caliber!
When he finally hauled in a reception on a second-and-7, the play went for a grand total of zero yards!
Unable to handle the sheer horror of a stat sheet that wasn’t filled with touchdowns, Smith threw an arms-flailing temper tantrum right there on the turf. As seen in the video, his frustration was clearly directed toward the coaching staff on the sidelines after another failed play.
Well, the ugly loss could also put a big-time dent in Smith’s Heisman Trophy hopes, although there’s no evidence that his reaction itself affected his chances.
To see why he was so mad, you have to look at how the game actually started. Ohio State came out on fire, building a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and Smith had a big-time catch for 32 yards!
But right after that, everything fell apart in the worst way possible. Oregon went on a crazy scoring run of 38 straight points, leaving the Buckeyes’ offense completely helpless for much of the game!
The zero-yard reception only added to the misery. JJ’s frustration with the stalled offense was impossible to miss, and Ohio State’s questionable play-calling only made the situation look worse.
One could also make an argument that Fahey is still young and figuring things out. Arthur Smith and the staff, however, have been playing things way too safe.
They’ve been calling an incredibly restricted, low-risk passing game, which basically turned their best weapon, Smith, into a decoy!
Arthur Smith was brought in to fix the offense, but his old-school, ultra-conservative style is driving everyone crazy. Calling a short pass that gains absolutely nothing while your offense desperately needs to move the chains is exactly the kind of coaching failure that makes players snap.
Smith had four receptions through the first three quarters before finally breaking loose in the fourth, when the game was already slipping away. He ended the night with 7 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown!
When your biggest offensive weapon is visibly furious with the coaching staff on national television, Ryan Day has a problem he can no longer ignore.
Day and his staff are going to have to answer some tough questions about how their offensive decisions failed to maximize their biggest star’s talent and let their season completely unravel.