ATLANTA — “Just get him,” Jeremiah Smith thought to himself.
The Ohio State freshman receiver knew the ball was coming to him. Notre Dame Cathedral was being interviewed by a man.
“I can't beat you man-to-man,” Smith said later.
He wasn't defeated here either.
He coasted past defender Christian Gray as if he had stopped and brought in a bomb from quarterback Will Howard for a big win.
Fifty-six yards later, the national championship was all but over and Ohio State cruised to a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Before the play, a sudden question arose. The gap with Ohio State, which had 24 points, has been narrowed to 8 points.
It was third-and-11 with 2 minutes and 38 seconds left. A stop would have given the Irish a chance.
The Buckeyes could have played it safe and forced Notre Dame into a final timeout.
Coach Ryan Day was determined to give it a shot at the championship. There's no doubt about it. Instead of teaching them how not to lose, they teach them how to win.
“I just thought, 'You only get one national championship, you only get that chance once a year. Let's just take a chance and go for it. And that's what we did. That's the thing,” Day said. “I told the defense and offense that we were going to stay aggressive throughout the game. I told the team that before the game, and I had to make sure we did that. [with] that. ”
The 6-foot-3 Smith was tackled at the 10-yard line.
Seven plays later, Jayden Fielding hit a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left, extending the lead to 11 points and clinching the school's first championship in 10 years.
Smith made a huge contribution to the title.
He set Ohio State freshman records with 76 receptions, 1,315 receiving yards, and 15 touchdown catches.
He also set a Big Ten record for most receiving yards by a freshman and scored five touchdowns in four playoff games.
With everything on the line, he took a huge leap forward in the final moments of the college football season.
“It's a blessing,” said Smith, who had five catches for 88 yards and a score Monday night. “There have been too many blessings this year.”
He was at the top of the list.
