The 19-year-old wide receiver for the Buckeyes, Jeremiah Smith, is undoubtedly a player to watch for Ohio State. He was virtually nonexistent last week. Can Notre Dame replicate Texas’s strategy, and keep him quiet in the championship game?

Notre Dame Can’t Let Jeremiah Smith Take Over

Notre Dame, Ohio State

Smith has shown how dangerous he can be when he gets the ball in his hands, ask Oregon and Tennessee. They both gave up over 100 yards receiving and two TDs to Smith. Notre Dame certainly won’t let that happen here, they are second in the nation in passing defense. ND is allowing only 165.3 passing yards per game. That means Jeremiah Smith shouldn’t have much room to breathe all night. Notre Dame needs to double-team Smith and force others to beat them.

With the defense that ND puts out there, Ohio State will have to figure out a different way to give Jeremiah Smith the ball. OSU Offensive Coordinator, Chip Kelly, will have plays drawn up to get Smith the ball. The good thing for the Buckeyes, is they still have other guys that can beat you through the air and on the ground. Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman will be ready for this game, and it should be a good one.

Notre Dame Won’t Be Changing Their Gameplan On Defense

The Fighting Irish have a defense that primarily plays man coverage rather than zone. That may be problematic, because in Ohio State’s last game versus Texas, the Buckeyes had the guys to beat the Longhorns in man or zone coverage. This might not matter, since Notre Dame’s bread and butter is their defense, which is excellent, especially against the pass. The Fighting Irish rank first in opponent completion percentage, at 50 percent, and second in opponent yards per pass at 5.8. Ohio State certainly is aware of what they are up against and will throw everything they have at this Notre Dame defense.

Ohio State’s previous opponent, Texas, played mostly zone coverage, but did mix some man coverage in as well. A lot of teams that play Ohio State, play them the way that Texas did defensively. Notre Dame isn’t gonna be changing the way they play defense just cause everyone else does. ND is primarily a man-to-man defensive team, and they are gonna be challenging the Ohio State WRs all night. Notre Dame certainly has the players to do it. This should be one physical football game with both teams fighting to win the national championship. It’s time to truly see if defense wins championships, or if the offense is just too much to handle.

Ohio State Will Have To Have Other Guys Step Up

With all eyes focused on Jeremiah Smith, his counterpart Emeka Egbuka will have to take the reins. Egbuka had five catches for 51 yards against Texas. Another WR, Carnell Tate, stepped up with 87 yards receiving on seven catches against Texas. These two players will be the ones to watch, since Smith will be blanketed in coverage.

Ohio State also has running back Treveyon Henderson, who caught a 75-yard TD pass against Texas. There are just so many weapons for Ohio State, that it is tough to keep them all quiet. The main weapon though, Jeremiah Smith, certainly won’t go down quietly. Expect him to get the ball in his hands any way he can, and make an impact on this game. Notre Dame can’t let that happen if they want to have a shot at winning this game. The Irish need to control the time of possession and not let Ohio State go on long drives down the field.