Overview
- Ohio State’s 41-28 home loss to Oregon on Saturday dropped the Buckeyes to 6-3 and all but wrecked their College Football Playoff math, leaving three regular-season games remaining.
- Smith finished that game with seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, but cameras captured him yelling toward the sideline late in the third quarter after long stretches of limited involvement.
- CBS analyst Damien Harris said Smith has “already played his last snap at Ohio State” and urged him to stop playing this season to avoid injury and focus on preparing for the NFL draft.
- Local coverage split over Smith’s outburst, with longtime reporter Jeremy Birmingham calling the behavior immature and former OSU center LeCharles Bentley publicly defending Smith’s leadership and competitiveness.
- Smith holds Ohio State career records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns; the loss of starter Julian Sayin and the arrival of freshman Luke Fahey have altered Smith’s usage and factor into the choice between finishing the season or preserving draft value.