It was a bit of a rough first quarter for the Ohio State offense as the Buckeyes struggled to get down the field. Some of that has been due to wide receivers, Jeremiah Smith, especially, dropping passes. This is nothing to start freaking out about, though, as an Ohio State fan.
This is the first quarter of the first game of the season; there is bound to be some rust that everyone is going to have to shake off. Not only if Ohio State have to shake off the rust with a new quarterback, also against the No. 1 team in the country. This is a huge game, and the problems need to be worked through.
Jeremiah Smith had 1 drop on 105 targets in 2024
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) August 30, 2025
2 drops on 3 targets to start 2025. Uncharacteristic, to say the least.
After having two drops on three targets, it was shown on the Fox broadcast that the first thing Smith did after those two drops was go and change his gloves. Clearly, Smith felt the gloves weren't working well for him, and the change seemed to work as well.
Right after changing his gloves, Smith had a reception for 16 yards and a first down. So, there is nothing to start freaking out about when it comes to Smith. He is still an elite receiver, and he is still the best receiver not just on Ohio State, or on the field today in general, but in the country.
Again, this is the first game of the season, Smith is human as well, and even though he had only a few drops last season, teams know how he plays now. With a whole season of film on him, defenses will have more to be able to game plan against him, so cut him just a little bit of slack.
It is officially the start of the second quarter, and there is still no score between these two top teams. Settle in, Ohio State fans, this game is gonna be a good one.