Jeremiah Smith opens up on his early-season disappointment for Ohio State football

Through three games, Jeremiah Smith has 20 catches for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Over a 12-game season, it projects out to 80 catches for 1,260 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are very good numbers for any wide receiver.

But Smith isn't just any wide receiver. He's the best in the country and, at times, in the first three games he's shown some frustration. Smith wants to be better, and he knows he can be better.

"Just go out there and dominate. That's what's going through my mind. I don't think...I mean the last game I was frustrated was probably Texas because I had two drops," Smith said this week. "I mean Ohio. I was frustrated as well, because we couldn't finish in the red zone. And the fade ball...I feel like I could've caught that ball. Julian put it in the right spot. I feel like I have to come down with that. Nothing too crazy. I just want the best for the offense and myself as well."

And this is Smith coming off of a game where he had nine catches for 153 yards and a touchdown! The expectations that the sophomore puts on himself appear to be even greater than the ones that the fans have put on the preseason All-American. 

The offense grows while the defense excels

Smith is a little frustrated that he hasn't had that statistically amazing game yet. The one where he puts up Randy Moss-type numbers like six catches for 233 yards and four touchdowns. There have also been a lot of grumblings about the running game and the issues there.

But it's all OK, because the offense is still doing more than enough and the defense has the ability to be lights out. Right now, Matt Patricia is in his bag and if the Buckeyes aren't giving up any points, the offense won't need to do much more than it's currently doing.

The numbers don't lie. Ohio State is giving up eight points a game, which is good for third-best in the country. Opponent's yards per game, yards per play, and third-down conversion are all in the top 15 in the country. 

It's no surprise that the secondary is the strength of the unit, yielding just 141.5 passing yards per game and 52.94 completion percentage; both are 12th-best in the country.