Ohio Bobcats football coach Brian Smith misspoke in an epically awful way ahead of a daunting matchup with the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, referring to Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith as a receiving duo. Downs, of course, is the No. 1 DB in the country and a likely top-five 2026 NFL draft pick at this current rate.
Did an FBS coach in the state of Ohio really get that wrong by accident? Downs' name is likely coming up in offensive staff meetings, and it's hard to imagine Smith, the Bobcats' former passing game coordinator, is covering his ears and yelling "la la la, I can't hear you" during those meetings.
It's possible, though.
Ohio State Buckeyes On SI's Nick Pedone believes it was an honest mistake, and Carnell Tate was who Smith was actually thinking of.
"Maybe Brian Smith’s Bobcats are preparing for Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, who have emerged as the real receiving duo to fear across college football. In just his second season, Smith is the best receiver in the nation and arguably the best player in college football. In two games, Tate has caught seven passes for 118 yards and two thrilling touchdowns," Pedone wrote.
Pedone had a great way to contextualize the possibility that Smith actually doesn't know the difference between Downs and Tate.
"The Bobcats are +200 to win the Mid-American Conference. They’re a respectable mid-major football team. Unfortunately, they will likely have no business sharing the field with the Buckeyes on September 13. This is especially true if their head coach truly doesn’t know that Downs is the best safety in the country," Pedone wrote.
This writer's guess? Smith was trying to get under Downs' skin to give Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro a fighting chance against a Matt Patricia-coached defense that looks so good, any preseason doubt now looks foolish.
It could work to cover a 30-plus-point spread. Ultimately, though, it may well turn out to be a humorous footnote on what projects to be another double-digit-win season for OSU football.