The Ohio State Buckeyes will soon take the field following a three-plus week hiatus when they return to the Cotton Bowl to play the Miami Hurricanes New Year's Eve.
With their star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith fully healthy after sustaining a quad injury, the Buckeyes are ready to put past distractions behind them.
“Well, he’s, you know – he’ll be wired this week," coach Ryan Day told reporters. "That’s for sure, man. He’s going to be fired up. I mean, you know, these guys? You know, they know a lot of the players on the other team, and, you know, we got a lot of guys on their team that we recruited. So, it’s going to be great.”
Smith's opportunity to beat the Hurricanes is a big deal. Not only would it go down in the record books as a win for the Buckeyes to keep their playoff lives and a shot at a repeat national title afloat, but it would be a personal victory for Smith as he hails from Opa Locka, Fla.
Day recalled how he recruited Smith, remembering a few key traits that made him a must-have player in Columbus.
"I think that’s the most important thing when you say you’re going to do something for somebody, and they’re going to come in and they say that they’re going to do it at your school, and that all comes together as one,” Day said. “It’s testimony, and he’s done it. And he and his family are special, and they mean a lot to this program.”
With Smith's legacy being written currently, the Buckeyes' focus will shift from a player-driven one to a team-driven one as they try to eliminate the bad taste of the 13-10 Big Ten title loss to the Indiana Hoosiers earlier this month.
For now, though, it's a one game at a time approach for the defending champs.