Ryan Day shares how Jeremiah Smith can build on debut at Ohio State
Jeremiah Smith made his much-anticipated collegiate debut last weekend and lived up to a lot of it with his outing. With that first game now behind him, it’s now about how he builds on it for the rest of his career as a Buckeye.
Ryan Day assessed how Smith can make his first time on the field just the beginning for him during his press conference on Wednesday. In the end, it’s just more work in continuing what went well and correcting what didn’t.
“I mean just working and just continuing to get better. You know, there’s some things in that game that he certainly, you know, wishes he had back but also had some good plays as well,” said Day. “There’s a lot to coach through there but he has got a great work ethic.”
In his first appearance at Ohio State, Smith caught six passes for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns. All three led the team’s receiving corps in their opening win at 52-6 over Akron on Saturday.
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This will now also be Smith’s first time in between games where he has things to change between opponents. How he handles that this week is something Day will be looking at.
“Now, on a week-to-week basis, you know, the game plan will change. There will be tweaks along the way, different formation changed, you know, different schemes. So now you’ve got to take that Tuesday and a Wednesday and put it on the field,” said Day. “Tuesday is first and second down, third down and red zone is (Wednesday). So, you get that meeting and then you’ve got to go put it on the field. And you only may get a few reps, you know, during the week on that play in particular. So that’s a new experience that he’s going to have to, you know, learn to do.”
However, Smith should be fine either way if he only keeps working as hard as he has so far.
“If he just keeps practicing the way he’s practicing out here? I mean he goes and he goes and he goes,” Day said. “He works hard.”
With his pedigree as the top player in his class as a Five-Star+ prospect, this should only be the start for Smith. That means continuing to make the most of his abilities to do what he and the Buckeyes hope that he does while he’s in Columbus.
“The work ethic is there, the attitude is there, and certainly the talent is there,” said Day.