Ohio State sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) fights for yardage while being tackled during the College Football Playoff semifinal against Texas Friday. The Buckeyes defeated the Longhorns 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
For most college football teams, a performance where the top receiver has just one catch for 3 yards against a top-five competitor would likely lead to a loss.
Ohio State, however, is not most teams.
The Buckeye offense features three wideouts in Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, all of whom could likely be the No. 1 receiver at most Division I football universities.
Smith, who dominated against Oregon in the Rose Bowl and broke Ohio State’s single-game freshman receiving records with seven catches for 187 yards and two scores, was bracketed nearly the entire game by the Texas defense.
Quarterback Will Howard said he knew the Longhorns would attempt to nullify Smith after his strong performances in the Buckeyes’ first two playoff games.
“We knew that they were going to key [in on] him,” Howard said in his Friday postgame press conference. “Obviously, the first two rounds of the playoffs he went off, so we knew they were going to do something to try to take him away.”
Texas’ scheme to take away Smith, who has been regarded as the most talented wide receiver in college football today, served more as a decoy than a true receiving threat, but it still didn’t matter.
Howard said Texas routinely switched up its coverages on Smith, but almost always doubled him, meaning he was forced to find his other open receivers.
“They clouded [Smith], they doubled him, they were finding different ways to get two guys over the top of him,” Howard said. “But all that means is we need to be smart and get the ball to other guys.”
And the Buckeyes succeeded in that. Though Smith didn’t get it going, Egbuka, Tate and tight end Gee Scott Jr. all stepped up to make key plays against the Longhorns.
Against a Texas secondary led by Jim Thorpe-award-winner defensive back Jahdae Barron that is one of the best Ohio State has faced this season, Howard routinely threw into tight windows with confidence, trusting his receivers and tight end to make contested catches.
Tate had a career-high seven receptions and a team-high 87 receiving yards against the Longhorns, and Egbuka and Scott followed close behind with five catches apiece for a combined 81 yards.
Egbuka said Tate’s work on the field often goes unnoticed, but his efforts in practice are the reason he performed when it mattered most.
“Just what I see from him every day, just a humble worker, a grinder,” Egbuka said in his Friday postgame press conference. “[Tate’s] someone who’s going to get the job done regardless of his role.”
Howard agreed.
“I think Carnell [Tate] stepped up and made some great plays,” Howard said.
Looking ahead, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said, like Texas, Notre Dame will likely almost always know where Smith is on the field. He continued, stating the Buckeyes will have to continue to push the ball downfield to other weapons.
“They’ll certainly know where Jeremiah [Smith] is, and then they’ll play some one-high [safety], and they’ll play some two-high [safety] and they’ll mix it up,” Day said in a Sunday press conference. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, we’ve got to execute at a high level and continue to move the ball down the field.”
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly shared a similar perspective, emphasizing that as a quarterback, it’s imperative to take what the defense gives and that Howard must make the best possible decision from what’s available.
“Being a quarterback, you don’t have to make it happen, you have to let it happen,” Kelly said. “There’s certain things that when you call a play, they may have it covered well, then you got to get to your checkdown and move on. Sometimes, a good play is a gain of 4 [yards].”
