Jeremiah Smith vows he won't lose to Michigan ever again

Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith turned out a freshman year college football won’t soon forget after emerging as the best wide receiver in the country.

But while he broke both OSU and Big Ten records en route to a national championship, the one thing he couldn’t do was beat arch rival Michigan.

That won’t happen again while Jeremiah Smith is around, the player insisted.

“I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy,” Smith told The Athletic's Manny Navarro in recent comments.

“In the end, I think it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. But I didn’t want to go to Ohio State and lose to that team up north. I just hate them. Just something about them.”

He added: “For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can’t lose to them in the next two years.”

Smith played a role in trying to help Ohio State against Michigan last season.

The wide receiver caught five passes for 35 yards and was responsible for the Buckeyes’ only touchdown of the day in the shocking 13-10 loss to the underdog Wolverines.

Conversely, Michigan’s offense, until that day one of the worst in the country, ran the ball to great success and its defense held Ohio State to its worst offensive output of the year.

That was the fourth straight win for Michigan in the series, and cost the Buckeyes a place in the Big Ten Championship Game, although they were able to earn an at-large bid in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

Helped along by Smith, the Buckeyes ran through Tennessee, then through Big Ten champion Oregon, and then SEC runner-up Texas before taking out Notre Dame to win the national title.

(Athletic)

--

Read