Texas HC Steve Sarkisian compares Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith to NFL legend Randy Moss

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown against Texas on Sept. 12, and Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was still talking about him almost four weeks later. 

The Longhorns won that game 24-23 in Austin, and on Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference, Sarkisian reached for one of the most feared receivers in NFL history to describe what Smith brings to an offense.

"If there's anybody that could probably compare to somebody who could take over a game similar to Randy Moss, I would say it would be Jeremiah Smith. He's got length. He's got strength. He's got speed. He's got the ability to adjust to the ball. He's got catch and run ability. He's a smart player. They move him all over the field. He garners your attention on every snap," Sarkisian said, via On3's Wilson Alexander.

Moss was listed at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds during his career, and Ohio State lists Smith at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds this season. Sarkisian's own Moss reference point goes back two decades. 

He coached quarterbacks for the Oakland Raiders in 2004, and he recalled Al Davis asking the team's offensive coordinator whether a draft prospect was another Moss, with the Raiders owner making clear that a freak was exactly what he wanted.

Through five games, Smith has 44 catches for 823 yards and nine touchdowns, and he leads the country in all three categories. He is also the current favorite for the Heisman Trophy. 

His 823 yards work out to 164.6 per game, almost exactly what he put up in Austin, which means the Longhorns got a typical Smith game and still won.

What Steve Sarkisian admitted about how Texas handled Jeremiah Smith

The 24-23 win was Sarkisian's first in three games against Ohio State. He made the Moss comparison about a receiver he had already beaten, and the most candid part of his answer was about how Texas got through the matchup at all.

"I don't know if we played them great this year. I think we found a way to get a couple stops in the second half. The first half was a tough go. But you better know where he is. Because he can strike the fear of God in you on any snap," Sarkisian said.

Texas will only see Smith again if the two teams meet in the College Football Playoff. Fifth-ranked Ohio State plays Maryland on Saturday, and No. 1 Texas heads to Dallas to face Oklahoma at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Red River Rivalry.