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Jeremiah Smith sets Big Ten record with 40th career touchdown catch as Ohio State falls to USC

Columbus, Ohio • November 1, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: a college football receiver catching a touchdown pass in a packed stadium at night under bright lights

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith became the Big Ten's all-time leader in career receiving touchdowns on Saturday, October 31, catching his 40th touchdown pass in the Buckeyes' 30-18 loss to USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Smith entered the game tied with former Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards, who set the previous record of 39 touchdown catches in 2004. Smith tied the mark on October 17 against Indiana, then broke it with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter against USC, hauling in a 1-yard pass from quarterback Luke Fahey.

The record touchdown was Ohio State's only touchdown of the night. The Buckeyes scored on three of their first five drives, but all three were field goals, while USC built a lead it never gave up. Fahey's two-point conversion pass after Smith's touchdown fell incomplete, and USC recovered the ensuing onside kick.

Smith finished the game with 10 catches for 83 yards and the touchdown. For the season he has 62 receptions for 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns, and for his career 225 receptions for 3,625 yards and 40 touchdowns — the first 40-touchdown receiving career in Big Ten history.

The record is the latest in a season full of them for Smith, who earlier this year became Ohio State's career leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and the first Buckeye receiver with three 1,000-yard seasons. The loss was Ohio State's second of the season, leaving the Buckeyes needing a strong November to stay in the College Football Playoff and Big Ten championship races. Ohio State hosts Oregon next, on November 7.

Sources: The Columbus Dispatch (Oct 31–Nov 1, 2026); Bleacher Report (Nov 1, 2026); Eleven Warriors (Oct 31, 2026).