Smith sets Big Ten receiving record as Ohio State snaps skid, beats Northwestern 28-19
File photo: talkSPORTJeremiah Smith became the Big Ten's career receiving yards leader on Saturday, catching 11 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown as No. 21 Ohio State beat Northwestern 28-19 at Ohio Stadium, snapping a two-game losing streak.
Smith now has 3,875 career receiving yards, passing Purdue's John Standeford, who held the Big Ten record at 3,788 since 2003. It was also Smith's 17th career 100-yard game, tying Purdue's David Bell and Michigan's Braylon Edwards. His 2-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was the 42nd touchdown of his career — the most by a college wide receiver in his first three seasons since 2000, according to Sportradar — and his 15th touchdown of the season.
"It's not easy, a lot of work goes into it. I'm blessed to have the record but today was all about the win. That was the main focus today," Smith told Fox Sports in a postgame interview on the field.
The win was Ohio State's first since back-to-back losses to Southern California and Oregon — the Buckeyes' first back-to-back regular-season losses since 2011. At 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten, Ohio State kept its slim College Football Playoff and Big Ten title game hopes alive.
Freshman quarterback Luke Fahey, in his third game running the offense in place of injured starter Julian Sayin, completed 21 of 32 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, earning his first win as a starter. Fahey and Smith needed time to click, and Saturday was the clearest sign yet that they have.
"I definitely think the chemistry's coming along a lot more on getting more reps with him," Fahey said. "He's a great player with a great attitude, so it certainly makes my job easy to target him and get him the ball."
Northwestern led 3-0 after the first quarter before Ohio State took over. Fahey found running back Isaiah West for a 4-yard touchdown 45 seconds into the second quarter, and Bo Jackson scored from 2 yards out of the Wildcat formation late in the half to make it 14-6. Jackson ran for 114 yards on 20 carries, and he and West combined for 159 of Ohio State's 168 rushing yards.
Northwestern pulled within 14-13 on a 2-yard scramble by quarterback Nicco Marchiol early in the third quarter, but Ohio State answered with an 83-yard, 13-play drive capped by Devin McCuin's 8-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-1. The Buckeyes' maligned special teams then delivered the decisive play: long snapper Dalton Riggs recovered a muffed punt by Drew Wagner at the Northwestern 10, and three plays later Smith was in the end zone. Northwestern scored on the game's final play, an 18-yard touchdown catch by Luke Dehnicke, to make the final margin 28-19.
"The No. 1 goal is to win, but we also have an obligation to this young man, what he's done for our program. He deserves the opportunity to touch the football," head coach Ryan Day said of Smith. Ohio State also launched Smith's Heisman Trophy campaign during the game, with fans waving "JJ 4 It All" foam fingers.
Ohio State's defense sacked Marchiol five times — Kenyatta Jackson Jr. led the way with two — after managing just two sacks across the previous four games. Marchiol threw for 225 yards and accounted for both Northwestern touchdowns, and Jackson Kleather kicked two field goals. The loss was Northwestern's third straight, and the Wildcats have now lost their last 16 trips to Ohio Stadium, dating back to 1971. Ohio State has won 12 straight in the series and 36 of the last 37 meetings.
Former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was on the opposite sideline for the first time since winning the 2024 national championship with the Buckeyes. "Where this one really stings is you come into a hostile environment against a good team, position yourself well into the fourth quarter at times with momentum where you think you are going to break through but fall short. There were missed opportunities along the way," Northwestern head coach David Braun said.
Ohio State closes out its road schedule at Nebraska next Saturday, with Michigan still to come. Northwestern visits Minnesota.
Sources: Associated Press, "Fahey, Smith get No. 21 Ohio State back on track with 28-19 victory over Northwestern" by Joe Reedy (Nov. 14, 2026, full text verified); The Columbus Dispatch, "Ohio State gets lift from RBs Bo Jackson, Isaiah West in win over Northwestern" (Nov. 14, 2026, full text verified); Ohio State Buckeyes, "No. 20 Ohio State Grinds Out Home Win Against Northwestern" (Nov. 14, 2026, full text verified). Event date verified: the game was played Saturday, November 14, 2026, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
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