Carnell Tate celebrates in the end zone after catching a 50-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Ohio State beat Michigan 27-9 Saturday in the Big House. Photo credit: Liam Ahern | Lantern Photo Editor
Saturday morning, it was unclear whether Jeremiah Smith or Carnell Tate would even step foot on the field at Michigan Stadium.
Both had spent the past month battling lower-body injuries—Tate missing the last three games since Purdue and Smith sitting out the second half of the UCLA game and all of Rutgers—leaving no guarantee of their availability for The Game until warmups.
Six hours later, Smith and Tate were delivering the ball into the endzone for a combined 85 yards, helping to seal Ohio State’s first win over Michigan in 2,191 days and securing their status as the latest Buckeyes to carve their name into The Game’s lore.
In No. 1 Ohio State’s 27–9 win over No. 15 Michigan, Smith and Tate ignited the offense within the walls of the Big House, bringing a spark to a frigid November afternoon. The duo accounted for 122 of the Buckeyes’ 233 total receiving yards and two of three touchdowns, turning a morning of uncertainty into a game that etched Ohio State’s name back atop the rivalry.
“For [Smith] to play the way he did,” head coach Ryan Day said. “With really not getting many reps all week, it’s just a tribute to him.”
Ohio State opened the game with jitters: on the very first snap, Tate bobbled Julian Sayin’s first attempt. On the next play, Sayin targeted Smith and threw an interception.
It was hardly the start Buckeye fans wanted, but neither route runner stayed quiet for long.
As snow began to cover the field, Smith delivered the stabilizer Ohio State desperately needed, slipping behind Michigan’s secondary for a 35-yard touchdown with 11:44 left in the second quarter.
The reception jolted the Buckeyes sideline and crowd, and marked a momentum shift Ohio State never relinquished.
“We felt like it was an aggressive call that we wanted to make in that moment and so we did and man,” Day said on the play. “They put it on the field in a big way.”
After three games on the sidelines with an injury, Tate’s long awaited touchdown with 7:35 on the clock in the third quarter. Ohio State clung to a 17-9 lead when Tate broke free deep down the left side of the field, hauling in a perfectly placed ball for a 50-yard score that stretched the Buckeyes’ advantage and silenced Michigan Stadium.
“He ran a great route and I feel like the whole sideline was just kind of waiting on it in the air,” Sayin said. “It was hanging up in the air for a little bit but he made a great catch.”
For two players whose status was uncertain, their presence became undeniable.
Together, they provided the vertical threat Ohio State’s offense needed to send Michigan fans for the exits and trigger “OH-IO” chants to begin swirling around the air.
Their impact wasn’t just statistical. After five straight losses in The Game, Ohio State needed players who could make the kind of decisive plays the rivalry demands—and Smith and Tate delivered them.
“Just having [Smith and Tate] is awesome because they’re such elite receivers,” Sayin said.
In a game defined by stakes, pressure and looming payoffs, Smith and Tate didn’t just step onto the field.
They changed everything.
