Jeremiah Smith Breaks Big Ten Record That Stood for Over Two Decades
Jeremiah Smith surpassed a longstanding Big Ten receiving record against Northwestern, adding another milestone to his career.
In a significant achievement for Ohio State's football team, running back Jeremiah Smith broke the Big Ten record for career receiving yards, a record that had stood for over two decades. Smith, a junior, surpassed Purdue's John Standeford's mark of 3,788 yards with just 31 receiving yards in the first quarter against Northwestern on Saturday.
This milestone was reached during a second-and-three play at Ohio Stadium, where Smith was caught over the middle by quarterback Luke Fahey, pushing his career total to 3,798 yards. Standeford had held the record since 2000-2003 when he was at Purdue. Smith had already surpassed Ohio State's own career receiving yards record before this milestone, focusing his efforts on the conference standard.
His success this season has been consistent, with strong performances in each of his three years. In 2024, he recorded 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, leading Ohio State to a national championship. The following year, he added 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns, setting him up for this record-breaking game. Smith's performance against Illinois earlier in the season was particularly impressive, with 217 yards and four touchdowns.
He has already achieved the 100-yard receiving milestone five times this season, and has two more games left to attempt to break the conference record for receiving touchdowns at 40.
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