Jeremiah Smith fuels Ohio State-Michigan rivalry talk at Big Ten media days, calls it key

USA Today

3 days ago

Earlier this month, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith promised that he would never lose to Michigan football again -- a bold statement considering he tallied just 35 yards in the fourth straight loss the Buckeyes had to the Wolverines. Additionally, while a wide receiver can go off any single game, that's generally not been the problem for OSU in The Game -- Michigan has just had stronger line play and have dominated in the trenches.
Still, it was a welcome statement for Ohio State fans, even as they've downplayed the rivalry after winning the national championship. However, Smith refuses to downplay the rivalry, noting at Big Ten media days that beating the Wolverines is paramount in the state of Ohio.
"I feel like they're crazy," Smith said. "Rivalry is a rivalry. I don't care what you're talking about. You can say, 'Oh, we lost, but we won that championship.' I feel like it's still a rivalry. We still should win that game. So to me, I take every game very seriously. I don't care what it is. I just want to win."
Despite OSU fans and media changing their tune following the 13-10 loss once the Buckeyes started making waves in the expanded playoff, Smith says that the hate goes both ways, and it's not changing in Columbus. In his eyes, The Game is still The Game, no matter what happens after that.
"I feel like they feel the same way about us," Smith said. "They don't like us. We don't like them. So I mean, it's a rivalry that's been going on for 100-plus years. So it's going to continue to be that way, even when I'm done playing here at Ohio State."
Well, OK. These comments aren't terribly different than what Michigan players were saying while in the throes of a losing streak against the Buckeyes.