Matchup between 3 elite receivers could overshadow QBs when No. 4 Ohio St. takes on No. 5 Indiana

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith seems to break records every weekend.

Indiana receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh are etching their names into Indiana lore on a weekly basis, too.

On Saturday, those three — all ranked among the top four receiver prospects in April’s NFL draft — will share the field for the eagerly anticipated Big Ten championship game rematch between the fourth-ranked Buckeyes and defending national champion and fifth-ranked Hoosiers.

This dream matchup for pro scouts turns into an absolute nightmare for defensive coordinators, secondaries and even, yes, two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti.

“He (Smith) has taken it up a notch without question, I think he has nine touchdown catches in the last three or four games,” Cignetti said Monday. “There is no one like him right now playing at this level. We’ve got two really good ones, but he (Smith) is a freak. We’re going to have to do a great job on him.”

Typically, in these high-stakes matchups, quarterbacks become the feature attractions. Josh Hoover and Julian Sayin certainly have done their part.

Hoover arrived at Indiana this season from TCU with a reputation for turning the ball over and with the tough job of replacing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

So far, he’s been up to the task. He ranks second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing efficiency (200.52), is tied for third in TD passes (17) and has not thrown an interception while helping Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) extend the FBS’ longest active winning streak to 22.

Sayin has nearly matched Hoover’s stat line, ranking fourth in efficiency (194.45) with 17 TD passes, though he drew the ire of coach Ryan Day last week when he threw his second interception of the season and lost a fumble in the Buckeyes’ victory over Maryland.

But what makes these two offenses really click are strong ground games and elite receivers.

Smith already owns Ohio State’s career marks for receptions, yards receiving and TD catches and ranks second nationally this season with 48 catches, 916 yards and 11 TDs. He opened conference play with back-to-back games of double-digit catches and 200-plus yards and has shown he wants to succeed Mendoza as this year’s Heisman winner.

“I didn’t know I had that much (yardage),” Smith said when asked about celebrating more regularly with the Heisman pose. “But, yeah, just got to keep (reminding) Heisman voters or whoever it is, the best player in the country is right here.”

Smith also had a big game when these teams last met in December — eight receptions for 144 yards — but he did not score. Keeping him out of the end zone will be an all hands on deck assignment for Indiana.

It won’t be any easier for the Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0).

Becker, who has a propensity for nabbing jump balls, played a key role in the Hoosiers’ title run, including his six-catch, 126-yard performance against Ohio State last December. His acrobatic 33-yard catch on third-and-6 with 2:26 left essentially sealed Indiana’s 13-10 victory over the Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship game.

This season, he and Marsh form one of the nation’s most dangerous pass-catching duos.

Marsh’s first immersion into the “Indiana way” was when Cignetti ripped him for showing up to the first day of spring practice in gold shoes and then talked about it publicly.

Lately, though, the record-breaking transfer from Michigan State has earned his keep. His biggest game of the season came last week when he had six receptions for 147 yards and TD catches of 75 and 44 yards in the fourth quarter that gave Indiana a 20-17 come-from-behind win at Nebraska.

“Nick did a great job running the route and I put it on him,” Hoover said when asked about the 75-yard score. “He caught it and did something with it, so it just shows you what our guys are able to do when we get the ball in their hands. I’ve got to continue to find ways to get these guys the ball, let them do their thing.”

That’s exactly what Day wants to prevent from a duo that has combined for 59 receptions, 1,057 yards and 14 TDs. Becker has one more catch, one more yard and two more scores than Marsh.

But Day has seen just how good they are together.

“These guys, in particular, are very clean route runners, play really strong on contact, have really good body control,” Day said. “They have a run-after-catch ability. (They’re) very, very confident playing man-to-man coverage, do an excellent job with their slants and fades and back shoulder fades. You can tell that’s clearly taught at a very high level there.”

Both also pride themselves in downfield blocking, a must for a team coached by a former receivers coach. Becker has returned punts this season too.

Just don’t expect this weekend’s only top five matchup to be a track meet. It’s going to be physical and action-packed with big plays, big disappointments and three highly touted receivers trying to gain the upper hand against defenses tracking their every move.

It won’t be easy, but it promises to be worth watching.

“Just his explosive playmaking ability,” Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said when asked what he’s seen from Smith. “Whether it’s a quadruple move down the middle of the field or they’re going to turn him a screen, he can turn it on like that and start getting vertical. But I think the thing that’s really impressed us is that he’s not just this vertical threat that’s like a track star. He’ll catch the ball in space and start getting vertical from like low drags and stuff like that.”

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