Watching five Minnesota defenders line up to attack Jeremiah Smith as Carnell Tate streaked wide open for a 44-yard touchdown had a comedic element to it. Smith certainly thought so.
At Ohio State's media availability on Wednesday, Smith told reporters that he started “laughing in their face” when he saw half the Golden Gophers' defenders run to him, knowing that Tate was singled up to make a play.
.@AndyAnders55 asked Jeremiah Smith about the play where five Minnesota defenders bit on the play-action fake to the star wide receiver, freeing up Carnell Tate to make a great move in single coverage for a 44-yard touchdown:
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) October 9, 2025
"When that happened, I seen all them run at me, I pic.twitter.com/yvpmLYgjIm
Smith was just one of six Buckeyes who broke down their latest thoughts to the media contingent at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday. Max Klare thinks Julian Sayin showed toughness that is "pretty special" in standing in the pocket to deliver him a downfield strike, Arvell Reese and Payton Pierce both talked up defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Beau Atkinson thinks Zion Grady is "going to be a freak" and Joshua Padilla said the offensive line is taking an "everyone against us" mentality.
Check out what everyone had to say in the videos and bullets below.
WR Jeremiah Smith
“When that happened, I saw all them run at me, I just started laughing in their face. And I just put my hand up, ‘cause I knew it was a touchdown.”– Jeremiah Smith on drawing five defenders on Carnell Tate’s touchdown catch against Minnesota
- On tight end Max Klare: “I feel like Max has been doing a great job. When he first got here, just working out with him in the offseason, he didn't really have it in him, I should say. But now he does. Coach Mick put me with him (in workouts), so I had to take care of him. But Max has definitely taken that step on and off the field. And I'm very proud of him, of the things he's doing in this offense this year.”
- Helping Klare grow and toughen up in the weight room helped Smith grow as a leader, too. “I think that helped me a lot, becoming more of a leader, using my voice, talking to him just one-on-one. Motivating him when he's doing a rep or anything that we're doing in the weight room. So I feel like that definitely helped me a lot.”
- On wide receiver Brandon Inniss: “We all know on this team that Brandon is a dog. And he’s gonna do everything that you're asking him to do. He's not gonna complain about it. And I see the things people saying about him, but I know the type of player he is. And I know the things that he could do, and I appreciate everybody in his offense and everybody around Ohio State knows the things that he couldn't accomplish. But hopefully, this week, he has a week that he should have, and I hope the ball goes away.”
LB Arvell Reese
“I think he’s doing a great job. Like, he puts me in a lot of different spots, puts me in a lot of different roles and just showing how versatile I am.”– Arvell Reese on Matt Patricia
- Reese said he and Sonny Styles have similar skill sets, which creates a significant challenge for opposing offensive coordinators and players. “I think we complement each other where we can do a lot of the same stuff.”
- When asked if he’s like Jeremiah Smith and has to avoid going out in Columbus or doing something simple like grocery shopping, Reese laughed. “I don’t really have to go through that, for real. I still go to the grocery store.” Reese said he doesn’t shop for Smith’s groceries, just his own.
- Reese said he knew he could have a breakout season for Ohio State. “I know what I can do… I just do a lot of different stuff.”
- On Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer: “I think he a great quarterback. In the scheme he in, he a great quarterback. He fit it well. He can run, too. He a good quarterback.”
TE Max Klare
“He's a tough guy. When he's able to stand in there and take a hit like that and put the ball where he wants to, I mean, it's pretty special. But, you know, it's Julian.”– Max Klare on Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin delivering a deep pass to him through a big hit
- On whether he’s improved in becoming a more well-rounded tight end: “I think I've improved a lot. Coach Key (Bailey), Coach Hinton, Coach Wendy (Laurent), working on my blocking every day, working on my route running. Just being able to learn from guys like Will (Kacmarek) and Bennett (Christian). It's been great help to me and just wanna keep continuing to build on that for sure.”
- On where he’s improved as a run blocker: “I think just hand placement, running off the ball, velocity into it.”
- Making plays when called upon has been the key to developing chemistry with Sayin, Klare said. “I think just keep earning that trust, making the play when your number’s called, even especially in practice, too. Just continuing to build that trust is huge.”
DE Beau Atkinson
“It’s been amazing. It’s good to be 5-0.”– Beau Atkinson on his first five games as a Buckeye
- Atkinson said “some of his best friends” still play at North Carolina and he talks to them regularly. Asked if they’re upset about how the season has gone, Atkinson replied, “They’re keeping good spirits. They’re trying to just focus on the next one.”
- On freshman defensive end Zion Grady: “Zion’s going to be a freak one day. He’s still a young dude, but he’s going to be a stud.”
- Atkinson praised defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s attention to detail. “There’s just lots of little details that a lot of people probably overlook that he’s able to focus on.”
- On right tackle Phillip Daniels: “He’s a super nice guy off the field, but once he gets on it, he definitely has a heavy edge, especially against the other teams.”
OL Joshua Padilla
“We’ve just gone out there and just attacked every single opponent we’ve gone against. I feel like as an offensive line, it’s basically everybody against us. So just going out there, just playing as hard as we can, showing everybody we can do it.”– Joshua Padilla on the mentality of the offensive line
- Asked who pushes him the most in practice, Joshua Padilla said Kayden McDonald, followed by Will Smith Jr. “K-Mac definitely pushes me to my limit. We definitely go at it back and forth.”
- On freshman defensive tackle Jarquez Carter: “Jarquez is definitely one of those guys we’re going to see for the next couple years. I think he’s a really good player.”
- On the difference between playing center and guard, both positions he played in Ohio State’s last game against Minnesota: “When you’re at center, you’re running the show with the offensive line. And when you’re at guard, you’re the one listening and following the orders, making the double-team calls.”
- He thinks center is the harder position to play. “Center’s definitely hard because you’ve got to know the front, know the defense, know the personnel.
- Asked if he could swing out to tackle, Padilla said “maybe, but that might take some time, to be honest.”
LB Payton Pierce
“I got to know him pretty well. It was a lot different than the previous defensive coordinator. I talked to Patricia more probably his first two days here than I did with our old defensive coordinator my whole time being here. He’s poured into all of us, and he does every single day.”– Payton Pierce on his relationship with Matt Patricia
- On Patricia, Pierce later added: “Any questions we got, he's always here to help and not just in football, but in life. He's given us different advice and stuff like that and he's been through so much, so it's great hearing from him every single day, and I appreciate him a lot."
- On Logan George and Zion Grady: “You see what they do on Saturday nights every practice. I’m not surprised they're out there making plays. Zion’s been making plays since spring ball when he got here. I’m just glad they’re getting reps and getting opportunities to go out there and show what they do every practice.”
- On Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer: “He’s not only a threat with his arm, but he’s pretty gast. And we’re doing a good job of game planning for him. He does a really good job of operating that offense. He’s a veteran at it, and he’s good with his reads and stuff like that. We’re doing the best we can to put us in the best situations for the game. That’s just what we’re doing every day.”
- Pierce said Ohio State’s coaches continue to preach that the players need to have a desperate and hungry mindset. “Coaches always say the issues are there. Every day, we’re just trying to fix that and get better. We know what we need to get better at every single day. We got guys competing every single day and scrapping… We’re just taking it one day at a time.”
