ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Wide receiver DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide rushes for a touchdown over the defense of Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second quarter of the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)DeVonta Smith is no secret. He just won the Heisman Trophy—the first for a wide receiver since 1991–and has had an outrageous year for Alabama football. And yet, even a defense as talented as Ohio State has nothing for him.
Through about a quarter and a half, Smith already has nine catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. He has more receiving yards than Ohio State’s whole team, and just under 64-percent of his team’s so far.
Smith isn’t the biggest guy, as he said in his Heisman speech. He is incredibly fast, is as good a technical route runner as we have in college football, and has fantastic hands. There isn’t much more you can ask for from a receiver.
Banner Society college football insider Steven Godfrey is sharing live game reactions from anonymous coaches from all levels of college football tonight. One Power Five assistant coach said all that needs to be said about the Crimson Tide superstar: “DeVonta is a cheat code.”
P5 offensive assistant: "Devonta is a cheat code." #FilmRoomFilmRoom
— Steven Godfrey (@38Godfrey) January 12, 2021
Ohio State is always loaded at cornerback. Their top guy, Shaun Wade, is a likely first-round pick. And yet, DeVonta Smith is feasting on the Buckeyes tonight.
Najee Harris has also looked explosive, and Mac Jones has just two incompletions on the night, though he also has a costly fumble that led to a Buckeyes touchdown.
Alabama football leads Ohio State 21-17 with just over five minutes left in the first half. We have a thriller going in Miami tonight. Hopefully this energy keeps up.
