It's challenging to find the right adjectives to describe Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State's star wideout.
Just ask Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti, who spoke to the media Monday ahead of a stacked Week 7 slate headlined by a rematch of last year's Big Ten title game in Indianapolis (noon ET in Bloomington, Ind. on FOX).
The Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) look to avenge their 13-10 loss last December, while the Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) try to maintain Big Ten supremacy in their quest for potentially back-to-back national titles.
"They’re a great football team with a lot of great players," Cignetti said of Ohio State. "Extremely well-coached. Ryan Day does a great job, both coordinators (Arthur Smith and Matt Patricia), all the position coaches. They’re really, really good."
Regarding Smith, who continues to shatter the Ohio State record books, Cignetti's impression of having to coach against, and potentially beat Smith once again, was simple.
Curt Cignetti Shares Immense Praise Toward Jeremiah Smith
"Not only do they have a lot of excellent players, they got a ‘Wow’ player," Cignetti said. "That’s really the only word to describe (Jeremiah Smith) that I can think of.”
Cignetti isn't a Heisman Trophy guru by any stretch, but he dove a bit deeper into what makes Smith, a potential 2027 entry into the NFL Draft, a one-of-a-kind superstar.
“He’s taken it up a notch without question," Cignetti said of Smith's growth this season. "There’s no one like him right now, playing at this level. We got two really good (wide receivers). He’s a freak. And we’re gonna have to do a great job on him.”
For the second straight week, Big Noon Kickoff will be on-site for a game featuring the Hoosiers. Except this time, Indiana gets a home backdrop. Cignetti said having a home crowd behind the Hoosiers is arguably the biggest advantage other than, of course, taking care of business in a No. 4 vs. No. 5 showdown.
“I’m glad we’re playing at home. We really need our crowd to be loud and very involved," Cignetti said. "We gotta give them reasons to be. It’s just a football game, but I’m glad it’s at home. It’s two good teams — two really good teams. A great team we’re playing. I’m not sure how good we are yet. But our crowds have been awesome and we need it to be loud. Real loud.”
Cignetti agrees, too, regarding the game being looked back on decades from now as the biggest college football game to have taken place in Bloomington.
"“Winning does a lot of good things," Cignetti said. "I think that’s what’s happened. You got an opponent coming in here that’s used to winning and winning championships — and as strong a brand as there is in America, Ohio State football for years and years and years. We’re a team that’s developing still, and I’m sure they would say the same thing about their team. It ought to be a great environment.”
In five days, we'll find out if college football's potential game of the year lives up to the hype.
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