Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith Praised by CFB Fans in OSU's Blowout Win vs. Purdue

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes took another big step toward the College Football Playoff on Saturday, dismantling the Purdue Boilermakers 45-0 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

The combination of senior quarterback Will Howard and freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ruled the day for OSU, as Howard went 21-of-26 for 260 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, plus a rushing touchdown, while Smith finished with six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.

After having already set Ohio State's single-season record for receptions and receiving yardage by a freshman, Smith surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter on Saturday for the most receiving touchdowns by an OSU true freshman with nine:

Smith has already established himself as one of the best and most electric wideouts in college football at the age of 18, and he garnered no shortage of praise Saturday on social media:

During the offseason, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made a huge splash in the transfer portal, but there was perhaps no bigger arrival than Howard, who replaced Kyle McCord as the Buckeyes' starting quarterback.

Howard had 27 games of starting experience at Kansas State, and it was thought that he would be the perfect player to orchestrate an offense stacked with elite talent.

While Howard hasn't been perfect, nor is he strongly in the Heisman Trophy conversation with Miami quarterback Cam Ward or Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, he has limited mistakes and operated the offense effectively.

Entering Saturday's game, Howard was completing 73.2 percent of his passes for 1,977 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 115 yards and five scores.

He added to those numbers against Purdue, rushing for a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter, followed by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gee Scott Jr. and a 17-yard scoring strike to Smith in the second quarter:

Howard added his fourth and final total touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard pass to Emeka Egbuka, extending the lead to 45-0:

Fans have been critical of Howard at times this season, but he received plenty of props for his play Saturday:

Given that Purdue entered the game with only one win on the season, Ohio State was expected to take care of the business, and the victory was never really in doubt.

While Howard and Smith led the way, Day's squad came through with a complete team effort in the win.

Running back TreVeyon Henderson was as dynamic as ever, rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Also, the OSU defense held Purdue to 206 total yards and forced two turnovers, and Ohio State even excelled on special teams, blocking a punt during the first quarter.

Ohio State improved to 8-1 with the win and further cemented its status as the No. 2 team in the country with its only loss coming against No. 1 Oregon.

However, since that loss was in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are not currently lined up to play in the Big Ten Championship Game, which would preclude them from getting a first-round bye in the CFP.

OSU will once again be heavily favored on the road next week against Northwestern before facing undefeated Indiana the following week and then struggling rival Michigan to close out the regular season.

Should the Buckeyes win out, a rematch with Oregon could be in the offing in the Big Ten title game.