OSU's Jeremiah Smith Sends Warning to Notre Dame: 'Can't Wait to Put on a Show'

Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is excited for his team's national championship game against Notre Dame on Monday, and he sent a warning to the Fighting Irish about defending him man-to-man.

"If you are going to play man [to-man defense] against Ohio State, be ready," Smith said, per ESPN's Paolo Uggetti. "I can't wait to put on a show."

Smith said that Notre Dame plays man-to-man "80 percent" of the time and loves when teams try to stop him with just one defender, per Uggetti.

Smith has been phenomenal, catching 71 passes for 1,227 yards (17.3 YPC) and 14 touchdowns. He had just one catch for three yards in the Buckeyes' 28-14 Cotton Bowl win over Texas last Friday, but the Longhorns made it a point to stop him.

"You watch the film -- they doubled, tripled me," Smith said. "It's frustrating, but being a decoy helped us win the game."

Ohio State's previous two CFP opponents had great difficulty against Smith, who had six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns versus Tennessee before posting a 7/187/2 game against Oregon.

It'll be interesting to see how Notre Dame defends Smith. The Fighting Irish's defense has been phenomenal this year, entering the championship game allowing the second-fewest points in Division I FBS (14.3 PPG). They could very well slow down Smith, but it'll be a tall order for sure.

Kickoff in Atlanta on Monday is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.