WATCH: Jaxson Smith-Njigba makes college football history with spectacular, clutch touchdown
Ohio State wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba played out of his mind tonight in the Rose Bowl. The star receiver pulled in a grab from C.J. Stroud to give him 326 receiving yards for the game, the most by any player in a bowl in college football history.
Watch it here.
That clutch throw and catch by Stroud to Smith-Njigba will be one that will be not only remembered in Buckeye football history, but college football lore.
The way Stroud dropped it over his shoulder in the side of the end zone, it was undoubtedly one of the best passes of the bowl season.
Simply put, it was a thing of beauty the way Smith-Njigba was able to track the ball from behind his head and into his arms, while staying in bounds in the end zone. The clutch catch put the Buckeyes up 45-38 with 4:22 remaining in the game.
For the entire game, Smith-Njigba pulled in 15 catches for 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
It was one of the most incredible performances by any receiver in college football history. Ohio State ended up winning the game 48-45 in a Rose Bowl classic for the ages.
If you’re curious, in 1998, Troy Edwards of Louisiana Tech set the all-time receiving yardage record for one game. He caught an astounding 21 passes for 405 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
That’s the only record Smith-Njigba didn’t break in the game. It was an iconic performance that cemented his legacy among the game’s all-time greats. It’s only fitting he did it in the Rose Bowl, one of the most iconic football fields in all of sports. What an incredible game by both teams.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba sets multiple records
With an entire quarter still to play, Smith-Njigba had ten receptions and 257 yards along with two touchdowns. Despite the incredible performance, Ohio State still trailed Utah 38-31 entering the fourth quarter. The deficit meant more opportunities were coming towards Smith-Njigba to continue his record night.
With his total still able to climb, Smith-Njigba shattered the previous Ohio State bowl receiving record set by Cris Carter. Carter had 172 yards in the 1985 Rose Bowl. After passing Carter’s record, Smith-Njigba pushed past the Rose Bowl receiving record and now holds the record for the most yards receiving in the storied Rose Bowl’s history.
Smith-Njigba also broke another pair of Ohio State team records during the game, surpassing David Boston’s 1998 season total of 1,435 yards. He also surpassed Terry Glenn’s individual game record of 253 yards receiving that he set in 1995.
Despite already crushing multiple records, Smith-Njigba broke another as the fourth quarter began. Parris Campbell’s single-season receptions record of 90 catches was broken as well, as Smith-Njigba caught his 11th pass of the game and neared 300 yards.
Earlier in the season, the young star broke a team record for single-game receptions with `15 catches against Nebraska. While it was still early in the season, Smith-Njigba’s explosiveness was on full display even then. At this point, a new part of watching Ohio State games will involve watching how many more records Smith-Njigba will be able to break.
Ohio State’s defense stiffened up in the second half of the Rose Bowl to bring their deficit down after a slow start. Smith-Njigba might have to keep his record-setting pace if they intend to win their season finale.
On3’s Austin Brezina also contributed to this report.