On Saturday evening, Ohio State football punched its ticket to the college football playoff quarterfinals with a dominating home victory over the Tennessee Volunteers in front of a packed Ohio Stadium crowd. The Buckeyes dominated this one from the start, racing out to a 21-0 lead in the first half and ultimately winning by a final score of 42-17.

Arguably the most impressive performance of the day for the Buckeyes belonged to true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who hauled in six catches for 103 and two touchdowns on the frigid evening.

After the game, quarterback Will Howard, who had arguably his best game of the season in the victory, showed love to the star wide receiver.

“He's the dude, man,” Howard said of Smith, per Jake Trotter of ESPN. “I think he's the best receiver in the country. You see what the kid does with the ball in his hands. He's just everything you want in a teammate and a receiver.”

The Tennessee secondary looked powerless throughout the evening to stop Ohio State's plethora of future NFL talent at the wide receiver position, constantly letting Smith and others get lost in the defensive backfield and torching them time and time again.

Can Ohio State go all the way?

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the first half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Up next for Ohio State football is a rematch with the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl New Year's Day.

Oregon accounted for Ohio State's first loss of the season in Eugene back in October by a score of 32-31. Will Howard came under fire for his late game decision making in that one, as he took a quarterback scramble all the way to the expiration of the game clock when sliding earlier may have given the Buckeyes a chance to run one more play.

Oregon finished the season undefeated, having mostly dominated their schedule up to this point and earning a bye in the first round.

Meanwhile, coming into Saturday's game vs Tennessee, there were legitimate questions about Ohio State and how they would respond after a brutal home loss to Michigan to close out their regular season.

The Buckeyes answered those questions in resounding fashion, never having any doubt en route to the victory over the Volunteers.

Ohio State and Oregon are set to kick things off on New Year's Day at 4:00 PM ET from Pasadena, California.