Ohio State had absolutely no answer for DeVonta Smith in the first half of Monday night’s national championship game.
The 2020 Heisman winner had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the first two quarters against the Buckeyes. Smith’s 18 points he scored himself were more than Ohio State as Alabama led 35-17 at the half.
Smith also had more yards than the entire Ohio State offense. The Buckeyes racked up 190 yards of offense in the first half on 34 plays.
Ohio State defensive back Shaun Wade said that he was looking forward to playing Smith on Monday night and, well, it didn’t go too smoothly for him. Wade was beaten multiple times by Smith throughout the first two quarters.
Smith was used in a multitude of ways by Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Smith went in motion and caught passes out of the backfield and torched Ohio State on short, intermediate, and deep routes.
Smith’s first touchdown of the night came when he motioned toward the backfield and split out to the flat after a fake handoff to Najee Harris. He was wide open for the score.
Smith set the Alabama record for most receptions in a game when he caught 15 passes against Florida in the SEC championship game. He’ll break that record if he has four catches in the second half.
More from Yahoo Sports:
