Braylon Edwards salutes Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith after record 40th touchdown catch

Jeremiah Smith now holds the Big Ten record for career touchdown catches, and the man he passed has given him credit for it. The Ohio State junior caught his 40th career scoring pass late in Saturday's 30-18 loss at USC. That moved him past former Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards, who had held the conference mark at 39 since his career ended in 2004. According to ClutchPoints, Edwards set the rivalry aside and posted a video message soon after. He called Smith "one of one" and needled him only a little by naming his school as the one down south in Columbus.

The record came on a night that otherwise went badly for the Buckeyes. Eleven Warriors reported that Ohio State did not score a touchdown until 2:12 remained. That was when backup quarterback Luke Fahey found Smith from 1 yard out. It was also the first time in two years that the Ohio State defense gave up 30 points. The box score from Bleacher Report has Smith with 10 catches for 83 yards. It also notes that this was the Buckeyes' first game without quarterback Julian Sayin. Fahey completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards.

Smith tied Edwards on Oct. 17 in the 19-15 win at Indiana. ClutchPoints reported that he came into the USC game with 52 receptions, 984 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, so by that count he now has 62 catches, 1,067 yards and 13 scores. He already held Ohio State's career records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Now he holds the conference touchdown record too, with time left to add to it.

What it means for Oregon

The loss dropped Ohio State to 6-2. Both of its defeats have come on the road and both were close until late: 24-23 at Texas in September and now 30-18 at USC. At home the Buckeyes have won every game, beating Ball State, Kent State, Illinois and Maryland by a combined 202-41. Their road record before Los Angeles was strong as well, with wins at Iowa and at Indiana. The open question is how the offense works without Sayin, because Smith averaged just over 8 yards per catch against USC.

Oregon visits Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, on CBS. The Ducks beat USC 41-27 earlier this season, while the Trojans beat Ohio State and sit at 7-2.

The board for the game has Ohio State favored at all six venues. Novig prices the Buckeyes at -426, and FanDuel has the best price at -375. On Oregon, Novig is at +308 and bet365 has the longest price at +390. The 82-point gap on the underdog side shows how differently the venues read the Sayin situation. The spread varies more than usual: FanDuel lists Ohio State at -10.5, and DraftKings offers Oregon at +12.5. The total sits between 44.5 and 45.5, and the sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 4.2% to 6.6%.

After Oregon, Ohio State has three more regular-season games left. Every catch Smith makes from here extends a record that stood for more than two decades.