Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith one TD from tying Big Ten record before trip to Indiana

Jeremiah Smith goes into Saturday's top-five game at Indiana one touchdown catch from tying the Big Ten career record. The Ohio State receiver has 38 touchdown receptions. Michigan's Braylon Edwards holds the record with 39, set from 2001 to 2004. One score in Bloomington ties Edwards, and two would give Smith the record outright, USA TODAY Sports reported.

The last month got him here. Smith has eight total touchdowns over the past three weeks, according to USA TODAY. Fox Sports noted that after the 31-14 win at Iowa, Smith already owned Ohio State's career records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches, and that he had at least 150 receiving yards in four of his first five games. Against Maryland last week he caught two first-half touchdowns, both on screen passes. Eleven Warriors reported that those two scores gave him 11 for the season. That makes him the first Buckeye receiver with three 10-touchdown seasons and breaks Terry Glenn's school mark for touchdowns through six games.

The yardage record is in reach too, though further off. Smith's 93 yards against Maryland lifted him to 3,474 career yards, fifth in conference history and just past Wisconsin's Lee Evans. He is 67 yards behind Edwards for fourth. Purdue's John Standeford leads with 3,788, which is 314 yards away.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti did not play it down this week. In comments carried by USA TODAY, he called Smith "a wow player" and said no one at this level compares to him right now.

What it means for Saturday

The record chase lands in the biggest game on the Big Ten schedule. Indiana is 6-0 but has had to work lately: the Hoosiers beat Nebraska 20-17 on the road last week and got past Northwestern 29-23 at home earlier this month. Those results came after a 47-15 win at Rutgers and three non-conference blowouts in which they allowed 16 points total. Ohio State is 5-1. Its only loss was a one-point game at Texas, 24-23, in September. Since then the Buckeyes have won four straight by an average of nearly 30 points, including the 45-16 win over Maryland.

On the board for the game, Ohio State is favored on the road. Novig lists the Buckeyes at -156 on the moneyline and Indiana at +153. The spread is Ohio State -3.5. Novig prices the Buckeyes' side of that at +108 and Indiana +3.5 at -113. The best Indiana price at any of the 12 venues is -110 at Hard Rock Bet. The total sits at 50.5 on Novig, with the over at +102 and the under at -106. theScore Bet has the lowest number, 49.5, with the over at -115. The venues are close on the side and differ by a point on the total. Sportsbook hold runs roughly 3.5% to 7% across the markets.

With a spread under a field goal and a half, the board expects a close game, much like Indiana's last two. A close game could still turn on one player, and Smith has shown for three straight weeks that he can be that player. Kickoff is Saturday on Fox.