Urban Meyer tells Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith the camera is always on after Oregon outburst

Urban Meyer has stepped into the argument over Jeremiah Smith's sideline outburst. He backed the Ohio State receiver's character and told him to remember how closely he is watched. Meyer spoke on "The Triple Option" podcast, as HEAVY reported. He said that if he still coached Smith, he would bring him in for a talk rather than a reprimand. Meyer called him "the perfect teammate" and "the perfect worker," based on what Ryan Day and the strength staff have told him. His message was that the camera is on Smith as much as anyone in the country, so he should hustle back and not give people a reason to question who he is.

The flashpoint came in Saturday's 41-28 home loss to Oregon. The Buckeyes led 14-0, then gave up 38 straight points. Smith went more than two quarters without a catch. Late in the third quarter, with Ohio State down 31-14, he finally made a grab and was caught on camera yelling toward his own sideline. He finished with seven receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, but most of that production came after the game was out of reach.

The reaction split along familiar lines. Jeremy Birmingham of 97.1 The Fan said on air that a captain and the best player in the country cannot behave that way, comments The Comeback reported. Smith did not answer him directly. Instead he reposted a defense from former Buckeyes lineman LeCharles Bentley, who argued that frustration is not proof of immaturity. Eleven Warriors noted that this was the second straight loss in which Smith let his frustration show, after the defeat at USC. Its argument was that the offense, not the receiver, is the issue.

The numbers support that view. Smith has 69 catches for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he has said this is probably his final season in Columbus. Meyer's point is about how Smith comes across in public. The larger question for Ohio State is whether its offense can get him the ball while games are still close.

What it means for Northwestern

Ohio State (6-3) hosts Northwestern on Saturday, November 14, on Fox after back-to-back losses: 30-18 at USC and the 13-point defeat to Oregon. The offense has scored 19, 18 and 28 points in its last three games, after putting up 42 or more in four of its first six. The Wildcats come in with recent big-game experience. They were ranked No. 20 when they lost 34-26 at Oregon two weeks before the Ducks won in Columbus.

The Buckeyes are still clear favorites on this site's board for the game, which tracks 12 venues. Novig has Ohio State at -426 on the moneyline and Northwestern at +400. No venue offers a better price on either side. On the spread, Ohio State is favored by 12.5 at Novig (-106), with Northwestern +12.5 at -102. The widest number anywhere is Northwestern +13 at BetRivers (-114). The total sits at 46.5 at Novig, with the over at +102 and the under at -111. theScore Bet has 45.5 on the over at -105, and Hard Rock Bet has the under at 46.5 for -105. The venues are close: sportsbook hold runs from 3.6% to 7.0% across the main lines, and the spread and total differ by no more than a point from one venue to the next.

The question for Ohio State is whether Smith is involved early or only after the result is settled.