However, the celebrations were halted for a moment. Officials sent the play to review after replays showed Smith juggling the ball as he approached the end zone. The critical question: Did Smith regain full control before stepping out of bounds, or was it a fumble that should’ve resulted in a Michigan touchback?

Despite slow-motion angles suggesting Smith may have been out of bounds during the second bobble, the ruling on the field stood. The touchdown counted, largely because the replay wasn’t conclusive enough to overturn the original call, a decision that immediately angered Michigan fans.

Michigan answered on the very next possession, methodically driving downfield before drilling a 49-yard field goal to pull within 10–9 just before halftime.

“That is a terrible call in the Michigan game. Jeremiah Smith very clearly fumbled that and it should be Michigan ball and a touchback,” one fan wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“If we’re calling this a touchdown then idk what our sport has come to. Jeremiah Smith is coughing the ball up yards before the end zone😂” another one added.

Smith and Carnell Tate, who were both out with injuries, took the field against Michigan on Saturday. Both WRs missed the Buckeyes’ 42-9 rout of Rutgers last weekend. Head coach Ryan Day had said that they were ‘day-to-day’.

“They’re going to continue to get some rest tonight, had a good day of rehab. So we’ll wake up in the morning and see how they’re doing, but nobody wants to play more than those two guys,” Day said at the time.