Jeremiah Smith didn’t ignore the question in Saturday’s press conference. The Ohio State freshman phenom took it on and expounded on it.

Smith had 1 of the best freshman seasons in Buckeyes history, breaking all kinds of wide receiver records and helping Ohio State seal a berth in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. But there was that Oregon game in Eugene back in October.

The Buckeyes lost, 32-31, and Smith knows the result could’ve been different had an offensive pass interference penalty not been called on him on Ohio State’s final drive. It was a 2nd-and-10 play from the Ducks’ 28-yard line, with the Buckeyes already in field-goal range.

Smith caught a pass for a 7-yard gain to the Oregon 21-yard line, or so he thought he did. But instead of a 7-yard gain, it turned out to be a 15-yard loss, with Smith being called for that OPI that moved the ball back to the 43. There were only 22 seconds left, Ohio State never got back into field-goal range and, ultimately, the Buckeyes ran out of time.

Now, Smith and his teammates have a shot at retribution in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, when they’ll get a rematch with top-seeded and unbeaten Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals. Despite the rematch, that penalty call still stings Smith.

“Yeah, I think about that call probably every day. It was a crazy call,” said Smith. “The (defensive back) was holding me, and I just cleared his hands. I guess receivers can’t be physical in football anymore, but DBs can hold 10 yards, 15 yards down the field. It’s behind me. We’ll have to see how things play out in this game.”

This is just 1 of many subplots for the highly anticipated all-Big Ten quarterfinal showdown in Pasadena. The Granddaddy of Them All is set for a 5:00 pm ET/2:00 pm PT kickoff on ESPN.