Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s touchdown catch caught the attention of many, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
The 2022 Rose Bowl game will go down as the best game of this bowl season, and it’s not even close. The Ohio State Buckeyes and Utah Utes traded haymakers and hooks throughout the game, going down to the wire. For Ohio State, they had a historic performance by wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
With the game tied at 38 in the fourth quarter, Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a pass to Smith-Njigba in the end zone and made an impressive catch to take the lead. It caught the attention of everyone, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1477453306570051586
Take a listen to the TV call and the Ohio State radio calls.
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA FOR THE LEAD!!
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 2, 2022
THIS MAN CAN'T BE STOPPED pic.twitter.com/AgDWhFSas6
As called on Ohio State radio: pic.twitter.com/6WxsRmcGiy
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 2, 2022
Jaxon Smith-Njigba makes impressive touchdown reception late in Rose Bowl
No matter who was covering him and how he was covered, there was no stopping Smith-Njigba on New Years Day.
Even though that was the go-ahead score, Utah stormed all the way downfield and tied things up on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Barnes to Dalton Kinkaid. However, the Buckeyes won 48-45 on a 19-yard, game-winning field goal by Noah Ruggles.
Smith-Njigba caught 15 passes for a bowl-game record 347 yards and three touchdowns at the Rose Bowl.
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