Jeremiah Smith channels Michael Jordan to fix his penalty problem

Jeremiah Smith is getting the Jordan Rules treatment.

Not from defenders.

From referees.

The Ohio State wide receiver leads the Big Ten in receiving yards and touchdowns this season.

He also leads in a category no receiver wants to top: zero pass interference penalties drawn.

Zero.

In an entire season.

Smith has 62 catches for 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He ranks fifth nationally in all three categories.

He has not drawn a single pass interference flag since Week 11 of last season.

That was a win against Purdue.

One year ago.

“A tug or a pull or a bump on Jeremiah based on almost anybody else in the country would look a lot different,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters.

“So a foul is a foul.”

Day compared the situation to NBA rules that evolved around dominant players.

“They call it the LeBron rule, the Shaq rule, whatever that was when it was in the NBA; I think we’ve got to recognize those types of things,” Day said.

“So that’s all being communicated.”

The reference to the “Jordan Rules” goes back further.

Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly created the original game plan in the late 1980s.

The strategy was simple: whenever Michael Jordan touched the ball, send a double team.

When he cut or dribbled past his defender, make contact.

Wear him down.

Daly detailed the plan to Sports Illustrated at the time.

Smith’s situation mirrors that history.

Except the contact is happening without flags.

During Ohio State’s 19-15 win over Indiana last month, a play illustrated the problem.

Smith ran a deep route in the second quarter.

Indiana safety Preston Zachman closed the gap as quarterback Julian Sayin’s pass hung in the air.

Zachman slammed Smith onto the ground without playing the ball.

No flag.

“In most circles, this would count as a penalty,” wrote Cleveland.com columnist Jimmy Watkins.

“But within Smith’s radius, the rules change.”

Day suggested Smith’s size works against him.

At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Smith looks like he can handle contact.

Officials see a big, strong receiver and allow physicality they would flag for a smaller player.

“The way officials judge the rules against him, Oregon might be able to bend them,” Watkins wrote.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning joked about the situation this week.

“We’re gonna see if we can play with 12 (players),” Lanning said.

Or at least, observers think he was joking.

“The way opponents have double-, triple- and quadruple-teamed Smith this season, you never know,” Watkins noted.

Smith enters Saturday’s matchup against the Ducks with a chance to change the narrative.

He also enters with a backup quarterback.

Julian Sayin suffered an injury that coach Ryan Day said would cost the signal caller several weeks.

Luke Fahey will start against Oregon.

Smith’s Heisman hopes hang in the balance.

Malachi Toney’s high-ankle sprain vaulted Smith back to the top of the Heisman odds.

Toney, the Miami star receiver, is undergoing surgery and will miss about four weeks.

Smith is now the favorite at +160.

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah is second at +165.

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr is third at +550.

Smith has failed to reach 100 yards in three straight games.

But the lack of PI calls adds another layer.

Smith cannot draw penalties that would extend drives and put him in position for big plays.

Defenses know they can be physical without consequence.

The “Jordan Rules” comparison is not just a headline.

It is a strategy that defined an era of basketball.

Now it defines Smith’s season.

The question is whether Ohio State’s communication with officials will change anything.

Day said the issue is “all being communicated.”

Whether that communication produces flags remains to be seen.

Smith needs those flags.

He needs the extra plays, the extra yards, the extra touchdowns.

He needs to show voters he can overcome the treatment.