Upset in Louisville, History in Columbus

College football Saturdays rarely follow one script.

Sometimes the story is a team walking into a ranked opponent's stadium and refusing to leave without an upset.

Sometimes it's a superstar producing numbers that barely look real.

The opening window of Saturday's college football slate gave us both.

Wake Forest went into Louisville and stunned No. 16 Louisville 30-27, finishing the upset by blocking a potential game-tying field goal in the final seconds.

Meanwhile, more than 300 miles away in Columbus, Jeremiah Smith reminded everyone why he is one of the biggest stars in college football.

Twelve catches. 217 yards. Four touchdowns.

Ohio State rolled past Illinois 42-19, and Smith turned an ordinary Buckeyes victory into one of the individual performances of the young season.

Two games.

Two very different statements.

Wake Forest Refused to Be the Next Louisville Victim

Louisville entered Saturday ranked No. 16 and riding consecutive victories, including a 41-31 win over then-No. 16 SMU.

Wake Forest arrived under different circumstances.

The Demon Deacons had just lost 33-20 to No. 5 Miami and were facing a ranked ACC opponent for the second consecutive week. Louisville was also unbeaten at home entering Saturday.

None of that mattered once the game started.

Wake Forest traded punches with Louisville throughout the afternoon.

The Demon Deacons led 24-21 at halftime before Louisville eventually pulled even at 27 entering the fourth quarter.

Then Wake Forest found the points that mattered most.

Connor Calvert connected on a 32-yard field goal with just over six minutes remaining, putting the Demon Deacons ahead 30-27.

Louisville had opportunities to answer.

It couldn't.

The Cardinals missed one field goal before getting one final opportunity in the closing seconds. With 22 seconds remaining, Louisville lined up for a 57-yard attempt that could have sent the game to overtime.

Wake Forest blocked it.

Ballgame.

Upset complete.

Carlos Hernandez Made Louisville Pay

The final play will get plenty of attention, but Wake Forest doesn't leave Louisville with a victory without Carlos Hernandez.

Hernandez caught nine passes for 194 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown.

Gio Lopez completed 12 of 19 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, while Ty Clark III scored twice on the ground.

Wake Forest finished with 402 total yards compared with Louisville's 399.

This wasn't a game where the Demon Deacons survived despite being overwhelmed.

They competed.

They produced.

And when Louisville had one final chance to erase everything Wake Forest had accomplished, the Demon Deacons made one more play.

Wake Forest is now 3-1.

Louisville is 2-2.

And an ACC race that already had plenty of questions just received another one.

Meanwhile, Jeremiah Smith Was Doing Jeremiah Smith Things

There was considerably less drama in Columbus.

There didn't need to be.

Jeremiah Smith provided the entertainment.

Ohio State defeated Illinois 42-19, but the final score almost feels secondary when looking at what Smith accomplished.

12 receptions.

217 receiving yards.

Four touchdowns.

All three were career highs.

Smith scored on receptions of 7, 72, 9 and 26 yards.

Three came before halftime.

By the time Smith caught his fourth touchdown in the fourth quarter, he had tied Ohio State's single-game record for receiving touchdowns. He became the first Buckeyes receiver to catch four touchdowns in a game since Noah Brown did it in 2016.

Illinois knew who Ohio State's biggest weapon was.

It didn't matter.

How Do You Defend That?

That may be the most frightening part for everybody remaining on Ohio State's schedule.

Smith isn't sneaking up on anyone.

Defenses don't enter games wondering whether Ohio State might throw him the football.

He is the attraction.

He is the matchup everyone circles.

And Illinois still watched him catch 12 passes for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns.

Quarterback Julian Sayin certainly deserves his share of the credit. He finished 27-of-36 for 367 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, with all four scoring passes going to Smith.

But Saturday belonged to No. 4.

Smith entered the afternoon already established as one of college football's premier players.

He left it with another entry for his rapidly growing résumé.

And according to current career totals, he's now sitting just one touchdown reception behind Chris Olave's Ohio State career record of 35.

At this point, we're not waiting for Jeremiah Smith to become special.

We're watching what special looks like.

That's College Football Saturday

Wake Forest didn't have Jeremiah Smith.

It didn't have Ohio State's ranking or expectations.

It didn't need them.

The Demon Deacons needed three more points than Louisville and one final blocked kick.

Ohio State didn't need a last-second escape.

The Buckeyes had a superstar who turned four receptions into touchdowns and spent the afternoon overwhelming Illinois.

That's what makes a college football Saturday capable of producing several stories at once.

One stadium gave us an upset.

Another gave us history.

And that was only the noon window.

Wake Forest shook up Louisville.

Jeremiah Smith lit up Columbus.

And Saturday was just getting started.