Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
Ohio State beats Tennessee 42-17 to advance to the Rose Bowl where the Buckeyes will have a rematch with Oregon.
Anyone who says they saw this coming isn’t being completely truthful. And no Buckeye fan has ever seen Ohio State play so differently in two consecutive games. Everyone, me included, was shouting with mutual joy and frustration. The same question was on every Buckeye in the world’s mind. Where was this against that team up north? Why can’t this program play this way in what every person who bleeds scarlet and gray knows is the most important game in any given season?
Ohio State needs to find a way to harness the edge, the swagger, the X factor that they brought to the playoff game against Tennessee and pour it out on those guys in the urine-colored pants from Ann Arbor. This game is proof that they have it in them and can do it against elite competition and on the biggest of stages! If you have to trip up big against Rutgers next year before going north for The Game to bring this energy, then you do it!
Redemption Road
But what a fantastic game and win this was for Ohio State! This team knew how low they’d felt at 10-2 and dug deep to reach almost just as high to get to 11-2. Ryan Day and Chip Kelly for all the ineptitude in The Game brought out all the stops this time. They coached like they were on fire and Ohio State took the first of four steps on a road to possible redemption.
Day and Kelly went to their strengths and went to them often. They remembered not going to Jeremiah Smith in the second half against that team up north and weren’t about to make the same mistake against Tennessee. Smith got the scoring going and was the force Ohio State needs him to be to win big games. He’s who this offense goes through. Smith would end the game with six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Will Howard
Howard has his best game as a Buckeye and was a sharpshooter. He was 24 of 29 for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 37 yards on five carries on the ground. If Howard stays this hot Ohio State will go far.
Henderson and Judkins
The law firm of Henderson and Judkins just runs the dang ball. They combined for 20 carries for 114 yards and four touchdowns. They also added six catches for 63 yards in the passing game for the Buckeyes. Henderson hit with the long plays and Judkins provided the power and nose for the endzone on the goal line. Judkins also had one of the plays of the game early that if he doesn’t make, changes everything. On a read option play Howard tried to pull the ball from Judkins late and lost the handle on it. Judkins somehow pins the ball to his left backside hip area, gets a hold of the ball tucks it in and runs for positive yardage. If he doesn’t make that play Tennessee might not only recover the fumble and stop the Buckeyes from making it 14-0, but they may scoop and score and tie the game at 7-7. So remember this play every time you relish this win.
Jim Knowles’ Defense
Knowles’ defense shut down a potent Tennessee offense. The secondary especially shined, holding the Vols to only 104 passing yards and zero passing touchdowns. They broke up nine passes while controlling the airspace. They also swarmed to the football, with six tackles for a loss including four sacks. Cody Simon let the way with 12 tackles and Caleb Downs had seven.
No one had better games on defense than senior edge rushers J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. Another pair of guys I’ve been tough on in their Buckeye careers and they never shined brighter than in this game. Sawyer had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and two pass deflections. Tuimoloau had eight tackles, two tackles for a loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a deflected pass. The defensive line will need to play like this in the Rose Bowl to beat Oregon.
For the Love of Ohio
There were some fantastic moments in this game that were all heart and soul. Emeka Egbuka taking the Horseshoe in one last time before he trots off the field as a Buckeye legend.
TBDBITL always grabs attention, but this time it wasn’t for their awesome on-field performance. It was because one band member wore their heart on their sleeve as they did their last march in Ohio Stadium.
