Atlanta, Ga
The inaugural college football playoff expansion has brought a lot of excitement and drama to the mix this season. Ohio State has had the toughest road to the final game of the season but they made it this far by the resilience and the leadership of Ryan Day and his seniors who came back to finish the job.
After an ugly loss to the Wolverines head coach Ryan Day said self-reflection played a big part in Ohio State’s playoff run. “When you have great moments, you’ve got to make sure you appreciate everybody that’s doing all the hard work, and when things don’t go well, we all have to take ownership of it; that’s part of the job, and I understand that. Day said before the Rose Bowl game, our guys understand that life is about resilience, and you’re ultimately defined by how you handle adversity in your life. Things are going to be tough along the way but how you respond is critically important.”
Some coaches and players would fall apart after a 13-10 ugly loss to their rivals in the final game of the regular season, but the Buckeyes kept their heads held high and powered through challenges. The first phase was handling a solid Tennessee team at home under the lights of “The Shoe”. The 42-17 rout of the Volunteers showcased the team’s full potential when they’re focused and clicking on all cylinders. Ohio State also proved that when someone knocks you down you get right back up.
Following an impressive first round win the Buckeyes made the long road trip to the stunning Rose Bowl in Pasadena where the well-rested Oregon Ducks were waiting for the Buckeyes. On top of being the Quarterfinal of the Playoff, this was a revenge game for the Buckeyes after losing a heartbreaker in Eungene earlier in the season. Once again Ohio State embraced the underdog role by stunning the number one team in the country 41-21 to advance to the CFP semifinals. This was a game where Ohio State never allowed Oregon to get into a rhythm by taking a dominating 34-0 lead just before halftime. This put the game away early.
In the first two playoff games, Ohio State showed the dominance of their suffocating defense thanks to the elite pass rush and the ability of quarterback Will Howard to finally trust his receivers to make the challenging catches. True freshman and All-American Jeremiah Smith was completely untouchable in the first two rounds. With full steam ahead, the Buckeyes would turn their focus to the last remaining SEC team, the Texas Longhorns.
It’s funny how fast things can change in a year. The 2024 Cotton Bowl in Dallas was an eye opener not just for the team but for the program overall after a tough loss to Missouri. Ohio State entered this year’s Cotton Bowl with a giant chip on it’s shoulder. The Texas Longhorns came into the game with momentum and an elite defense that would leave many members of Buckeye nation asking if they could slow down Ohio State’s high-powered offense. In the first quarter the Buckeyes drove right down the field on their opening drive and took an early 7-0 lead. This seemed like an indicator that Ohio State could run away with this game early again. The Longhorns had other plans, however. A defense full of future NFL talent would adjust and slow down the Buckeyes, making the Cotton Bowl a slugfest down the stretch. Right before halftime Texas managed to tie the game at seven leaving many to believe that the tide was turning until seconds later when Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson struck back with a 75 yard dump off reception from quarterback Will Howard . The Buckeyes took a 14-7 lead heading into the locker room. Once again Texas would not roll over. The Longhorns tied the game at fourteen in the third quarter. It wasn’t until a fourth quarter drive propelled the Buckeyes back into the lead at 21-14 courtesy of a Quinshon Judkins touchdown run which was his second of the game. Texas then marched down the field immediately as time was starting to run out on the clock. Quarterback Quin Ewers led his team to a first and goal situation on Ohio State’s one yard line causing many fans to bite their nails as this game came down to the wire.
After forcing a fourth and goal back to the eight yard line, Ohio State’s defense needed one more play to close the game out. Senior Jack Sawyer delivered with the play of his career. An 83 yard strip sack scoop and score would send the Buckeye faithful who made the trip into a frenzy as they started to realize their team was headed to the National Championship game. A defeated Texas team came up short falling 28-14 to Ohio State. Fans are already immortalizing Jack Sawyer after he made a possible season saving play. “I’m not gonna lie; I ran out of gas at like the thirty yard line and I blacked out.” Sawyer said laughing to the media after the game. My team needed me to step up and that’s just what happened.”
There’s only one more chapter to this fairytale type of a football season and that’s the National Championship in Atlanta. On the other side of the bracket is a similar story for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who like Ohio State had a deflating loss that they refused to let ruin their season. After a rough 16-14 loss to a MAC opponent in Northern Illinois in South Bend, the Irish would not let that game bring them down. Notre Dame head coach and former Buckeye Marcus Freeman would rally the troops and lead them to an astonishing 14-1 record leading up to this game. With the Irish riding a 13 game win streak, their defense and ability to run the ball have carried them to Atlanta for a chance to win their first title since 1988.
These two teams are familiar foes as well. Ohio State defeated the Irish in back-to-back seasons in 22-23. The 2023 clash saw a lot of drama in South Bend when the Buckeyes escaped with a 17-14 road win on a last second touchdown run. Storylines filled that game with former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz calling out Ohio State’s toughness leading up to the game. This caused Ryan Day to engage in a public rant towards the former coach after the thrilling win. “I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is now, if he’s still talking about us.” Some asked if Lou Holtz would re-engage in those conversations now that his Irish are once again facing off with the Buckeyes. The answer to that is yes. Holtz posted on X last week after the semifinal games. “If Notre Dame doesn’t win, it’s because we want to preserve Ryan Day’s job. I was originally going to be at the game in spirit, but now I’ll be dragging my body along as well.”
As if the National Championship game needed anymore drama to it, many fans are interested to see where this storyline goes and how it translates to the field during and after the game. If the former coach does show up will he shake Ryan Day’s hand? Remains to be seen. Ohio State will face off against Notre Dame for the National Championship in the CFP Final on Monday night at 7:30pm on ESPN.