Head coach Ryan Day sounded especially happy his large senior class was able to add a positive chapter in its final home game after a disappointing loss to Michigan three weeks earlier.
“You could tell from the jump that they had a look in their eye like they were going to win this game,” Day said. “I thought they played that way, so a lot of football ahead of us. Great win, but we’re gonna enjoy this for 24 hours and then it’s on to Oregon.”
The Bucks will face the Ducks, who are undefeated, ranked No. 1 and received a bye into the quarterfinals, at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in a rematch of a game Oregon won 32-31 in early October.
First here are five things to know about the win over the Volunteers:
1. Ohio State started fast
The hosts led 21-0 after 15 minutes, and that score accurately reflected the way the game was going for both teams.
The Buckeyes scored on all three of their possessions, starting with a 37-yard touchdown from Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith, and forced three punts.
Tennessee did not complete a pass in the first quarter while Howard was going 10 for 12 for 160 yards.
Ohio State’s quarterback actually finished the quarter with more catches than the Volunteers as he snatched one of his own out of the air after it was deflected.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
2. Tennessee missed a chance to get within a score in the “middle eight”
Doubling up scores at the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter before the opponent has a meaningful possession has become a big focus of coaches in recent years.
Tennessee had a chance to do it with the first possession of the third, but the Volunteers came up empty.
After the visitors punted, Ohio State dropped the hammer with a 65-yard touchdown drive to extend the lead back to 28-10.
“I got after them at halftime and challenged them because I knew the way the game was going if we did our job everything would turn out all right so I thought they came out strong the second half,” said Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, whose unit gave up a 16-play, 79-yard touchdown drive in the final five minutes of the second quarter.
3. Howard bounced back from a rough Michigan game
The fifth-year senior finished the night completing 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards with two touchdowns, putting behind him a dreadful performance in Ohio State’s loss to Michigan three weeks ago.
He threw a questionable interception in the middle of the second quarter when he tried to force a ball to a well-covered Smith in the end zone, but Howard went back to throwing dimes the rest of the night, utilizing the weapons that made Ohio State one of the early-season favorites to win the national championship.
“Coming into this game I was really fired up about the game plan, more than usual,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s how you execute it. I never go into a game feeling bad about the game plan, but it’s how you execute it. I think we did a hell of a job executing it.”
Smith, who was the top-rated recruit in the country in the class of 2024, was the main beneficiary with six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns while senior Emeka Egbuka caught five passes for 81 yards.
4. The OSU offensive line held up well
Day said the coaches looked at different lineups during practice in preparation for Tennessee, but ultimately the usual group of left tackle Donovan Jackson, left guard Austin Siereveld, center Carson Hinzman, right guard Tegra Tshabola and right tackle Josh Fryar started up front.
Luke Montgomery also saw time with the No. 1 unit, but the group as a whole played well no matter who was in.
The Buckeyes ran for 156 yards, averaging a solid 4.7 per carry, and did not allow a sack as Howard had plenty of time to let routes develop downfield and pick apart the Tennessee secondary.
“I think we did some things that maximize what we have in terms of our strengths and minimize our deficiencies,” Day said. “Not that everything was perfect in this game, but I also thought Will was excellent in this game. Did a really good job of placing the ball with some big-time throws and made some plays with his legs when he needed to. Certainly Jeremiah was dynamite again, but Will is the leader.”
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
5. The OSU defensive line dominated
Ohio State stuffed the run (until garbage time) and had quarterback Nico Iamaleava on the run all night.
A talented sophomore, he completed only 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards, was sacked four times and only completed one pass of more than 17 yards.
Senior ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer combined for 3.5 sacks and three pass breakups for Ohio State, giving the Tennessee tackles more than they could handle from start to finish.
“We thought we would be able to change up coverage enough to make him hold the ball so we were expecting that they would have a good game,” Knowles said.
Senior linebacker Cody Simon had a game-high 12 tackles and one of the nine pass breakups Ohio State registered.
ROSE BOWL
Jan. 1, 2025
Ohio State vs. Oregon, 5 p.m., ESPN, 1410
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