Jeremiah Smith, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson all recorded two touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 42-17 win.
After a long three weeks of talking, discussing and dissecting Ohio State’s loss to Michigan to end the regular season, the Buckeyes showed tremendous bounce-back ability to take down the No. 9 seed Tennessee Volunteers 42-17.
This win now sets up a rematch with the No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks on New Year’s Day at 5:00 p.m. ET at the Rose Bowl.
Here is who and what we are high and low on after the Tennessee win.
Blue Chip
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Getting the ball to playmakers
It is not a secret that the main complaint against the Ohio State coaching staff after the Michigan game was the lack of targets for Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Emeka Egbuka. They made it a point to get the ball to them early in the game, with the touchdown pass to Smith on the first possession and Egbuka connecting on a big play to set up a touchdown on the second drive.
Smith and Egbuka combined for 11 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns. The more these guys touch the ball, the better the game goes. It is just that simple.
Solid Investments
Justin Frye
Frye has been criticized heavily for the lack of recruiting success at the offensive line position, including most recently missing out on five-star tackle David Sanders Jr. to Tennessee. All of the criticisms are fair.
However, what we have learned this year is that he knows how to develop the position. The Buckeyes have lost its two best players on the line, and guys like Carson Hinzman, Austin Siereveld and Luke Montgomery have stepped up and played well to help stabilize the line. They gave up no sacks, and Ohio State ran for over 150 yards against Tennessee.
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Cody Simon
All of the linebackers have made significant strides at the position since the start of the season, but Simon has improved the most. Simon set the tone early in this one, hitting Nico Iamaleava and cracking his helmet.
He had 12 tackles in this game and was a force in the middle of the field to stifle the impressive Tennessee running game.
Junk Bond
Special teams
There was not much to nitpick in this game, but if there was a nitpick, the special teams were not great. Caleb Downs fumbled a punt that would have been just the flip in the game Tennessee needed had he not recovered it, and Jayden Fielding kicked a 56-yard field goal about 40 yards. That was obviously a long kick, but it was not even close.
Buy/Sell
Buy: Ohio State’s national title hopes
Even though the Buckeyes easily defeated Tennessee, Ohio State will not easily win a national title. They will have to beat Oregon, Texas/Arizona State and then Notre Dame, Georgia, Penn State, or Boise State to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.
However, this team is the best team in the country when it is at its best, and I trust the coaching staff to get that out of the players moving forward. One game at a time, though. Beat Oregon.
Buy: Offensive line
As I mentioned above in the Frye section, once Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin went down, a lot of people wrote off Ohio State’s chances at a national title because of the questions on the offensive line. Fast forward to the Tennessee game, and the guys have stepped up and really put on an impressive performance against a stellar defensive line.
Frye deserves credit, and so do the players who have stepped into these roles. They will have another big test against the Ducks’ strong front.
Sell: Kirk Herbstreit
Truth be told, I am a Kirk Herbstreit fan, and I think he and Chris Fowler make up the best booth in college football. However, I think the Ohio State fanbase has broken his brain, and his decision to spend the final eight minutes of the game last night just ranting about the Ohio State fanbase and its criticism of Ryan Day was genuinely bizarre.
It felt weirdly personal, and it was not the forum for that.