A ton of Buckeyes have stepped up outside of the big names.
Ohio State has had virtually all of its players make an impact through these two College Football Playoff victories over Tennessee and Oregon. The Buckeyes have completely dominated in the postseason, defeating the Vols and Ducks by a combined 45 points. Ryan Day and his staff deserve credit for turning the ship around, but the guys on the field have really flipped a switch after the loss to Michigan.
We know who the stars of the show have been thus far. Jeremiah Smith has 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns in these two games. Will Howard has thrown for 630 yards and five touchdowns, completing over 74% of his passes. Cody Simon has racked up 23 total tackles. Jack Sawyer has 3.5 sacks and five pass breakups. Caleb Downs is making plays every time you blink, breaking up three passes against the Ducks.
All of these guys and more have made massive contributions in two massive wins, but they aren’t the only ones getting the job done. Here are five of the unsung heroes of this College Football Playoff resurgence for Ohio State:
Donovan Jackson
There is an argument to be made that Donovan Jackson is Ohio State’s MVP of the season. The Buckeyes’ offensive line was in dire straits after losing Josh Simmons for the year with no clear backup plan. Justin Frye tried replacing Simmons one-for-one with Zen Michalski, but that did not work out at all. In came Jackson to save the day.
In his last season of college football, the former five-star guard made the unselfish move over to tackle, taking a risk that could have tanked his NFL Draft stock. His first assignment in his new position came against an NFL-caliber talent in Abdul Carter against Penn State, and while Jackson had his fair share of struggles, he more than held his own. Fast forward to today, and Jackson has been one of Ohio State’s most impressive offensive linemen.
In back-to-back College Football Playoff games, Jackson lined up against more future NFL guys like James Pearce Jr., Jordan Burch, and Matayo Uiagalelei. The senior finished as the highest-graded offensive line starter against the Volunteers, and followed it up with an elite showing against Oregon, allowing zero pressures on 27 pass block snaps with an 81.7 grade, per PFF.
Ohio State lost its two best offensive linemen for the season in Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin, and it’s unclear whether they would have been able to piece things back together without the stellar play of Jackson.
TreVeyon Henderson
It isn’t as if Ohio State’s starting running back has gone unnoticed in the College Football Playoff, but with all the focus on Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith, and the Buckeyes’ passing game, the exceptional play of TreVeyon Henderson has flown a bit under the radar. Against Tennessee and Oregon, Henderson has racked up a combined 174 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries — good for 9.7 yards per carry — as well as seven catches for 74 yards.
It has been a great season for the senior back, who hasn’t quite been able to replicate his 1,200-yard freshman campaign. However, now in a timeshare with Quinshon Judkins, Henderson is having his most efficient year to date, averaging a career-high 7.3 yards per carry. Most importantly, Henderson has been able to stay healthy, and those legs still look incredibly fresh despite playing a career-high 14 games so far.
The Buckeyes’ pair of backs have almost identical stats on the year, with Henderson totaling 925 yards and 10 touchdowns and Judkins with 924 yards and 10 TDs. Judkins has been great for Ohio State in the postseason in his own right, rushing for 85 yards against Oregon, but Henderson has hit the next level on the biggest stage.
Gee Scott Jr.
In an offense that features Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and the pair of aforementioned running backs, it’s no wonder that the tight end position isn’t exactly a heavily used entity in Ohio State’s passing offense. That being said, there is tremendous value in being able to make the plays when your number is called, and with so much attention on all of those other guys, that is exactly what Gee Scott Jr. has been able to do with his limited opportunities.
After only registering 16 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season, Scott has hauled in five catches for 69 yards in the Buckeyes’ two postseason matchups. The wide-receiver-turned-tight-end has made big chunk plays in both games, with a 26-yard catch against Tennessee in the third quarter to set up a Smith touchdown on the next play, and a 30-yard catch against Oregon on the very first play of the afternoon that would set the tone for a dominant Ohio State performance.
Scott Jr. has been a bit of an afterthought in now his fifth season in Columbus, but he is making some of the biggest plays of his career when it matters most.
Davison Igbinosun
The Ole Miss transfer has been a productive member of Ohio State’s secondary over his two seasons in Columbus, but Davison Igbinosun has turned a bit of a corner in the postseason. The obvious knock on the junior corner has been penalties, as his aggressive style of play that makes him such an asset also leads to frequent pass interference calls against him. That has not been the case in the College Football Playoff, as Iggy has maintained lockdown coverage while also keeping a clean ledger.
Since being called for three pass interferences against Indiana on Nov. 23, Igbinosun has gone three straight games without being flagged. Against Tennessee, Iggy was Ohio State’s highest-graded starting defensive back (71.6), even higher than Caleb Downs (70.5). In the beatdown of Oregon, the junior was able to get in the way of a long pass down the sideline early in the game to prevent a would-be touchdown, finishing with the PBU and four tackles.
When both Igbinosun and Denzel Burke are playing at their best, alongside an increased role for Jermaine Mathews Jr. as well as a dominant defensive front, the Buckeyes’ defense is tough to beat through the air — or on the ground, for that matter, after holding the Ducks to -26 rushing yards.
Lathan Ransom
Maybe he hasn’t been an ‘unsung’ hero for this Ohio State defense, but I really just wanted to highlight how damn good Lathan Ransom has been for the Buckeyes, especially down the stretch. It was a real full-circle moment for the senior safety on Wednesday, having suffered a brutal leg injury in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2021 season. Returning to Pasadena three years later, Ransom helped shut down the Oregon offense and finished second on the team with seven total tackles to go along with a sack and a tackle for loss.
The counting stats for Ransom this season have been great, finishing fourth on the team with 69 total tackles along with eight tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and three forced fumbles, but even impressive numbers don’t quite do him justice. The Buckeyes’ safety duo of Downs and Ransom has been among the best if not the best in the country, and while a player like Downs earns a ton of recognition as one of the best overall defensive players in college football, Ransom has been right there with him all year wreaking havoc.
There have been so many other guys on this roster who have made plays for Ohio State in this College Football Playoff outside of the usual suspects. Which under-the-radar Buckeye has stood out to you?