Josh Heupel discussed what went wrong in the Ohio State loss with the media following the game. Opening Remark: “I’m disappointed in our team and all of the work we’ve put in since January of last year that we weren’t able to coach and perform better in this game sooner.
We didn’t perform well enough at the start of the third quarter, and we didn’t operate as we should have in the early going of the football game. We returned to tighten it up with a few plays at the conclusion of the second quarter.
They deserve credit for it. but just failed to perform the necessary actions when playing a very strong football club on the road.”
What immediately comes to mind as the reason why you believe your team’s performance tonight fell short of your expectations?
Josh: Well, I’m not sure. I think the guys who were out there with us for the two weeks of preparation did a really wonderful job, and the performance tonight doesn’t alter my opinion of what they went through in their preparation and on the practice field.
Some things weren’t carried out tonight. was beaten in a few one-on-one encounters at the line of scrimmage and on the perimeter. Ultimately, a couple of busts result in big plays, they’re on the correct side of the scoreboard, they create some separation, and they somewhat alter the game’s play.
Will Howard, quarterback for Ohio State football, on Jeremiah Smith’s dominance.
In front of a crowded Ohio Stadium, Ohio State football stamped its ticket to the college football playoff quarterfinals on Saturday night with a resounding home victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. The Buckeyes were in control of this game from the beginning, winning by a final score of 42–17 after jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first half.
True freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had perhaps the Buckeyes’ best game of the day, hauling in six catches for 103 yards and two scores on the chilly night.
Will Howard, the quarterback who had what was perhaps his greatest performance of the season in the win, showed affection for the standout wide out after the game.
According to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, Howard remarked of Smith, “He’s the dude, man.” He’s the nation’s best receiver, in my opinion. Take a look at what the child does with the ball. He embodies all the qualities you look for in a receiver and teammate.
Throughout the evening, the Tennessee secondary appeared helpless to stop Ohio State’s abundance of future NFL wide receivers, repeatedly allowing Smith and others to get buried in the defensive backfield and burning them.
Is Ohio State capable of winning?
On New Year’s Day, Ohio State football will play the Oregon Ducks again in the Rose Bowl.
In October, Ohio State suffered its first defeat of the season in Eugene, losing 32–31 to Oregon. When sliding earlier may have allowed the Buckeyes to run one more play, Will Howard took a QB scramble all the way to the end of the game clock, drawing criticism for his late-game decision.
Having earned a bye in the first round and mostly controlling their schedule thus far, Oregon ended the season undefeated.
In the meantime, there were reasonable concerns about Ohio State and their potential reaction to a crushing home defeat to Michigan to end the regular season before Saturday’s matchup with Tennessee.
Throughout the process of defeating the Volunteers, the Buckeyes provided definitive answers to those queries.
On New Year’s Day, Ohio State and Oregon will begin play from Pasadena, California, at 4:00 PM ET.
