PASADENA, Calif. – The Ohio State football team may have passed its most important test on the way to a potential national championship.
No, not the Buckeyes’ 41-21 victory over top-seeded Oregon on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
“… the players have stuck together and they’re fighting to stay together,’’ coach Ryan Day said during a postgame news conference.
About 30 minutes earlier, Day beamed as fireworks exploded and confetti fell. The scene served as an astonishing contrast to what transpired in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 30. That day, the Buckeyes lost to the Michigan Wolverines for the fourth year in a row – a 13-10 debacle that ended with Day looking shell-shocked and his players fighting the Wolverines at midfield.
So how did we get here? Day was under fire. So were the players, expected to make about $20 million this year in NIL deals and contributions from the school’s collective. Then the Buckeyes responded by beating Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the playoffs and followed that with the convincing victory over No. 1 Oregon.
“I talked to these guys about it a couple of weeks ago,’’ Day said. “That’s life. And this team is resilient. And when you surround yourself with great people, with great character, you find yourself working through difficult times.’’
Day also said, ‘We’re at a place where you can hear a lot of noise, but they (his players) didn’t do that.”
“Warriors’’ is how he referred to his players, and like warriors is how they’ve played since the dreadful Michigan game.
The Buckeyes racked up 500 yards in total offense against Oregon. It was the same explosive offense that amassed 473 yards against Tennessee. A team that hardly resembled the one that managed just 252 yards against Michigan despite being a 21-point favorite.
Day praised Chip Kelly, Ohio State’s high-priced offensive coordinator, who had also been under fire after the loss to Michigan. ‘Yeah, I thought Chip called a great game,” Day said. ‘I thought the whole offensive staff worked hard to put the plan together.”
Ohio State’s defense showed championship-caliber ability. The Buckeyes held Oregon to minus-23 yards rushing on 28 carries while sacking Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel eight times.
It was the Buckeyes who faced the possibility of being sacked by their own fan base. How did they avoid it? Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon, a team captain, offered insight when he said, “That’s probably the biggest part about football: It’s a game about getting your body, mind and spirit right.’’
There’s also the issue of trust, as quarterback Will Howard connected with star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith for seven receptions, 187 yards and two touchdowns.
“Will does a great job in practice just trusting us, just throwing the ball out there,’’ Smith said. “We tell him, just throw it out there. We’ll make a play for you. It don’t matter if it’s a bad ball or not, we’ll make our quarterback look good.’’
The Buckeyes are looking good, all right.
“Obviously,’’ Oregon coach Dan Lanning said, “that’s a team I think that has the ability to go win it all.’’
And the biggest hurdle may be cleared.
(This story was updated with new information.)