On Saturday, November 30th, 2024, Ohio State faithful were left with a gut-wrenching reality. Ohio State had just lost to a 6-5 Michigan team missing their best offensive player, tight-end Colston Loveland, and their best defensive player, cornerback Will Johnson. Ohio State fans, along with most of college football, expected the game to be absolute domination by the Buckeyes, as revenge for the last three years when Ohio State had gone 0-3 against Michigan. Yet somehow, as the clock hit zero in the fourth quarter, Ohio State found themselves defeated yet again by their rivals. Shortly after the game, Michigan players gathered to plant their flag on Ohio State’s logo, which sparked a fistfight between the schools that sent one university police officer to the hospital and had to be broken up with pepper spray. It was an embarrassment for Ohio State University, and most fans blamed head coach Ryan Day, wishing to have him removed from the position.
Fast forward 51 days and Ryan Day and the Ohio State football team are celebrating in Atlanta after winning the national championship following an impressive playoff run. It’s a run that goes back to The Horseshoe on December 21st, when 8th-ranked Ohio State knocked off 9th-ranked Tennessee 42-17, following the Michigan loss and restoring some faith in Ohio State fans. This was followed by an impressive 41-21 win over 1st ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on New Year’s Day. Ohio State then traveled to Arlington, Texas to play in the Cotton Bowl against 5th-ranked Texas. Thanks to a late-game 83-yard scoop and score by Jack Sawyer, Ohio State survived winning 28-14 and advanced to the national championship game, where they defeated 7th-ranked Notre Dame 34-23 to secure Ohio State’s ninth national title.
Dylan Tate, a senior at WKHS says he believes that “Ohio State’s recent playoff success has been because of both the motivation following the Michigan loss and because they have learned the right balance between running and passing so that both can be done efficiently”.
Along those lines, Mrs. Carey, a Building Intervention Specialist at WKHS who attended every Ohio State football game this year, stated that “the unexpected loss to TTUN (The Team Up North) at the end of the regular season and the ensuing criticism by the media and fans have fueled the team to excel in the postseason”.
Although the loss to Michigan on November 30th was atrocious for Buckeye Nation, it was the spark Ohio State seemed to need heading into the playoffs. NBC4 journalist Brian Hofmann found Ohio State’s bounce back from the Michigan loss an important reminder that “Failure can produce elite results” and that “great teams still, most famously, fail. The greatest teams are the ones who refuse to accept failure as final”. Instead of giving up or accepting defeat following the Michigan game, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes felt more motivated and worked more intensely to follow their goal of winning a national championship.
Aiden Russell, a sophomore at WKHS claimed that “Ohio State’s defense time and time again has been able to shut down opponents in the red zone, and make crucial fourth down stops”.
Similarly, Tate also argued that “especially after the closer Texas game I feel like the work which the defense has done, especially in the red zone and at the goal line has been just as, if not more important for their success than the amazing offensive production”.
Carey also declared that “throughout this season, the defense has been the foundation of the team’s success, often compensating when the offense faced challenges”.
It’s hard to look past Ohio State’s electrifying offense with stars including quarterback Will Howard, wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, and the running back duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. However, many sports analysts argue that Ohio State’s defense was even more important during this playoff run. The Associated Press’s all-College Football Playoff team featured five defensive players from Ohio State University, including Jack Sawyer, who delivered one of the most memorable moments of this season’s playoffs when he returned an 83-yard strip-sack fumble to win the game against the Texas Longhorns and cement Ohio State’s spot in the national championship game.
With Ohio State’s dominating playoff performance coming to an end, nothing but excitement and hope are present as Buckeye fans look to the following seasons. But for now, Ohio State fans can celebrate after a ten-year national championship drought has finally come to an end!
