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LGHL All the news, analysis from Ohio State’s 28-14 Cotton Bowl win over Texas
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All the news, analysis from Ohio State’s 28-14 Cotton Bowl win over Texas
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
It looked different vs. Texas, but the Big Play Buckeyes didn’t disappoint
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
No. 6 Buckeyes Battled Back and Forth for Three Quarters, Finished by Making Plays on Key Downs in 28-14 Win Over No. 3 Texas
Ohio State Athletics
Takeaways: Buckeyes top Texas to face Notre Dame in CFP championship
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Buckeyes make the plays at the end to down Texas 28-14 in Cotton, move on to national title game
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
Ohio State Wins Fourth Quarter to Defeat Texas in College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, 28-14
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State escapes Texas 28-14 behind Jack Sawyer return touchdown, advances to National Championship
Samuel Cipriani, The Lantern
Ohio State clinches national championship berth as Ryan Day makes statement, Jack Sawyer shines against Texas
Carter Bahns, 247Sports
Ohio State outlasts Texas in Cotton Bowl to reach national title game
Blake Toppmeyer, USA Today Network
Presser Bullets: Ryan Day “Couldn’t Be Prouder” of Jack Sawyer, Says the Buckeyes “Want to Be Able to Tell the Story of This Team” with National Championship
Chase Brown, Eleven Warriors
Cotton Bowl Press Conference: Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Jack Sawyer, Will Howard recap dramatic win over Texas
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
J.T. Tuimoloau injury: Ohio State star defensive lineman hurts ankle, returns in second half of Cotton Bowl
Carter Bahns, 247Sports
Texas Quarterback Quinn Ewers Praises Former Ohio State Roommate Jack Sawyer, Head Coach Steve Sarkisian Credits Buckeyes in Wake of 28-14 Defeat
George Eisner, Eleven Warriors
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Ohio State’s 28-14 win vs. Texas
Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Snap Judgments: Buckeyes knock out Texas in thrilling semifinal
Austin Ward, Dotting The Eyes
5 things we learned from Ohio State’s win over Texas
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Ryan Day, Jack Sawyer and a collision course that lead Ohio State to the doorstep of greatness
Ari Wasserman, On3
First thoughts: Buckeyes advance to national title game with fourth-quarter heroics
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Inside Sawyer’s play that lifted the Buckeyes past Texas
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Photos: Ohio State vs. Texas
Ohio State Athletics
“A Drop-Your-Nuts Moment”: Ohio State’s Offense Steps Up with Game on the Line in Fourth Quarter Against Texas
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Helmet Stickers: Jack Sawyer saves day as Ohio State wins in Texas
Jeremy Birmingham, Dotting The Eyes
Hurt all game by penalties, OSU offense redeems itself when it counted
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Jack Sawyer, Who Led the Return of Ohio State’s Seniors, Gets Full-Circle Moment on CFP Stage with Game-Winning Touchdown in Cotton Bowl
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Inside the epic fourth quarter that sent Buckeyes to national title game
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
A Goal-Line Stand for the Ages: An Anatomy of Ohio State’s Game-Clinching Defensive Stop to Secure the Win Over Texas in the CFP Semifinal
Josh Poloha, Eleven Warriors
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Recapping Ohio State’s 28-14 win over Texas
It looked different vs. Texas, but the Big Play Buckeyes didn’t disappoint
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
No. 6 Buckeyes Battled Back and Forth for Three Quarters, Finished by Making Plays on Key Downs in 28-14 Win Over No. 3 Texas
Ohio State Athletics
Takeaways: Buckeyes top Texas to face Notre Dame in CFP championship
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Buckeyes make the plays at the end to down Texas 28-14 in Cotton, move on to national title game
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
Ohio State Wins Fourth Quarter to Defeat Texas in College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, 28-14
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State escapes Texas 28-14 behind Jack Sawyer return touchdown, advances to National Championship
Samuel Cipriani, The Lantern
Ohio State clinches national championship berth as Ryan Day makes statement, Jack Sawyer shines against Texas
Carter Bahns, 247Sports
Ohio State outlasts Texas in Cotton Bowl to reach national title game
Blake Toppmeyer, USA Today Network
News From Ohio State’s 28-14 win over Texas
Presser Bullets: Ryan Day “Couldn’t Be Prouder” of Jack Sawyer, Says the Buckeyes “Want to Be Able to Tell the Story of This Team” with National Championship
Chase Brown, Eleven Warriors
Cotton Bowl Press Conference: Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Jack Sawyer, Will Howard recap dramatic win over Texas
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
J.T. Tuimoloau injury: Ohio State star defensive lineman hurts ankle, returns in second half of Cotton Bowl
Carter Bahns, 247Sports
Texas Quarterback Quinn Ewers Praises Former Ohio State Roommate Jack Sawyer, Head Coach Steve Sarkisian Credits Buckeyes in Wake of 28-14 Defeat
George Eisner, Eleven Warriors
Analyzing Ohio State’s 28-14 win over Texas
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Ohio State’s 28-14 win vs. Texas
Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Snap Judgments: Buckeyes knock out Texas in thrilling semifinal
Austin Ward, Dotting The Eyes
5 things we learned from Ohio State’s win over Texas
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Ryan Day, Jack Sawyer and a collision course that lead Ohio State to the doorstep of greatness
Ari Wasserman, On3
First thoughts: Buckeyes advance to national title game with fourth-quarter heroics
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Looking at the Performances from Ohio State’s
Inside Sawyer’s play that lifted the Buckeyes past Texas
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Photos: Ohio State vs. Texas
Ohio State Athletics
“A Drop-Your-Nuts Moment”: Ohio State’s Offense Steps Up with Game on the Line in Fourth Quarter Against Texas
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Helmet Stickers: Jack Sawyer saves day as Ohio State wins in Texas
Jeremy Birmingham, Dotting The Eyes
Hurt all game by penalties, OSU offense redeems itself when it counted
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Jack Sawyer, Who Led the Return of Ohio State’s Seniors, Gets Full-Circle Moment on CFP Stage with Game-Winning Touchdown in Cotton Bowl
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Inside the epic fourth quarter that sent Buckeyes to national title game
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
A Goal-Line Stand for the Ages: An Anatomy of Ohio State’s Game-Clinching Defensive Stop to Secure the Win Over Texas in the CFP Semifinal
Josh Poloha, Eleven Warriors
And Here It Is, Your Moment of Zen
Continue reading...
LGHL Taylor Thierry No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball second quarter surge, beat Oregon 69-60
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Taylor Thierry No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball second quarter surge, beat Oregon 69-60
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Oregon battles back late but its not enough to make up for second quarter slump
For the first time in program histories, No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball (16-0, 5-0) welcomed the Oregon Ducks (12-5, 3-3) to Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes sent the Ducks back West with a 69-60 loss. Ohio State senior Taylor Thierry’s 15-point second quarter led a 27-point run to continue the unbeaten start of the 2024-25 season for the Scarlet and Gray.
The end weekend-ending Big Ten matchup between the Bucks and Ducks looked similar to Ohio State’s first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side struggled shooting from the floor, going 4-of-21 with freshman Jaloni Cambridge going 1-of-8 from the floor.
It was a better quarter for older sister Kennedy Cambridge. The sophomore guard came off the bench like a bolt of lighting for the struggling Ohio State offense. Kennedy Cambridge came into the game and stopped two straight possessions from turning back to Oregon, grabbing offensive rebounds while taking contact. On the second, Kennedy Cambridge grabbed the board and dove to the ground to knock the loose ball off an Oregon player to retain possession.
Oregon took a three-point lead into the second quarter, a lead that didn’t last too long with the Scarlet and Gray going on a 27-point run in 4:58 of the period. A highlight of the run was another big play by Kennedy Cambridge. The guard fell to the ground on a layup attempt, tripped up without a whistle going her way, and nailed an acrobatic circus layup.
On the in-bound pass that followed, Kennedy Cambridge stole the ball in the Buckeye press, ending in another two points for the Buckeyes. During the run, senior guard/forward Taylor Thierry went perfect from beyond the arc, hitting all three attempts and leading Ohio State with 15 points in the quarter. On the last three-point shot, Thierry crossed over her defender, hit the shot and showed a rare moment of emotion when she stuck her tongue out.
Ohio State turned their three-point deficit at the end of the first into a 17-point lead at halftime. Absent from much of the run was junior forward Cotie McMahon, who played eight minutes due to foul trouble. McMahon went to the bench in the first with two fouls and when she tried coming back in during the third quarter, picked up a charge almost immediately, ending a brief moment of respite for Thierry.
In the third quarter, Oregon showed fight and went on a seven-point run, cutting the Ohio State lead down to 13 points. The Buckeyes responded to get it back to a 17-point lead at the end of the quarter. Jaloni Cambridge led the way, showing another second half shooting improvement, like the freshman did against Michigan. The freshman went 4-of-4 from the floor in five minutes, with graduate senior Madison Greene getting substantial minutes.
A big difference between the two sides was the rebounding of Ohio State. The Buckeyes out-rebounded Oregon 40-38, leading to the Scarlet and Gray scoring seven more second chance points than the Ducks. It is the first game this season where the Buckeyes out rebounded a Big Ten opponent. The third quarter was good representation of the hustle of the Buckeyes in the paint, grabbing seven and holding Oregon to three in the quarter.
However, in the fourth quarter Oregon mounted a comeback. The Ducks scored 13 of the first 17 points to cut the lead down to eight points. Inversely, Ohio State went cold shooting in the first seven minutes, going 2-of-9 from the floor. Forward Ajae Petty scored timely baskets in the period and grabbed five rebounds on her way to a fourth double-double on the season.
Thierry led Ohio State with a season high 20 points for the senior, with Petty adding 13 points and 14 rebounds. Jaloni Cambridge added 13 points.
Amina Muhammed and Nani Falatea scored 11 each for the Ducks, with leading scorers Deja Kelly and Lynchburg, Ohio native Peyton Scott scoring a combined 17 points.
The Buckeyes are off until Thursday, then it’s a two-game road trip starting in Wisconsin. Ohio State takes on the Wisconsin Badgers (10-7, 1-5), who come into the game after falling to the Maryland Terrapins 83-68.
Even though it looks like a comfortable Terrapins win, the Badgers were down two points at the start of the fourth quarter. Forward Sarah Williams leads the team with 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, one of three players in the Big Ten averaging a double-double on the season.
Ohio State has three wins in a row against the Badgers, last falling 75-70 on Feb. 10, 2021. Overall, the Buckeyes have a 21-4 record against Wisconsin.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Oregon battles back late but its not enough to make up for second quarter slump
For the first time in program histories, No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball (16-0, 5-0) welcomed the Oregon Ducks (12-5, 3-3) to Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes sent the Ducks back West with a 69-60 loss. Ohio State senior Taylor Thierry’s 15-point second quarter led a 27-point run to continue the unbeaten start of the 2024-25 season for the Scarlet and Gray.
The end weekend-ending Big Ten matchup between the Bucks and Ducks looked similar to Ohio State’s first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side struggled shooting from the floor, going 4-of-21 with freshman Jaloni Cambridge going 1-of-8 from the floor.
It was a better quarter for older sister Kennedy Cambridge. The sophomore guard came off the bench like a bolt of lighting for the struggling Ohio State offense. Kennedy Cambridge came into the game and stopped two straight possessions from turning back to Oregon, grabbing offensive rebounds while taking contact. On the second, Kennedy Cambridge grabbed the board and dove to the ground to knock the loose ball off an Oregon player to retain possession.
Oregon took a three-point lead into the second quarter, a lead that didn’t last too long with the Scarlet and Gray going on a 27-point run in 4:58 of the period. A highlight of the run was another big play by Kennedy Cambridge. The guard fell to the ground on a layup attempt, tripped up without a whistle going her way, and nailed an acrobatic circus layup.
On the in-bound pass that followed, Kennedy Cambridge stole the ball in the Buckeye press, ending in another two points for the Buckeyes. During the run, senior guard/forward Taylor Thierry went perfect from beyond the arc, hitting all three attempts and leading Ohio State with 15 points in the quarter. On the last three-point shot, Thierry crossed over her defender, hit the shot and showed a rare moment of emotion when she stuck her tongue out.
Ohio State turned their three-point deficit at the end of the first into a 17-point lead at halftime. Absent from much of the run was junior forward Cotie McMahon, who played eight minutes due to foul trouble. McMahon went to the bench in the first with two fouls and when she tried coming back in during the third quarter, picked up a charge almost immediately, ending a brief moment of respite for Thierry.
In the third quarter, Oregon showed fight and went on a seven-point run, cutting the Ohio State lead down to 13 points. The Buckeyes responded to get it back to a 17-point lead at the end of the quarter. Jaloni Cambridge led the way, showing another second half shooting improvement, like the freshman did against Michigan. The freshman went 4-of-4 from the floor in five minutes, with graduate senior Madison Greene getting substantial minutes.
A big difference between the two sides was the rebounding of Ohio State. The Buckeyes out-rebounded Oregon 40-38, leading to the Scarlet and Gray scoring seven more second chance points than the Ducks. It is the first game this season where the Buckeyes out rebounded a Big Ten opponent. The third quarter was good representation of the hustle of the Buckeyes in the paint, grabbing seven and holding Oregon to three in the quarter.
However, in the fourth quarter Oregon mounted a comeback. The Ducks scored 13 of the first 17 points to cut the lead down to eight points. Inversely, Ohio State went cold shooting in the first seven minutes, going 2-of-9 from the floor. Forward Ajae Petty scored timely baskets in the period and grabbed five rebounds on her way to a fourth double-double on the season.
Thierry led Ohio State with a season high 20 points for the senior, with Petty adding 13 points and 14 rebounds. Jaloni Cambridge added 13 points.
Amina Muhammed and Nani Falatea scored 11 each for the Ducks, with leading scorers Deja Kelly and Lynchburg, Ohio native Peyton Scott scoring a combined 17 points.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes are off until Thursday, then it’s a two-game road trip starting in Wisconsin. Ohio State takes on the Wisconsin Badgers (10-7, 1-5), who come into the game after falling to the Maryland Terrapins 83-68.
Even though it looks like a comfortable Terrapins win, the Badgers were down two points at the start of the fourth quarter. Forward Sarah Williams leads the team with 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, one of three players in the Big Ten averaging a double-double on the season.
Ohio State has three wins in a row against the Badgers, last falling 75-70 on Feb. 10, 2021. Overall, the Buckeyes have a 21-4 record against Wisconsin.
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LGHL Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nitpicking Ohio State’s 28-14 win over Texas
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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nitpicking Ohio State’s 28-14 win over Texas
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Some of the moments that gave me Cotton Bowl mouth while the Buckeyes battled the Longhorns.
Ohio State went deep when it came to ripping out the hearts of Texas Friday night with a hard-fought 28-14 win over the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. While the Buckeyes hurt themselves at times, it would be wrong not to give Texas credit for a good game plan, especially against Jeremiah Smith, but ultimately Ohio State did enough to get past the Longhorns and into the national championship game against Notre Dame.
Here are the things that gave me a Texas-sized ulcer during the Cotton Bowl.
After a good defensive stand to start the game, Ohio State took over on offense and drove down the field. Will Howard delivered a strike to a wide-open Carnell Tate at the goal line for an easy touchdown. The problem was that Tate dropped the ball.
These things happen sometimes, and Quinshon Judkins picked up his teammate with a touchdown run on the next play anyway, but that could have been a costly early mistake.
It was uncharacteristic of TreVeyon Henderson to take the bait of whatever verbal extracurriculars the Longhorns were throwing at him, but the running back’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty derailed the second OSU drive — a promising one that had started at the OSU 8-yard line.
Henderson, who had just brilliantly executed a 22-yard run to get into plus territory, was stuffed after a short gain and took exception to something, smacking defensive lineman Alex January upside the head, costing the Buckeyes 15 yards, and moving the ball from the Texas 37-yard line back into OSU territory.
The drive stalled as a result, prevented the Buckeyes from jumping on the Longhorns as they had pounced early on Tennessee and Oregon. Henderson atoned for it later in the game, but it always felt like putting Texas behind and making the Longhorn offense one dimensional could have made the proceedings a bit easier.
Caden Curry made a huge play after Ohio State’s drive stalled, sticking out a huge paw and knocking the ball out of Silas Bolden’s hands on the ensuing punt return. However, the Longhorns caught a huge break when the ball bounced perfectly back up into Bolden’s hands. A potentially monster turnover deep in Longhorn territory never materialized.
That stupid pointy ball again bounced in favor of Texas a few plays later, when Sonny Styles knocked the ball out of Quinn Ewers’ hands on a sack. Offensive lineman DJ Campbell got the benefit of the bounce, falling on the football to retain possession and allowing Texas to punt rather than Ohio State having the ball inside the Longhorns’ 15-yard line.
Of course, the stupid pointy ball evened things out in the second half, as Howard fell on his own fumble in the third quarter on a sack, and Jack Sawyer turned a strip sack into one of the most iconic plays in Ohio State history late in the game.
There isn’t a good time to commit a lot of penalties, but the College Football Playoff semifinals is an especially poor moment to draw a lot of flags. It was perhaps the only thing stopping the OSU offense in the first half.
In addition to Henderson’s undisciplined gaffe on the second drive, the third drive stalled due in large part to a holding penalty on Emeka Egbuka on a short pass to Smith. The wide receiver compounded a poor block by grabbing his man, knocking the offense off schedule and leading to a punt. The very next drive was undone by a holding penalty on Josh Fryar and a false start two plays later.
Critical infractions continued. Davison Igbinosun got a defensive holding penalty to help Texas move into Hail Mary territory late in the first half. Austin Siereveld got dinged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after the whistle on a first down by Tate at the OSU 40 late in the third quarter. I’ll give Siereveld a break on this one because Tate was being driven backward and the whistle was late. By the time it was blown, the offensive lineman had already committed himself to trying to help his receiver out downfield.
A Fryar false start put the eventual go-ahead touchdown drive in jeopardy in the fourth quarter. Two pass interference penalties — one of them completely unnecessary due to double coverage — set up the final Texas goal-line opportunity.
The penalty parade ended with nine total enforced flags on Ohio State for 75 yards. Giving up almost an entire football field against any opponent, let alone a Top 5 team like Texas, is not a good idea. If the Buckeyes do that against Notre Dame, it may be a long night on Jan. 20.
Chip Kelly got a bit conservative in the middle section of the game and it put an OSU offense that had been only stopping itself to that point in bad spots, forcing obvious passing downs that allowed Texas to bring pressure on Howard.
With 8:07 to play in the first half, Henderson ran up the middle for no gain on first down. Ohio State went three-and-out. With 3:23 remaining, it was Quinshon Judkins running straight up the middle for no gain. Again, three-and-out, but this time setting up a tying drive by Texas.
The next two drives began with passes, with Henderson taking a screen pass to the house from 75 yards away on the first, and the second moving the ball until Howard threw an interception (more on that below). Then Ohio State began with an Egbuka end around that went nowhere (three-and-out).
It just felt like the play calling was helping set up the Texas pass rush in the middle part of the game. Ohio State came out of that and eventually started moving the ball again.
Howard made only a few mistakes in the game, but one was a critical one. Leading 14-7 and riding momentum, the Buckeyes got the ball to start the second half, and immediately started moving down the field. A 13-yard pass to Egbuka picked up a quick first down and a pair of 7-yard runs by Henderson earned another.
But then Howard got greedy on a play-action pass and tried to force a ball to Smith downfield. Locking in on Smith, he didn’t see linebacker David Gbenda drop underneath. Howard’s pass was low enough for Gbenda to leap up and snatch it, turning over the Buckeyes on a drive that could have pushed Texas to the brink.
Making matters worse were that there were open receivers on the play, including his check down man, Henderson, who almost certainly would have picked up another first down.
Ohio State’s defense bailed Howard out by forcing a three-and-out after the interception. The Buckeyes turned around and went three-and-out on their next possession as well, but they didn’t have to. On third-and-1, Howard handed to Judkins on the left. Texas had good pursuit, but Judkins only needed one yard.
Rather than plowing straight ahead between defenders, where getting the one yard was likely, Judkins began juking and jiving in the backfield, eventually being stopped for no gain after bouncing wide. Fast defenses kill plays like that. Sometimes lowing your head and getting what you can get is the best play, especially on third down.
Texas took advantage of the stop and scored a tying touchdown on the ensuing possession.
That’s what burnt my bacon when the Buckeyes played the Longhorns on Friday. There were more things I could point to (I was convinced Howard tackling himself in space after picking up that fourth down conversion was going to be costly, for example), but we’re already over a thousand words here. Besides, I don’t want to grumble. I want to celebrate.
And there were plenty of things to celebrate.
Aside from Sawyer’s legendary play and a goal-line stand that will be remembered forever, Donovan Jackson played brilliantly at left tackle in pass protection, Henderson averaged nearly 17 yards per touch. Howard mostly took what the defense gave him, fitting the ball into small windows in the middle of the field to Tate, Egbuka, and Gee Scott.
Next up: the Buckeyes will have to beat Marcus Freeman’s brand of Tresselball when they face Notre Dame on Jan. 20 for the national title.
Continue reading...
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Some of the moments that gave me Cotton Bowl mouth while the Buckeyes battled the Longhorns.
Ohio State went deep when it came to ripping out the hearts of Texas Friday night with a hard-fought 28-14 win over the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. While the Buckeyes hurt themselves at times, it would be wrong not to give Texas credit for a good game plan, especially against Jeremiah Smith, but ultimately Ohio State did enough to get past the Longhorns and into the national championship game against Notre Dame.
Here are the things that gave me a Texas-sized ulcer during the Cotton Bowl.
Sloopy Hang On!
After a good defensive stand to start the game, Ohio State took over on offense and drove down the field. Will Howard delivered a strike to a wide-open Carnell Tate at the goal line for an easy touchdown. The problem was that Tate dropped the ball.
These things happen sometimes, and Quinshon Judkins picked up his teammate with a touchdown run on the next play anyway, but that could have been a costly early mistake.
Be Smart
It was uncharacteristic of TreVeyon Henderson to take the bait of whatever verbal extracurriculars the Longhorns were throwing at him, but the running back’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty derailed the second OSU drive — a promising one that had started at the OSU 8-yard line.
Henderson, who had just brilliantly executed a 22-yard run to get into plus territory, was stuffed after a short gain and took exception to something, smacking defensive lineman Alex January upside the head, costing the Buckeyes 15 yards, and moving the ball from the Texas 37-yard line back into OSU territory.
The drive stalled as a result, prevented the Buckeyes from jumping on the Longhorns as they had pounced early on Tennessee and Oregon. Henderson atoned for it later in the game, but it always felt like putting Texas behind and making the Longhorn offense one dimensional could have made the proceedings a bit easier.
Stupid Pointy Ball
Caden Curry made a huge play after Ohio State’s drive stalled, sticking out a huge paw and knocking the ball out of Silas Bolden’s hands on the ensuing punt return. However, the Longhorns caught a huge break when the ball bounced perfectly back up into Bolden’s hands. A potentially monster turnover deep in Longhorn territory never materialized.
That stupid pointy ball again bounced in favor of Texas a few plays later, when Sonny Styles knocked the ball out of Quinn Ewers’ hands on a sack. Offensive lineman DJ Campbell got the benefit of the bounce, falling on the football to retain possession and allowing Texas to punt rather than Ohio State having the ball inside the Longhorns’ 15-yard line.
Of course, the stupid pointy ball evened things out in the second half, as Howard fell on his own fumble in the third quarter on a sack, and Jack Sawyer turned a strip sack into one of the most iconic plays in Ohio State history late in the game.
Flag Day
There isn’t a good time to commit a lot of penalties, but the College Football Playoff semifinals is an especially poor moment to draw a lot of flags. It was perhaps the only thing stopping the OSU offense in the first half.
In addition to Henderson’s undisciplined gaffe on the second drive, the third drive stalled due in large part to a holding penalty on Emeka Egbuka on a short pass to Smith. The wide receiver compounded a poor block by grabbing his man, knocking the offense off schedule and leading to a punt. The very next drive was undone by a holding penalty on Josh Fryar and a false start two plays later.
Critical infractions continued. Davison Igbinosun got a defensive holding penalty to help Texas move into Hail Mary territory late in the first half. Austin Siereveld got dinged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after the whistle on a first down by Tate at the OSU 40 late in the third quarter. I’ll give Siereveld a break on this one because Tate was being driven backward and the whistle was late. By the time it was blown, the offensive lineman had already committed himself to trying to help his receiver out downfield.
A Fryar false start put the eventual go-ahead touchdown drive in jeopardy in the fourth quarter. Two pass interference penalties — one of them completely unnecessary due to double coverage — set up the final Texas goal-line opportunity.
The penalty parade ended with nine total enforced flags on Ohio State for 75 yards. Giving up almost an entire football field against any opponent, let alone a Top 5 team like Texas, is not a good idea. If the Buckeyes do that against Notre Dame, it may be a long night on Jan. 20.
Unimaginative
Chip Kelly got a bit conservative in the middle section of the game and it put an OSU offense that had been only stopping itself to that point in bad spots, forcing obvious passing downs that allowed Texas to bring pressure on Howard.
With 8:07 to play in the first half, Henderson ran up the middle for no gain on first down. Ohio State went three-and-out. With 3:23 remaining, it was Quinshon Judkins running straight up the middle for no gain. Again, three-and-out, but this time setting up a tying drive by Texas.
The next two drives began with passes, with Henderson taking a screen pass to the house from 75 yards away on the first, and the second moving the ball until Howard threw an interception (more on that below). Then Ohio State began with an Egbuka end around that went nowhere (three-and-out).
It just felt like the play calling was helping set up the Texas pass rush in the middle part of the game. Ohio State came out of that and eventually started moving the ball again.
The Pick
Howard made only a few mistakes in the game, but one was a critical one. Leading 14-7 and riding momentum, the Buckeyes got the ball to start the second half, and immediately started moving down the field. A 13-yard pass to Egbuka picked up a quick first down and a pair of 7-yard runs by Henderson earned another.
But then Howard got greedy on a play-action pass and tried to force a ball to Smith downfield. Locking in on Smith, he didn’t see linebacker David Gbenda drop underneath. Howard’s pass was low enough for Gbenda to leap up and snatch it, turning over the Buckeyes on a drive that could have pushed Texas to the brink.
Making matters worse were that there were open receivers on the play, including his check down man, Henderson, who almost certainly would have picked up another first down.
No Dancing
Ohio State’s defense bailed Howard out by forcing a three-and-out after the interception. The Buckeyes turned around and went three-and-out on their next possession as well, but they didn’t have to. On third-and-1, Howard handed to Judkins on the left. Texas had good pursuit, but Judkins only needed one yard.
Rather than plowing straight ahead between defenders, where getting the one yard was likely, Judkins began juking and jiving in the backfield, eventually being stopped for no gain after bouncing wide. Fast defenses kill plays like that. Sometimes lowing your head and getting what you can get is the best play, especially on third down.
Texas took advantage of the stop and scored a tying touchdown on the ensuing possession.
That’s what burnt my bacon when the Buckeyes played the Longhorns on Friday. There were more things I could point to (I was convinced Howard tackling himself in space after picking up that fourth down conversion was going to be costly, for example), but we’re already over a thousand words here. Besides, I don’t want to grumble. I want to celebrate.
And there were plenty of things to celebrate.
Aside from Sawyer’s legendary play and a goal-line stand that will be remembered forever, Donovan Jackson played brilliantly at left tackle in pass protection, Henderson averaged nearly 17 yards per touch. Howard mostly took what the defense gave him, fitting the ball into small windows in the middle of the field to Tate, Egbuka, and Gee Scott.
Next up: the Buckeyes will have to beat Marcus Freeman’s brand of Tresselball when they face Notre Dame on Jan. 20 for the national title.
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