Brett Ludwiczak
Guest
Buckeye Heroes: Trey Sermon was massive in two of Ohio State’s biggest games in 2020
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
After transferring from Oklahoma, Sermon made his mark in his only season at Ohio State
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history, or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
Nothing about the 2020 season was anywhere close to normal. Then again, we should be happy we had any football to watch that fall, since originally the Big Ten announced they were cancelling the season due to COVID-19.
Then in mid-September, the conference reversed course with an eight-game conference-only schedule, with teams needing to play in at least six games to be eligible for the conference championship game. The Big Ten decided to change their own rules later in the season after three of Ohio State’s games were cancelled due to COVID-19 precautions.
Dealing with COVID-19 safety measures was tough enough for everybody. Now imagine you were running back Trey Sermon, who decided to transfer to Ohio State following his junior season at Oklahoma.
Not only was Sermon new to Columbus and Ohio State, he had to try and find some comfort and stability in a new place during a time when people were supposed to limit in-person interactions with others. The loneliness and uncertainty Sermon must have been feeling had to take a huge toll on him.
As if that wasn’t hard enough to deal with, then there was the initial announcement the Big Ten wouldn’t be playing football in 2020. Sermon transferred to Ohio State to do one thing, and then they announced he wouldn’t be able to play football in the fall.
Sermon committed to Oklahoma out of high school, and it didn’t take the running back long to make some noise in Norman. As a true freshman, Sermon ran for 744 yards and five scores. Sermon’s best game in 2017 came against Baylor, when he recorded his first 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 148 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears.
Despite splitting carries with Kennedy Brooks in 2018, Sermon still had a very strong season as a sophomore, rushing for 947 yards and 13 touchdowns for an Oklahoma team that made the College Football Playoff.
However, after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards as a sophomore, Sermon found himself slipping on the depth chart as a junior. Not only was Brooks the primary running back for the Sooners, Rhamonde Stevenson was used a little more than Sermon in 2019 too. Along with having two running backs with more carries that year, Oklahoma also had Jalen Hurts at quarterback, with the Alabama transfer carrying the football over 200 times.
Having fallen out of favor at Oklahoma, Sermon decided to enter the transfer portal. Ohio State had pursued Sermon out of high school before the running back decided to commit to Oklahoma. The Buckeyes also had a hole at running back after J.K. Dobbins decided to declare for the NFL Draft following a 2019 season that saw him rush for 2,003 yards.
The opportunity to step in immediately and make an impact at running back in Columbus was too much for Sermon to pass up.
Then COVID-19 happened. Originally it looked like Ohio State would miss out on a second season of Justin Fields after the Georgia transfer led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff in 2019, where they lost a heartbreaker to Clemson in a semifinal. Eventually the Big Ten decided they could safely hold football games with rigorous testing prior to games and no fans in attendance. While it wasn’t ideal from an atmosphere standpoint, it was better than having no football at all.
Even when Ohio State’s season started, at first Sermon must have been regretting his decision to come to Columbus since Master Teague was receiving more carries. Through the first four games, Teague carried the football 75 times, while Sermon saw 45 carries.
Then in the 52-12 win against Michigan State, Sermon started to find some comfort on the field, recording his first 100-yard rushing game as a Buckeye, finishing with 112 yards against the Spartans. The touchdown was Sermon’s first in scarlet and gray.
Unfortunately for Sermon, he never was able to experience the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, since “The Game” was scrapped due to COVID-19. Then there came a question if the Buckeyes were going to be allowed to play in the Big Ten Championship Game since they hadn’t played six games during the season. With Ohio State looking like a national title contender, the conference decided to allow the Buckeyes to play Northwestern in Indianapolis.
Heading into the game against the Wildcats, Chris Olave was ruled out of the game because of a positive COVID-19 test. Once the game kicked off, not only did Justin Fields suffer a thumb injury, which greatly hampered his ability to throw the football, Teague left early in the game because of an injury.
If there ever was a time for Sermon to make his mark as a Buckeye, this was it.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25525793/1230387308.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 19 Big Ten Championship Game - Northwestern v Ohio State")
Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With Ohio State trailing Northwestern 10-6 at halftime, Sermon took control in the second half, rushing for 90 yards on his first three carries. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they couldn’t take advantage of what Sermon was able to do early on, throwing an interception and missing a field goal on their first two drives.
Then after a Northwestern missed field, Ohio State took the lead when Sermon rushed for a 9-yard touchdown. The Buckeye running back would ice the game with a little over four minutes to go, with another touchdown to extend the Ohio State lead to 22-10. Sermon finished with 331 yards rushing, breaking Eddie George’s single-game school record.
The victory over Northwestern not only allowed the Buckeyes to stay undefeated, it helped their case that they were deserving of a spot in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State was given a rematch with Clemson. Despite entering the game as an underdog, the Buckeyes used a 21-point second quarter to take a 35-14 lead into halftime.
Sermon continued to be the hot hand in the Ohio State backfield, rushing for 193 yards and a score on 31 carries in the 49-28 win over the Tigers.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25525795/1294078158.jpg "CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl - Clemson v Ohio State")
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Unfortunately for Sermon and the Buckeyes, it would come crashing back to earth against Alabama. On the first play of the game, Sermon was injured and lost for the rest of the game. Even if Sermon had been healthy, it likely wouldn’t have mattered, since Ohio State had no answer for DeVonta Smith, who finished with 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the 52-24 win for the Crimson Tide.
Sermon would go on to be selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, where he would see 41 carries as a rookie before being released prior to the start of the 2022 regular season. The next day, Sermon was claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles, who he would spend a year with before being waived early in the 2023 regular season.
Currently, Sermon is a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
After transferring from Oklahoma, Sermon made his mark in his only season at Ohio State
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history, or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
Nothing about the 2020 season was anywhere close to normal. Then again, we should be happy we had any football to watch that fall, since originally the Big Ten announced they were cancelling the season due to COVID-19.
Then in mid-September, the conference reversed course with an eight-game conference-only schedule, with teams needing to play in at least six games to be eligible for the conference championship game. The Big Ten decided to change their own rules later in the season after three of Ohio State’s games were cancelled due to COVID-19 precautions.
Dealing with COVID-19 safety measures was tough enough for everybody. Now imagine you were running back Trey Sermon, who decided to transfer to Ohio State following his junior season at Oklahoma.
Not only was Sermon new to Columbus and Ohio State, he had to try and find some comfort and stability in a new place during a time when people were supposed to limit in-person interactions with others. The loneliness and uncertainty Sermon must have been feeling had to take a huge toll on him.
As if that wasn’t hard enough to deal with, then there was the initial announcement the Big Ten wouldn’t be playing football in 2020. Sermon transferred to Ohio State to do one thing, and then they announced he wouldn’t be able to play football in the fall.
Sermon committed to Oklahoma out of high school, and it didn’t take the running back long to make some noise in Norman. As a true freshman, Sermon ran for 744 yards and five scores. Sermon’s best game in 2017 came against Baylor, when he recorded his first 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 148 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears.
Despite splitting carries with Kennedy Brooks in 2018, Sermon still had a very strong season as a sophomore, rushing for 947 yards and 13 touchdowns for an Oklahoma team that made the College Football Playoff.
However, after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards as a sophomore, Sermon found himself slipping on the depth chart as a junior. Not only was Brooks the primary running back for the Sooners, Rhamonde Stevenson was used a little more than Sermon in 2019 too. Along with having two running backs with more carries that year, Oklahoma also had Jalen Hurts at quarterback, with the Alabama transfer carrying the football over 200 times.
Having fallen out of favor at Oklahoma, Sermon decided to enter the transfer portal. Ohio State had pursued Sermon out of high school before the running back decided to commit to Oklahoma. The Buckeyes also had a hole at running back after J.K. Dobbins decided to declare for the NFL Draft following a 2019 season that saw him rush for 2,003 yards.
The opportunity to step in immediately and make an impact at running back in Columbus was too much for Sermon to pass up.
Then COVID-19 happened. Originally it looked like Ohio State would miss out on a second season of Justin Fields after the Georgia transfer led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff in 2019, where they lost a heartbreaker to Clemson in a semifinal. Eventually the Big Ten decided they could safely hold football games with rigorous testing prior to games and no fans in attendance. While it wasn’t ideal from an atmosphere standpoint, it was better than having no football at all.
Even when Ohio State’s season started, at first Sermon must have been regretting his decision to come to Columbus since Master Teague was receiving more carries. Through the first four games, Teague carried the football 75 times, while Sermon saw 45 carries.
Then in the 52-12 win against Michigan State, Sermon started to find some comfort on the field, recording his first 100-yard rushing game as a Buckeye, finishing with 112 yards against the Spartans. The touchdown was Sermon’s first in scarlet and gray.
Unfortunately for Sermon, he never was able to experience the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, since “The Game” was scrapped due to COVID-19. Then there came a question if the Buckeyes were going to be allowed to play in the Big Ten Championship Game since they hadn’t played six games during the season. With Ohio State looking like a national title contender, the conference decided to allow the Buckeyes to play Northwestern in Indianapolis.
Heading into the game against the Wildcats, Chris Olave was ruled out of the game because of a positive COVID-19 test. Once the game kicked off, not only did Justin Fields suffer a thumb injury, which greatly hampered his ability to throw the football, Teague left early in the game because of an injury.
If there ever was a time for Sermon to make his mark as a Buckeye, this was it.
With Ohio State trailing Northwestern 10-6 at halftime, Sermon took control in the second half, rushing for 90 yards on his first three carries. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they couldn’t take advantage of what Sermon was able to do early on, throwing an interception and missing a field goal on their first two drives.
Then after a Northwestern missed field, Ohio State took the lead when Sermon rushed for a 9-yard touchdown. The Buckeye running back would ice the game with a little over four minutes to go, with another touchdown to extend the Ohio State lead to 22-10. Sermon finished with 331 yards rushing, breaking Eddie George’s single-game school record.
The victory over Northwestern not only allowed the Buckeyes to stay undefeated, it helped their case that they were deserving of a spot in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State was given a rematch with Clemson. Despite entering the game as an underdog, the Buckeyes used a 21-point second quarter to take a 35-14 lead into halftime.
Sermon continued to be the hot hand in the Ohio State backfield, rushing for 193 yards and a score on 31 carries in the 49-28 win over the Tigers.
Unfortunately for Sermon and the Buckeyes, it would come crashing back to earth against Alabama. On the first play of the game, Sermon was injured and lost for the rest of the game. Even if Sermon had been healthy, it likely wouldn’t have mattered, since Ohio State had no answer for DeVonta Smith, who finished with 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the 52-24 win for the Crimson Tide.
Sermon would go on to be selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, where he would see 41 carries as a rookie before being released prior to the start of the 2022 regular season. The next day, Sermon was claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles, who he would spend a year with before being waived early in the 2023 regular season.
Currently, Sermon is a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
Continue reading...