While Ohio State will host Tennessee in a College Football Playoff first-round matchup Saturday night in Columbus, the Buckeyes must first move past their shocking 13-10 loss to rival Michigan on Nov. 30.
Or at least try to.
The No. 8 seed Buckeyes and No. 9 seed Volunteers, both with 10-2 records, will square off for the right to meet No. 1 seed Oregon (13-0) in a CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year’s Day.
Many questions Monday at the media availability for Ohio State coach Ryan Day, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and several players centered on how a 21-point favorite at home fell flat on its face.
“It was terrible for all of us, a terrible loss,” quarterback Will Howard said. “But man, we can’t let (the Wolverines) beat us twice. We can’t.
“We can still go out here and win a national championship and right the wrongs that happened in that game. Obviously, we don’t get a chance to play them again, but we can still go win the whole thing, and that’s what we’re trying to cling to right now.”
The problem for the Buckeyes is that the Volunteers present similar defensive challenges to the injury-ravaged Ohio State offensive line that blocked for just 77 yards on an average of 3.0 yards per carry against a stout Michigan defense.
Tennessee allows 99.6 rushing yards per game to rank eighth nationally and is fourth in total defense (278.3 yards per game) and tied for fourth in scoring defense (13.9 points per game).
“The line of scrimmage is going to be important in this one,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “Defensively, you’ve got to control the line of scrimmage. It’s your first and second levels and your safeties, in particular, but the line of scrimmage will matter. You want to get people in the predictable third downs and then be able to rush the passer and get off the field.”
Tennessee is led by defensive end James Pearce Jr., a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He led the team with 11 tackles for losses and 7 1/2 sacks.
“We’re playing a really formidable defensive group coming in here that’s really well coached, and they’ve got good players at all three levels,” Kelly said. “So that’s going to be a challenge for us again this week, and our players are excited about that.”
Ohio State knows running against the Volunteers will be difficult, so it is imperative that Howard get the ball to a talented receiving corps that includes Jeremiah Smith (57 catches, 934 yards, 16.4 yards per catch, 10 touchdowns), Emeka Egbuka (60, 743, 12.4, nine) and Carnell Tate (41, 583, 14.2, four).
Smith was selected the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Receiver of the Year.
“We can’t give up a bunch of big, explosive plays where they create momentum, field position, ability to score points,” Heupel said. “We’ve got to do a great job of playing disciplined and matching people out, playing with fundamentals and technique, and then going and making plays. There’s going to be one-on-one situations. We’ve got to win the lion’s share of those.”
Much has been made of how Tennessee will handle the weather on Saturday, with the temperature projected to be 28 degrees for the prime-time kickoff.
“Yeah, it’s a June day in South Dakota,” joked Heupel, a native of that state. “At the end of the day, you get between the white lines, weather doesn’t matter, the temperature doesn’t matter.”
–Field Level Media
