Will Howard and Ohio State deserve to celebrate after dominating Tennessee

Will Howard put the rose in his mouth, smiled, leaned toward the cameras and ran toward his offensive line to take a photo. After thanking the unit for keeping him upright throughout the game — Ohio State didn’t allow a sack — the Buckeyes quarterback ran over to do an interview with ESPN.

Then he made one more stop before heading to the locker room — the student section to celebrate Ohio State’s 42-17 victory over Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

It was pure joy and excitement for the Kansas State transfer who came to Ohio State to play games like this. He came to Ohio State to win a national championship, increase his NFL draft stock and share the moments with his family along the way.

He had many reasons to rejoice. In the biggest game of his short Ohio State career, he completed 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. It was one of Howard’s best games of the season, and it was the seventh time he completed at least 80 percent of his attempts – an Ohio State record.

Howard was one of many Buckeyes who shined on the big stage. Jeremiah Smith, a national freshman according to many media outlets, caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka had five receptions for 81 yards. And running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins each had two rushing touchdowns.

𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀. pic.twitter.com/chf6OEtiZR

— Ohio State football (@OhioStateFB) December 22, 2024

After weeks of hearing how bad the offense was in the 13-10 loss to Michigan, Ohio State let it all out against Tennessee and showed exactly why it has been called the most talented team of the country.

Ohio State had four receivers catch a pass Saturday, all former five-star recruits — Smith, Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss, who had a 6-yard reception with the backups. Henderson was also a five-star recruit and Judkins became one of the best running backs in the country.

Bottom line: Ohio State was more talented than Tennessee, but for the first time this season – in a big game – the Buckeyes took advantage of their lack of talent and left no doubt about the outcome.

It was clear from the start that the coaching staff was pushing all the right buttons.

“We ran this game more aggressively, there’s no doubt about it,” coach Ryan Day said. “But we also did some things in this game that maximized our strengths and minimized our shortcomings.”

Howard was excited about the game plan.

“You saw. It was a really good game,” he said when asked what excited him about the coach’s plan to attack Tennessee.

It was more than “pretty good.” It was Ohio State’s best offensive game since the loss to Oregon.

Ohio State scored 42 points and averaged 7.4 yards per play and 4.7 yards per rushing attempt against a Tennessee defense that ranks in the top 10 nationally in all three categories.

Ohio State took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on its first three possessions – passes of 75, 68 and 58 yards.

The start had people wondering where this offense was in the last game against Michigan, and also the week before against Indiana, when the Buckeyes had their two lowest passing yards of the season.

Day knew they hadn’t played well in those games and something had to change.

“We got a punt return and a turnover in the red zone, but we really didn’t play very well on offense against Indiana, to be honest,” Day said. “Then (we) went into the last game and we still didn’t know the ramifications of what was happening based on what we were facing.”

What has changed? Well, Ohio State was much more aggressive, both in their play and their play on the field.

Ohio State has been criticized for being soft and a team that sometimes plays tense. That wasn’t the case on Saturday, and that was evident from the start.

“For three weeks, everyone was telling us we sucked,” offensive lineman Donovan Jackson said. “Half the fans told us we sucked. Almost every analyst, pundit, and anyone who owned a podcast told us we sucked. We took it personally. This is not how we were going to go out. … We went out there and played with our hair on fire, that was the message all week.

The Buckeyes scored on a 75-yard drive to open the game. Four of the five plays were passing plays, including a 37-yard touchdown to Smith.

That drive set the tone for the rest of the game and sent a message to Tennessee.

“It was execution,” Day said. “There were a lot of things in this last game that we looked back on that we didn’t execute very well. There were things we needed to improve (with) the program, but we also needed to execute on them. … There was a confidence that came out of that first quarter, but even in the warmup, you could feel it. There was a trust that was built in practice.

When Ohio State plays with this level of confidence and aggression, it’s not only a tough offense to stop, it’s a complete team that has the potential to win a national championship.

The defense, which had been a problem for some of Day’s previous teams, hasn’t allowed more than two touchdowns in a game since the Oct. 12 loss to Oregon. There was pressure on the offense to step up and prove they could produce in a big game.

Michigan could have been the wake-up call this offense — and its coaches — needed. On Saturday, the Buckeyes reminded everyone that they have the best set of talented players in the country. And when they are aggressive and play freely, it is difficult to stop them.

“Getting the ball into our playmaker’s hands is huge, in space,” Howard said. “Giving these guys the opportunity to go into space and do what they do is huge. We did a hell of a job with that tonight.

(Photo: Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)