MY THOUGHTS.....Tennessee

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes came out on fire, scoring on their first three possessions and never looked back in dominating Tennessee in the first playoff game in Ohio Stadium.  The offense looked completely different than three weeks ago.  The revamped offensive line, playing without two starters, played lights out against a respectable Tennessee defense.  The Vols defense failed to record a sack and Ohio State’s offensive line generated enough push for the Buckeyes to average over five yards per carry on the ground.  TreVeyon Henderson led the way on the ground, getting 80 yards on a mere 10 carries and scoring two touchdowns.  His 29-yard run gave the Buckeyes a three-touchdown lead in the first quarter.  Quinshon Judkins also got into the end zone twice and Will Howard had his most productive day on the ground, rushing for 37 yards and keeping the ball more on read options.  Will Howard had his best day at Ohio State, completing 83 percent of his throws for 311 yards and two scores and the one interception he threw shouldn’t have counted as the officials missed an obvious pass interference on the play.  Jeremiah Smith was the leading receiver, with six receptions for 13 yards and two touchdowns, as there was no way the Tennessee secondary could keep up with him.  Emeka Egbuka added five catches for 81 yards, including a sliding catch on Ohio State’s second drive that set up their second touchdown.  Ohio State’s defense was suffocating most of the game, as J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer each had two sacks as Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava was constantly under pressure.  He managed 11 completions in 22 attempts for a mere 88 yards.  Cody Simon led the way with 12 tackles, Tuimoloau had 8 to go with his two sacks, and Caleb Downs turned in a stellar performance in the secondary with seven tackles.

The Buckeyes move on to the Rose Bowl on New Years Day where they will have a rematch with the Oregon Ducks with a chance to avenge the early-season loss and get to the semifinals.