PASADENA, Calif. — Ohio State played an entire season in the second quarter.
It was an offense that was explosive, showcasing a C.J. Stroud-led passing game that seemingly wouldn’t miss a beat without Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave, going into halftime with 290 passing yards and three touchdowns compared to 36 yards on the ground.
It was the same defense that showed up against Michigan, allowing 21 points in the second quarter alone and 35 points in the first half.
It was a team that looked like it didn’t have a clue against Utah’s offense, with quarterback Cameron Rising focusing his attention on the middle of the field when he and running back Tavion Thomas weren’t gashing the middle of the defensive line in the run game, failing to find run fits at linebacker.
It was a team that lost defensive end Jack Sawyer to a targeting penalty and safety Lathan Ransom to a gruesome left leg injury; an Ohio State squad that came in with 24 players less than it usually done with the combination of injuries, opt-outs and transfers since its most recent loss to Michigan.
In Pasadena Saturday afternoon, Ohio State was at rock bottom. It wasn’t any worse than the game in Ann Arbor, just a continuation.
The Rose Bowl was just the Michigan game without the stakes. The Rose Bowl was Ohio State’s defense collapsing while its offense tried with all its might to get back.
The only difference was Ohio State did. It started its 2022 turnaround in the middle of the game.
Welcome back Buckeyes.
Offensively, it started with Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, putting together the best passing performance in Ohio State history. No Ohio State quarterback had ever recorded more than 500 yards in a single game until Stroud. No Ohio State wide receiver has eclipsed 253 yards until Smith-Njigba did, shattering it with the first 300-yard receiving day in Ohio State history.
That fed into a defense that regrouped after an atrocious first half, allowing 10 points and 139 yards in the final two quarters.
And all of that was forgotten with 12 seconds left as kicker Noah Ruggles hit a chip shot field goal, giving the Buckeyes a three-point win in the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State's second half made them look like a College Football Playoff team again, one that could contend with Georgia, with Alabama, one that could have been playing in Indianapolis in 10 days.
What kept Ohio State back was the lack of consistency in that over the course of the 2021 season.
But if it's any indication as to what Ohio State could do in 2022, those expectations should return to be sky high even with a hell of a lot to improve on.
C.J. Stroud makes a statement
Stroud looked like a quarterback with something to prove in the first half against Utah.
He was accurate, missing only four pass attempts in the first half. He was electric and efficient, throwing three touchdown passes to Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba within a six-minute span, including two 50-yard touchdowns to the sophomore within 30 seconds.
There were times where he looked like the quarterback he’s been for the majority this season, the quarterback that made it to New York City for the Heisman ceremony.
But as the game continued, the pressure returned, the weight of carrying an offense by himself.
As Utah continued to score, the redshirt freshman quarterback forced a throw in the end zone to a covered Julian Fleming in the end zone which Utah defensive back and former Ohio State commit Clark Phillips plucked out of the air for an interception.
And then Stroud began to click.
He began to continue to hit receiver after receiver, helping Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. look like it's turning into the best room in the country.
He became the first quarterback in Ohio State history to eclipse 500 yards passing, finishing the game with 573 passing yards and six touchdowns, completing 80% of his passes.
And he's a redshirt freshman, capping off his first season as Ohio State's starting quarterback and a fourth-place finish with the most dominant game he could have.
Stroud was mad heading into this game. He wanted to prove something.
And Saturday afternoon, in his homecoming, he did.
Ohio State's defense regroups, does just enough
Leading by a touchdown at the end of the first quarter, Utah running back Micah Bernard knew exactly what to do to beat the middle of Ohio State’s defense.
He lined up to the left of Rising, moving to his right on the quarterback’s first move. Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg seemed floored, already a step behind. Switching coverages at the last minute, Eichenberg was tasked with stopping Bernard on a wheel route.
There was no hope, allowing the Utah running back to get three steps ahead of Eichenberg for the touchdown in the end zone.
What Bernard did was an overall representation of what the defense had been all season long: one step behind.
It was a defense that stepped up in the third quarter, limiting Utah to 86 yards and three points, keeping the Utes to 3.2 yards per rush and four first downs. Tackling, especially in the middle of the defense, improved, including 14 tackles by Tommy Eichenberg through the first three quarters of the game.
In the second half, Ohio State allowed 10 points and 139 yards, finishing the game with three tackles for loss and a sack.
With Rising hurt, Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes led the Utes on a six-play, 57-yard drive, tying the game up with a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid — Utah's first touchdown since the middle of the second quarter.
Ohio State was fine, and while there were major issues defensively, major holes to fill that Jim Knowles is set to help with, it did enough so the offense could shine.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba shines
In his first game as the No. 1 guy, Jaxon Smith-Njigba took over the Ohio State offense.
Three records became his Saturday afternoon: the single-season record for most receiving yards, breaking David Boston’s record of 1,435 set in 1998; the single-season record for more receptions, breaking Parris Campbell’s record of 90 set in 2018; and the single-game record most receiving yards in a single game, breaking Terry Glenn’s record of 253 against Pitt in 1995.
Smith-Njigba was other-worldly for the Buckeyes, bringing in 347 yards and three touchdowns on 15 receptions.
For what Wilson and Olave brought to Ohio State, Smith-Njigba showed he could be even better.
News and notes
Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom was carted off the field after Utah wide receiver Britain Covey’s 97-yard kickoff return touchdown. His entire left leg was engulfed in an air cast, being placed on a stretcher and taken off the field.
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. recorded his first career touchdown reception, brining in a 25-yard pass from Stroud at the start of the second quarter. He came in with five receptions for 68 yards in his freshman season. He finished the game with three touchdowns and 71 receiving yards on six receptions.
It was an offense that was explosive, showcasing a C.J. Stroud-led passing game that seemingly wouldn’t miss a beat without Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave, going into halftime with 290 passing yards and three touchdowns compared to 36 yards on the ground.
It was the same defense that showed up against Michigan, allowing 21 points in the second quarter alone and 35 points in the first half.
It was a team that looked like it didn’t have a clue against Utah’s offense, with quarterback Cameron Rising focusing his attention on the middle of the field when he and running back Tavion Thomas weren’t gashing the middle of the defensive line in the run game, failing to find run fits at linebacker.
It was a team that lost defensive end Jack Sawyer to a targeting penalty and safety Lathan Ransom to a gruesome left leg injury; an Ohio State squad that came in with 24 players less than it usually done with the combination of injuries, opt-outs and transfers since its most recent loss to Michigan.
In Pasadena Saturday afternoon, Ohio State was at rock bottom. It wasn’t any worse than the game in Ann Arbor, just a continuation.
The Rose Bowl was just the Michigan game without the stakes. The Rose Bowl was Ohio State’s defense collapsing while its offense tried with all its might to get back.
The only difference was Ohio State did. It started its 2022 turnaround in the middle of the game.
Welcome back Buckeyes.
Offensively, it started with Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, putting together the best passing performance in Ohio State history. No Ohio State quarterback had ever recorded more than 500 yards in a single game until Stroud. No Ohio State wide receiver has eclipsed 253 yards until Smith-Njigba did, shattering it with the first 300-yard receiving day in Ohio State history.
That fed into a defense that regrouped after an atrocious first half, allowing 10 points and 139 yards in the final two quarters.
And all of that was forgotten with 12 seconds left as kicker Noah Ruggles hit a chip shot field goal, giving the Buckeyes a three-point win in the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State's second half made them look like a College Football Playoff team again, one that could contend with Georgia, with Alabama, one that could have been playing in Indianapolis in 10 days.
What kept Ohio State back was the lack of consistency in that over the course of the 2021 season.
But if it's any indication as to what Ohio State could do in 2022, those expectations should return to be sky high even with a hell of a lot to improve on.
C.J. Stroud makes a statement
Stroud looked like a quarterback with something to prove in the first half against Utah.
He was accurate, missing only four pass attempts in the first half. He was electric and efficient, throwing three touchdown passes to Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba within a six-minute span, including two 50-yard touchdowns to the sophomore within 30 seconds.
There were times where he looked like the quarterback he’s been for the majority this season, the quarterback that made it to New York City for the Heisman ceremony.
But as the game continued, the pressure returned, the weight of carrying an offense by himself.
As Utah continued to score, the redshirt freshman quarterback forced a throw in the end zone to a covered Julian Fleming in the end zone which Utah defensive back and former Ohio State commit Clark Phillips plucked out of the air for an interception.
And then Stroud began to click.
He began to continue to hit receiver after receiver, helping Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. look like it's turning into the best room in the country.
He became the first quarterback in Ohio State history to eclipse 500 yards passing, finishing the game with 573 passing yards and six touchdowns, completing 80% of his passes.
And he's a redshirt freshman, capping off his first season as Ohio State's starting quarterback and a fourth-place finish with the most dominant game he could have.
Stroud was mad heading into this game. He wanted to prove something.
And Saturday afternoon, in his homecoming, he did.
Ohio State's defense regroups, does just enough
Leading by a touchdown at the end of the first quarter, Utah running back Micah Bernard knew exactly what to do to beat the middle of Ohio State’s defense.
He lined up to the left of Rising, moving to his right on the quarterback’s first move. Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg seemed floored, already a step behind. Switching coverages at the last minute, Eichenberg was tasked with stopping Bernard on a wheel route.
There was no hope, allowing the Utah running back to get three steps ahead of Eichenberg for the touchdown in the end zone.
What Bernard did was an overall representation of what the defense had been all season long: one step behind.
It was a defense that stepped up in the third quarter, limiting Utah to 86 yards and three points, keeping the Utes to 3.2 yards per rush and four first downs. Tackling, especially in the middle of the defense, improved, including 14 tackles by Tommy Eichenberg through the first three quarters of the game.
In the second half, Ohio State allowed 10 points and 139 yards, finishing the game with three tackles for loss and a sack.
With Rising hurt, Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes led the Utes on a six-play, 57-yard drive, tying the game up with a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid — Utah's first touchdown since the middle of the second quarter.
Ohio State was fine, and while there were major issues defensively, major holes to fill that Jim Knowles is set to help with, it did enough so the offense could shine.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba shines
In his first game as the No. 1 guy, Jaxon Smith-Njigba took over the Ohio State offense.
Three records became his Saturday afternoon: the single-season record for most receiving yards, breaking David Boston’s record of 1,435 set in 1998; the single-season record for more receptions, breaking Parris Campbell’s record of 90 set in 2018; and the single-game record most receiving yards in a single game, breaking Terry Glenn’s record of 253 against Pitt in 1995.
Smith-Njigba was other-worldly for the Buckeyes, bringing in 347 yards and three touchdowns on 15 receptions.
For what Wilson and Olave brought to Ohio State, Smith-Njigba showed he could be even better.
News and notes
Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom was carted off the field after Utah wide receiver Britain Covey’s 97-yard kickoff return touchdown. His entire left leg was engulfed in an air cast, being placed on a stretcher and taken off the field.
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. recorded his first career touchdown reception, brining in a 25-yard pass from Stroud at the start of the second quarter. He came in with five receptions for 68 yards in his freshman season. He finished the game with three touchdowns and 71 receiving yards on six receptions.
