COLUMBUS, Ohio — By the point the beating was completed, many of the 1000’s of Tennessee followers who flooded into Ohio Stadium had been gone.
A minimum of two remained — one in a Peyton Manning jersey and one other in a coonskin cap — and hovered over the tunnel because the stone-faced Vols walked into the start of the top of their season.
They provided encouragement and a few excessive fives in distinction to the derisive “S-E-C” chant coming from the Ohio State pupil part because the Buckeyes celebrated a cherished Rose Bowl berth that eluded Tennessee.
Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17.
The Vols’ 21-0 gap after the sport’s first 12 minutes was too deep to flee. Ohio State’s expertise at edge rusher and receiver overwhelmed Tennessee.
Chopping the result in 11 at halftime provided a short glimmer of hope till Ohio State compelled a punt on the second half’s first possession and adopted up with a 65-yard landing drive to slam the door for good.
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Tennessee followers’ orange invasion of Ohio Stadium: ‘Don’t inform us we will’t do this’
“All people was simply upset,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel mentioned.
The offensive line struggled to offer quarterback Nico Iamaleava with clear pockets. Tennessee’s receivers couldn’t discover area within the secondary, forcing Iamaleava to carry onto the ball and attempt to create an offense constructed from scraps of quarterback scrambles.
The secondary struggled to cowl Ohio State’s stellar receivers and even once they did, freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith and NFL-bound senior Emeka Egbuka hauled in contested catches anyway.
“They made some performs. That’s gonna occur in opposition to a great staff,” Heupel mentioned. “What we didn’t do is come again and discover a solution to get on the appropriate facet of it. That’s defensively, offensively, it’s everyone.”
Nico Iamaleava on his 20 carries: “I didn’t count on to run that many instances.”
Josh Heupel mentioned a few of these had been him scrambling.
— David Ubben (@davidubben) December 22, 2024
Accidents, Ohio State’s protection and the early struggles compelled Tennessee to attempt to morph on the fly right into a staff it isn’t.
Dylan Sampson, the SEC’s Offensive Participant of the 12 months, suffered a hamstring damage late within the regular-season finale in opposition to Vanderbilt and aggravated the damage early on Saturday. Tennessee knew getting into the sport Sampson can be restricted, however he was barely obtainable and couldn’t proceed after briefly returning within the second half.
He carried the ball at the least 19 instances in each SEC recreation this season. He carried the ball twice on Saturday.
Iamaleava hadn’t run the ball greater than a dozen instances all season. Between known as runs and scrambles, he needed to carry the ball 20 instances. The Vols’ longest passing play of the day was simply 21 yards. Iamaleava completed with a season-low 104 passing yards regardless of throwing the ball 31 instances, simply the third time this season he’s topped 30 makes an attempt in a recreation.
“It sucks to exit that approach,” Iamaleava mentioned. “That’s not who we’re, man.”
He averaged 8.3 yards per try through the common season, good for twenty first nationally. He averaged 3.3 yards per try on Saturday.
“After we’re not creating explosives, whether or not it’s poor calls or execution, it places you in a telephone sales space,” offensive coordinator Joey Halzle mentioned. “We didn’t stretch them sufficient. We didn’t drive them to respect us going by them sufficient to make them change up what they had been doing. Whenever you allow them to play comfy and play of their recreation plan and don’t make them change, it creates lengthy nights like what occurred tonight.”
The protection gave up 311 yards by way of the air to Will Howard, a quarterback who had only one 300-yard recreation this season. Tennessee had surrendered 300 passing yards in only one different recreation this 12 months, to Carson Beck and Georgia.
The Vols misplaced by 25 in a recreation through which they gained the turnover battle, 1-0.
“Their ability on each side of the ball was nearly as good as you’ll see,” Heupel mentioned.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks mentioned the Buckeyes offense didn’t do a lot the Vols hadn’t ready for on movie. They only did it properly and persistently gained 1-on-1 matchups.
A breakthrough season crescendoed to this system’s first School Soccer Playoff bid and arguably the largest recreation for this system in at the least twenty years.
Tennessee followers flooded into Ohio Stadium by the 1000’s. As an alternative of witnessing one other breakthrough, they had been compelled to shiver by way of a breakdown on the game’s greatest stage and a recreation that was barely aggressive, similar to the three first-round video games that preceded it.
The one matchup of Massive Ten and SEC groups in Spherical 1 produced probably the most lopsided results of the opening weekend of the expanded Playoff, with the Massive Ten staff’s gamers parading round their dwelling discipline with roses between their tooth.
Tennessee has seemed the a part of a great staff all season, however losses to Georgia and Ohio State laid naked the truth that the Vols have but to ascend into the game’s higher crust and aren’t able to chase the sorts of titles which have eluded this system since 1998.
Ohio State’s offensive recreation plan confirmed aggression and a need to stretch the sphere early, making it clear that Tennessee wouldn’t be dealing with the identical Buckeyes staff that misplaced a brawl on the line of scrimmage in opposition to Michigan three weeks in the past.
The Vols got here up in opposition to one of many nation’s most proficient groups. For 60 minutes, the Buckeyes seemed the half, flexing at Tennessee’s expense.
“It stings dropping like that,” linebacker Will Brooks mentioned.
It was powerful to swallow for Heupel, who used the phrase “upset” 10 instances in his 14 minutes with reporters after the loss. A number of instances, he was left shaking his head.
He noticed the identical factor that the 1000’s of followers in orange witnessed, too.
“Dissatisfied in our efficiency for our followers,” Heupel mentioned. “People who have watched us, it wasn’t our greatest soccer tonight.”
Nevertheless it’s the soccer Tennessee will probably be left to ponder because it enters an offseason that began sooner than anybody in orange hoped. As Heupel addressed his staff, he started by utilizing that phrase, acknowledging the frustration of Tennessee’s first journey to the Playoff earlier than pointing to the longer term after closing a stretch of 30 wins in three seasons.
“All people higher let that soak in,” Heupel mentioned, “and it’s gotta propel you to no matter’s subsequent.”
(Picture of Nico Iamaleava: Saul Younger / USA At present Community by way of Imagn Pictures)
