On Jan. 20, 1988, Raymond Day tragically passed away. Ryan Day, son of Raymond Day and Head Coach of Ohio State, brought home the College Football National Championship on Monday night, exactly 38 years after his dad’s passing. Day’s conquest for the National Championship had the perfect ending as he honored his father with his victory.
Over the past two months, Day has disproved all the negativity circling Ohio State. Ohio State lost to Michigan for the fourth year in a row, which is not normal for the Buckeyes. Ohio State was seen as soft and uncompetitive after that loss. They played a terrible game overall, only scoring 10 points despite their defense collecting two interceptions.
Senior quarterback Will Howard was peppered with criticism throughout the entire season. And in the most important game of the regular season, he proved all the haters right. But after that loss, something clicked with this team.
Ohio State, a team built on senior leadership, earned the eight seed in the College Football Playoff. Because the Buckeyes did not have a first-round bye, they were faced with the hardest path to the National Championship. With eight out of the 11 starters on defense being seniors, they have multiple first round draft picks including edge rusher Jack Sawyer, linebacker Cody Simon, and cornerback Lathan Ransom.
In the first round of the playoffs, Ohio State hosted Tennessee, a team with a high-power offense. On their first drive of the game, Howard slinged it downfield to freshman Jermiah Smith to give the Buckeyes an early 7-0 lead. The Ohio State defense was putting all the pieces together in this game, ending with four sacks and six tackles for loss as they dominated sophomore quarterback Nico Lamaleava. The key plan to Ohio State’s defensive success: have active defensive backs all game. Ransom, a team captain and leader of the defensive backs, had a total of five tackles, and continued to play a significant role in the run game as he had done all year. Another shining player was Caleb Downs, a transfer from Alabama. Downs made his presence felt, shooting out of a cannon to make tackles all season. This game eventually got out of hand and Ohio State won 42-17.
The second game was the best matchup of the season where Ohio State rematched the number one team in the country, Oregon. Oregon got the better of Ohio State in the regular season, winning on the last play 32-31. The Rose Bowl consisted of the two juggernauts, and Ohio State came for revenge. The Buckeyes started this game with a screen pass that looked to be a 4-yard gain, but Smith broke loose for a 50-yard touchdown. Ohio State never looked back after this play; they went on to score on the next drive as well. By halftime, Ohio State was up 34-8, blowing Oregon out of the water. Oregon went on a little run at the end of the game, but the Ohio state defense did not let them get too close. Ohio State would end up winning the rematch easily 41-21.
After Ohio State blew out their first two opponents, every team knew they were the team to beat. They had the best defense and the most fire power offensively. Ohio State lined up against an old teammate in their third game, Texas’ starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Texas was not as highly praised as the Oregon Ducks, but were still ranked #1 in the AP Poll for four weeks during the regular season. Ohio State came into this game planning to shut down the pass and the explosive plays. Like the rest of the playoffs, Ohio State came out and scored on their first drive. Running back Quinson Judkins finished the drive with a monster touchdown run. However, that did not phase Texas. Ewers later tied the game with 20-yard touchdown pass to Jaydon Blue. The game went back and forth until the last drive. On 4th & goal with a chance to tie the game, Ewers dropped back for only a second before Sawyer flew off the edge and blew him up. Ewers fumbled the ball and Sawyer took it for 80 yards for the touchdown. This was the nail in the coffin as Ohio State went to win the game 28-14, punching their ticket to the National Championship.
With everything on the line, Ohio State faced off against Notre Dame in the National Championship. Ohio State, during the 11 days leading up to the game, leaned on their leaders more than ever. They knew going into the game that if they played cleanly they would dominate the injured Notre Dame team. Ohio State entered the game on a two-game win streak against Notre Dame. It’s already hard enough to beat a team twice, but the Buckeyes had to do it three times in a row to bring home the trophy. For the first time in their whole playoff run, Ohio State was stunned on the first drive as Notre Dame drove the ball the whole field. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard led an 18 play drive where he rushed for nine times himself. Leonard capped off the drive by running it in to give Notre Dame the early 7-0 lead. Ohio State didn’t let that affect them as they pounded the ball down Notre Dame’s throats, ending the drive with an easy walk-in touchdown for Smith. For the rest of the first half, Notre Dame struggled to move the ball offensively. During their struggles, Ohio State scored twice more in the first half. By halftime, the score was 21-7 in favor of the Buckeyes. Ohio State started with the ball to begin the second half, and on the second play of the drive, Judkins broke a seventy yard marathon down to Notre Dame’s 5-yard line. Two plays later, Judkins punched in his third touchdown of the game to increase the lead to 21. After this huge lead, Notre Dame needed a miracle to come back. But throughout the second half, Notre Dame brought it to an eight-point game. With only four minutes left and Notre Dame on their last leg, Smith iced the game with a 50-yard reception, which ultimately led to an Ohio State field goal. Ohio State won the National Championship 34-23.
Because of leadership, experience, and brotherhood, Ohio State won the National Championship and lifted their first trophy since 2014.
