In Ohio State’s win over Tennessee, the Buckeyes rotated Tegra Tshabola, Austin Siereveld and Luke Montgomery at guard. That trio was solid for three-and-a-half quarters until Ohio State pulled its starters… against an SEC opponent… in a College Football Playoff game. The final part of that sentence is hard to comprehend, but it’s the cold, hard truth!
Amid a Rose Bowl teleconference on Monday, Day said Tshabola, Siereveld and Montgomery all had great reps against the Volunteers. He was particularly impressed with Montgomery, who earned a career-high 31 snaps in the contest.
“They all played well. Justin (Frye) working the rotation in the way he did allowed them to play fast and then get a little bit of relief getting off the field.
I think Luke ended up with 31 plays. Of those 31 plays, I thought he did a nice job. Every play wasn’t perfect, but there were some really good plays in there. Great effort.
I could feel his presence out there, which is a big part of the offensive line. Austin played very, very well. Tegra had some really good plays.”
Outside of Ohio State’s win over Penn State, which saw Donovan Jackson make his first career start at left tackle and Carson Hinzman make his first career start at guard, I think the Buckeyes’ blowout of Tennessee was the position room’s best performance of the season.
The offensive line allowed zero sacks and pressure on 25 percent of Will Howard’s dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Those numbers were the fewest and second-fewest Tennessee’s defense produced this season. Moreover, Ohio State’s 4.7 yards per rush were the most Tennessee allowed in 2024, as was the Buckeyes’ 7.39 yards per play.
Coming off Ohio State’s win, Day said Monday that the Buckeyes plan to continue rotating Tshabola, Siereveld and Montgomery at guard, as the head coach believes it will give his team the best chance to win in Pasadena.
“Austin and Tegra have played against Oregon, so there’s a reference point going into this game, but they’ll need to play well. We know they have very good players inside and upfront, so they got to keep building on it,” Day said.
“Right now, as we come out of this game, I would say that (the rotation) is gonna continue the way we did that. But we’ll assess it as the week goes on and see what gives us the best chance to win the game.”
CAN’T GUARD JEREMIAH SMITH. I’ll loop back to the Oregon game in the next section. However, I have to mention one more part of Ohio State’s win over Tennessee that has made me chuckle since the weekend, and that is Howard’s double take (perhaps even a triple take?) when he saw the Volunteers’ decision to leave Jeremiah Smith one-on-one in press coverage against Jermod McCoy.
You could see Howard process it as soon as the huddle broke.
Look one: JJ is one-on-one.
Look two: JJ is still one-on-one.
Look three: *delivers an absolute dart*
That made me laugh on Saturday. It made me laugh on Monday. It will make me laugh tomorrow. It’s too good.
Oh, and I should mention that McCoy is Tennessee’s second-team All-American cornerback – the same cornerback Pro Football Focus praised last week, leading to a Smith repost after Ohio State’s win.
Man, Smith is a cheat code.
TOP 2 AND HE’S NOT 2. OK, I lied. One more section, and then I’ll loop back around to Oregon.
How much of a cheat code is Smith?
Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay said Smith would be the first player off the board if he were eligible for the 2025 NFL draft.
“Jeremiah Smith is the No. 1 pick in April’s draft if he’s eligible. He’s the No. 1 overall pick. He’s the No. 1 overall pick ahead of Travis Hunter, ahead of the quarterbacks. Jeremiah Smith is the No. 1 pick.
I think he’s that gifted,” he said on The McShay Show via The Ringer. “You know how I can tell receivers have gone from one step to the next? It’s when the ball is coming in, catching the ball is the smallest part of the equation
That means there’s a level of confidence, and you’re starting to put everything together. I’m seeing a guy who’s – whether it’s in his route, setting up (cornerbacks), on the run catching the ball, setting up that first step – I’m seeing a guy who’s advancing already in his freshman year.”
That’s absurd. But – and you are welcome to call me way off like Mike Breen here – it’s not that absurd? This season, Smith has accomplished what few freshmen have ever accomplished on a college football field.
In 13 appearances for Ohio State, the school hailed as Wide Receiver U, Smith has paced the Buckeyes with 63 catches for 1,037 yards and 13 total touchdowns.
Terry McLaurin didn’t do that.
Chris Olave didn’t do that.
Garrett Wilson didn’t do that.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t do that.
Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t do that.
… and look at how all of them are thriving at the next level.
I’m in no rush to see Smith move on to the NFL, but if he were able to after this season, there would be owners and general managers clamoring for him.
That makes me glad Ohio State has at least two more years of him on its sideline. Hopefully, he and the Buckeyes will make the most of it.
SMELL THE ROSES. Between the third and fourth quarter on Saturday, Rose Bowl staffers readied their rosa rubiginosas for Ohio State’s win. While those staffers moved the flowers toward the Buckeyes’ locker room, the student section at Ohio Stadium chanted three words:
“We want Oregon!” Those students will have their wish granted on New Year’s Day, when Howard hopes to lead the Buckeyes to a win in their rematch with the Ducks.
“We’ve all been looking forward to this one and for another crack at these guys,” Howard said. “The way the last one ended didn’t sit right with me.
It still doesn’t. It still bugs me. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to get another crack at them. I said before the (Tennessee) game, ‘In life, you don’t get a lot of second chances.’ The fact that we’re getting a second chance here is a blessing from the Lord.”
Ohio State’s defense certainly wants a second chance against Oregon.
In the first meeting between the teams, the Buckeyes allowed the Ducks to collect 496 yards and 32 points. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Jordan James carried the ball 23 times for 115 yards and one score. Wide receiver Evan Stewart had seven catches for 149 yards and one touchdown.
Since that dreadful performance, Ohio State’s defense has dominated. The Buckeyes will enter the Rose Bowl ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense (234.4 yards allowed per game), scoring defense (11.7 points allowed per game) and yards allowed per play (3.8).
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity because it was not a great game for us,” Jim Knowles said Saturday. “Quite frankly, the guys got pissed off, and it led to a run for us. They used that game as motivation.”
If Ohio State’s post-Oregon defense appears in Pasadena with Ohio State’s post-Michigan offense – look out, Ducks.
“We called this game more aggressively, there’s no question about that,” Day said of Ohio State’s offensive game plan against Tennessee. “We did some things that maximized what we have in terms of our strengths and minimized our deficiencies.”
Howard agreed. He wants to see more of the same in the Granddaddy of Them All.
“We’re gonna go out there and have some fun and let it up,” he said. “This is all we got. It’s win or go home.”
CUT TO THE CHASE. Christopher Nolan’s next film is an adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey”… Gary Payton II has made a name for himself with the Golden State Warriors…
This is the most wonderful time of year for some; loneliest for others… Kroger committed to phase out plastic bags by 2025… Is there any escape from Spotify syndrome?
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