Ohio
What we learned from Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl victory over Texas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — It was unlike the other playoff games Ohio State had played so far this season. We didn’t see the early explosive plays on offense. We saw plenty of penalty flags. And the Buckeyes had their backs against the wall until the final 2:13 of the Cotton Bowl.
Turns out, it was a moment that Ohio State had been preparing for all year long.
“I believe that the resilience that we’ve had to show throughout the entire season and throughout some of these guys’ careers has led us to this opportunity to win this game and go play for a national championship,” head coach Ryan Day said.
Here’s what we learned from the Buckeyes’ 28-14 Cotton Bowl win over Texas.
Cool heads prevail on offense
Ohio State was unable to take charge of the game like it had in the previous two playoff contests. Instead, the Buckeyes were forced into a four quarter battle — plagued by nine penalties — with the Longhorns. OSU quarterback Will Howard was forced to grind it out against a defense who had largely shut down star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
“We knew they were going to be keying him. Obviously, the first two rounds of the playoffs, (Smith) went off so we knew they were going to try and do something to take him away,” Howard said. “That means that we got to be smart and get the ball to other guys.”
That’s exactly what Howard did. TreVeyon Henderson, who earlier drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, delivered a momentum-changing play at the end of the first half with a 75-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead going into the locker room.
“I don’t think anyone thought that that was going for 75 yards,” Howard said. “That was a huge play for us. A huge swing.”
Then in the fourth, the Buckeyes needed a 13-play, 88-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes to secure the lead. The march down the field included a crucial fourth down conversion where Howard made an 18-yard gain on his own and finished with Quinshon Judkins scoring his second touchdown of the night.
“I fell on purpose. I’m joking. I didn’t fall on purpose,” Howard said. “It was a great play and a statement drive. We needed that. We had been beating ourselves all day with penalties and just getting behind the sticks. […] And obviously what the defense did on that next drive sealed it.”
Pickerington’s Jack Sawyer propels Buckeyes to victory
The Longhorns were one yard away from tying the game late in the fourth quarter. But the red zone defense who had made headlines earlier in the season prevailed when it mattered the most. Lathan Ransom pushed Texas back to the eight yard line on second down. Then on third down, Jack Sawyer forced an incomplete pass. Moments later, the Pickerington native delivered a play that will go down as legendary.
“What happened on fourth down by Jack just symbolizes not only his career but our team in general and who they are,” Day said. “The toughness and the clutch play right there was something that I’m sure the whole city of Columbus exploded with all of Buckeye nation during that play.”
Sawyer forced Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers to cough up the football. The senior defensive end ends up with the scoop and score, returning it 83 yards the other way to give Ohio State a commanding 28-14 lead and punching the Buckeyes’ ticket to the national championship game. The play is the longest defensive return score in CFP history.
So what was Sawyer thinking during that run to glory?
“Just don’t fall like Will did,” Sawyer said. “I’m kidding but seriously I hit about the 30 and I looked back and said I hope I got some blockers. I’m running out of steam here. They were running with me side by side and that just speaks volumes to who this team is.”
No hard feelings from former roommate Quinn Ewers
On the other end of that play was Ewers, who up to that point had thrown for two touchdowns and had not turned the ball over. The Texas quarterback is a former Buckeye who shared a room with Sawyer during his lone season in Columbus.
“I saw Jack running with the ball down the sideline. It sucks man,” Ewers said. “He’s a great player. Great individual. Great person. Jack’s a great player and he made a great play.”
Ewers ended up completing 23 of 39 passes for 283 yards and two scores. His late interception to Caleb Downs ended any faint hope the Longhorns had in getting back in the game and instead sparked conversations on Ewers’ future with Texas.
“I just said great season. He’s a great guy,” Sawyer said. “He’s had a lot of success and he’s a great person you know. I just told him to keep your head up. You played a great game and you got a great future ahead of you.”
Buckeyes back in the title game
As Ohio State enjoys its third ever Cotton Bowl victory, attention now turns toward Notre Dame, who stands in the way of the program’s ninth national championship. The Buckeyes will have ten days to prepare for the Jan. 20 contest in Atlanta, the final hurdle to the team’s ultimate goal.
“We talked about how we want to keep this team together. It’s a great team,” Day said. “They do everything the right way and so now they get ten more days together.”
Atlanta is the final stop on the Buckeyes’ redemption tour. It’s where Ohio State suffered that heartbreaking Peach Bowl loss in the 2022 CFP semifinals at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. And it’s the final piece of the puzzle to putting all of OSU’s past demons behind them.
“It’s an opportunity to tell their story if they go win one more,” Day said. “That’s really exciting.”
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.
Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.
Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.
Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.
Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.
Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Up next
Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.
Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.
___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.
The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.
The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:
- Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
- Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
- Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
- Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.
The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.
In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.
The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.
Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.
An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot
Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.
“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale
Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.
Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.
The defense takes over
All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.
“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.
Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.
“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale
The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.
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