Well, well, well. Look what happens when Ohio State does what it does best – gets the ball to its pass catchers.

Saturday’s 42-17 win against Tennessee in a first-round playoff game in an energized Horseshoe – thanks to a home crowd that drowned out the exceptionally large turnout of Vols fans – was in reverse of what happened against Michigan last month. Instead of running it up the gut over and over and over, Ohio State coach Ryan Day and play caller Chip Kelly went with what works.

The No. 8-seeded Buckeyes went in with a pass-first game plan, and guess what? It worked.

Duh.

Now it’s on to the Rose Bowl for a rematch against No. 1 seed Oregon. If Ohio State plays like it did Saturday, the Ducks, who defeated OSU 32-31 Oct. 12, will be in for a fight.

Where was this Ohio State offense against Michigan (or anyone else)?

Here’s a novel idea: Get the ball to your playmakers and get out of the way. Who woulda thought it?

Repeat after me, “Wide receivers are the strength of OSU’s offense.”

But for some reason, the offensive play calling against Michigan went against that strength. The neighbor’s dog could have, and probably did, scream at the TV, “Stop running the ball up the middle.” But the Buckeyes kept trying to pound the rock, and UM made them pay. 

And let’s be honest, it wasn’t just Michigan. Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly hesitated to go all-in on the “pass to set up the run” philosophy all season, and an offense that was supposed to be out of this world did not leave orbit as often as it should have. 

Then lift-off happened Saturday against Tennessee, when Day and Kelly finally went airborne. Result: a 21-0 lead after one quarter that gave OSU enough cushion that ultimately became a comfy sofa.

The Buckeyes showed their hand out of the gate, throwing on four of their first five plays and scoring on their opening series for the first time since the Oregon game.

No team can abandon the run completely, but when your offensive line is a patchwork product, it behooves you to play to your strengths. And Day finally did.

It took being shamed and embarrassed by Michigan to become the Ohio State offense everyone thought it would be.

Ohio State defense is the real deal

OK, enough about the offensive face lift.

The defense never needed plastic surgery in the first place. Talk all you want about Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and the sexier side of the ball, but for my money the defense deserves MVP for the season. It again was stellar against the Vols, recording four sacks and generally making life miserable for a UT offense that came in ranked eighth nationally in scoring offense (37.3-point average) and ninth in rushing offense (232 yards). The Buckeyes limited the Vols to 17 points and 152 yards on the ground.

Memo to Ohio State QB Will Howard: Don’t throw interceptions

I know, I know, easier said than done. But still it should not be that hard to avoid when you have wide receivers like OSU does. All Howard has to do is let Egbuka and Smith make plays. And preferably relatively easy plays. Howard did that on two perfect passes to Smith; a 37-yard strike in the first quarter and a 22-yarder in the third quarter that made it 28-10.

But he forced a pass to Smith in the first half that Tennessee defensive back Will Brooks picked off at the back of the end zone, ruining a scoring chance that could have made it 28-0, or 24-0 with a field goal. The risky pass simply was unnecessary, given the score.

The momentum shift led to Tennessee pulling to within 21-10 at halftime, with the Vols getting the ball to begin the second half. But Howard redeemed himself with the beautifully-thrown ball to Smith early in the third quarter. 

Howard otherwise played a heck of a game, finishing 24 of 29 for 311 yards and two touchdowns. This was the QB who can take OSU all the way. That said, maybe it’s nitpicking to point out a potential game-changing interception, but when OSU’s receivers are this good, there is no reason to make easy plays more difficult.   

Knoxville North as Tennessee fans invaded Ohio Stadium

Whether due to Ohio State season ticket holders reselling their seats to Tennessee fans or Vols Nation gaining access to a promo code that allowed UT fans to buy up more than their 3,500-seat allotment, there was a lot of orange in the Horseshoe. Estimates had the crowd breakdown as 65% OSU fans, 35% UT fans, but regardless of the exact numbers it almost certainly was the largest attendance for a visiting fan base in stadium history.

Many Ohio State fans watching at home were not happy with the large Tennessee turnout, but there was a bright side to Ticketgate. The smaller OSU crowd was louder than when the Shoe is clothed in 90% scarlet and gray. 

What gives? My guess is those Ohio State fans who sold their tickets on the secondary market are the same ones who sit on their hands during games. Replacing them with loud and proud Buckeyes fans made a big difference. 

My suggestion for OSU athletic director Ross Bjork is to configure future fan seating so that those who actually care about making noise get some type of preferential treatment. Challenging, I know, given that big-money donors want the prime real estate between the 50s. But if you really want to change the atmosphere, then do what it takes to change it.

Along those lines, the playoff opener felt more like a college football game than a minor-league baseball game, thanks in part to the College Football Playoff people taking over game-ops from Ohio State. There were fewer in-game announcements on the video boards and fewer on-field presentations. Refreshing.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

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The Detroit chapter of the NAACP released a statement calling the Michigan House of Representatives to be reconvened before the end of this year’s legislative session on Dec. 31. On Thursday after a tumultuous week of walkouts and absences, House Democrats adjourned with no plans for further voting.

House Republicans and state Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, failed to attend sessions this week, walking out in protest.

The Republicans walked out together, hoping House Democrats would put up for a vote bills meant to preserve the tipped minimum wage in Michigan for servers and bartenders. Whitsett skipped Wednesday and Thursday for different reasons, telling reporters earlier this week that she left because she felt legislation on the table had been rushed.

Michigan Senate continued voting: After House adjourns, Senate passes bills in marathon session as lame duck nears end

Reverend Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit NAACP, chastised those who missed the legislative sessions and demanded the House reconvene.

“Staying at home when you should be at work, hanging out in the halls or in a secure office when you should be doing the work for the people is shameful politics,” his statement reads.

Lame duck meltdown: As lame duck languishes, speaker demands attendance then abruptly adjourns

In their plea for the legislature to return to Lansing, the NAACP floated the use of Joint Rule 15, a facet of the Joint Rules of the Michigan Senate and House that grants the Senate majority leader and the House speaker power, acting together, to convene either chamber of the legislature at any time in case of an emergency.

“In a final plea before the year ends, we respectfully call upon Speaker of the House Joe Tate and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks to exercise their power and call the House back to session per Joint Rule 15,” the statement says.

“Power means nothing if you don’t exercise it,” Anthony said in the statement. “Leaving bills stacked on the table when they should be voted on, passed, and signed into law is your job undone.”

Breaking news reporter Liam Rappleye can be reached at LRappleye@freepress.com

JACKSON COUNTY, MI – Cafe Fuel is now welcoming customers to enjoy coffee and company in downtown Jackson.

In October, Fortress Cafe closed its location inside Lean Rocket Lab, leading the nonprofit to open a coffee shop of its own called Cafe Fuel. The new business opened its doors Monday, Dec. 9.

Fortress Cafe is closing downtown store, but new coffee shop will take its place

“Everybody’s super excited to be back and loving all the new options they can pick from,” Director of Member Services Sierra Sibson said.

People can find a variety of sandwiches, bagels, soups, salads, English muffins and coffee drinks. Popular are the steamed bagel sandwiches, which are usually made with bacon and eggs, or turkey and cheese, Cafe General Manager Faith Seneff said.

“It’s kind of a new thing that people haven’t heard a lot about, but you make your sandwich, put it in a steamer that we have, and it softens it,” Seneff said. “It kind of melts all the flavors together.”

Soups are hits with patrons so far, Seneff said. Options rotate between chicken noodle, broccoli cheddar, loaded baked potato and a tomato basil bisque.

Baked goods come from Jackson’s Doughnation Bakery and The ABC Bakery in Summit Township. Additionally, there is a space where the nonprofit can showcase those participating in the LOCAL Fellows Program, Sibson said.

Fortress Cafe is closing downtown store, but new coffee shop will take its place

“We’re just trying to utilize local businesses and bring more people in the space,” Seneff said.

Cafe Fuel still brews coffee from Fortress Cafe, which operates a farm and other locations, and Cafe Fuel makes a variety of lattes, cappuccinos, cold brew and hot chocolate.

Coffee fans can join a mug club for $29.99 a month. They will receive a Cafe Fuel mug and can fill it with free drip coffee or get $1 off specialty beverages, Sibson said.

Aside from the food, Lean Rocket Lab reconfigured the seating of the cafe to offer more comfortable options, including, high-top chairs, tables and couches. So far, both Sibson and Seneff have enjoyed seeing the seats full.

“We had a lot of people that are regulars that come in here and they like to work up here, have meetings with each other,” Sibson said. “I think they’re excited to be back.”

Cafe Fuel, 133 W. Michigan Ave., is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

More information can be found on its Facebook page and website.

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