by Photo via Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
Three weeks after a stunning home loss to Michigan to end the regular season, the eighth-seeded Ohio State football team will be back in action to face ninth-seeded Tennessee. With the new 12-team College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes were not only able to make the field with two losses and no conference championship, but will host the game in Columbus.
Ohio State has only played Tennessee once in its history, falling in the 1996 Orange Bowl. Nowadays, Josh Heupel is the Head Coach of the Volunteers and has found some success through his first four seasons, including winning nine or more games in each of the last three years.
Tennessee is quarterbacked by sophomore Nico Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit. Standing at an impressive 6’6’’, Iamaleava certainly has the tools but has been inconsistent in his first full season as the starter. However, the stats look nice, as he’s thrown for 2,512 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Overall, Iamaleava is talented, but not asked to do a whole lot like other quarterbacks around the country.
Part of that can be attributed to the play of running back Dylan Sampson, who led the SEC in rushing yards (1,485) and touchdowns (22). A powerful back, Sampson has been asked to carry a huge load and he’ll test an Ohio State front that’s had some great moments this year (think back to Penn State). Elsewhere, Dont’e Thornton leads the Volunteers in receiving yards and touchdowns with 647 and six. Bru McCoy, Squirrel White and Chris Brazzell II all have over 300 yards on the season as well.
Defensively, Tennessee is best known for its defensive line. Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has wreaked havoc all season, with 7.5 sacks this year and 19.5 in his career. His combination of twitch and explosive ability makes him a major candidate to be a high-end first round draft pick this year. Also, defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott has had a nice season as well. His work in the run game has also propelled him to a potential early selection.
For Ohio State, a lot of scrutiny will be placed on offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after his lack of creativity in the Michigan loss. He continued to rely heavily on the running back tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to no avail, despite them running behind an offensive line that’s been completely demolished and reshaped by injury.
Like Michigan, Tennessee is good against the run, so quarterback Will Howard will have to be playing his best football so far this season. It’s funny how quickly a narrative can change, because before Michigan, Howard was getting better and better, but now he’s been called a failure. If he can get the ball to his big time pass catchers (Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka), the Buckeyes should be O.K.
For Head Coach Ryan Day, this game is huge. Winning just this one game won’t guarantee anything, but it’ll be a start on the path to redemption. On the other side of the coin, a loss could make the temperature of his seat hotter than it’s ever been.
