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PASADENA, Calif. – The Ohio State football team may have passed its most important test on the way to a potential national championship.
No, not the Buckeyes’ 41-21 victory over top-seeded Oregon on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State’s upcoming game against Texas in the semifinals might fail to challenge the eighth-seeded Buckeyes. Ditto for any potential matchup in the national championship game. The biggest test for Ohio State may have come off the field.
“… the players have stuck together and they’re fighting to stay together,’’ coach Ryan Day said during a postgame news conference.
About 30 minutes earlier, Day beamed as fireworks exploded and confetti fell. The scene served as an astonishing contrast to what transpired in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 30. That day, the Buckeyes lost to the Michigan Wolverines for the fourth year in a row – a 13-10 debacle that ended with Day looking shell-shocked and his players fighting the Wolverines at midfield.
Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) celebrate after defeating Oregon in the 2025 Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium.
So how did we get here? Day was under fire. So were the players, expected to make about $20 million this year in NIL deals and contributions from the school’s collective. Then the Buckeyes responded by beating Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the playoffs and followed that with the convincing victory over No. 1 Oregon.
“I talked to these guys about it a couple of weeks ago,’’ Day said. “That’s life. And this team is resilient. And when you surround yourself with great people, with great character, you find yourself working through difficult times.’’
“Warriors,’’ is how Day referred to his players, and warriors is how they’ve…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-states-rose-bowl-rout-043537283.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-02 04:35:00
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