In a season that saw the Ohio State Buckeyes as the number one team in the country for the majority of it, the season now comes to an end in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal and a 24-14 loss to No. 10 Miami in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes finish the season 0-2 after starting 12-0.
Here is the final report card of the season.
Jeremiah Smith: A+
I don’t need to explain this one. When in doubt, throw it to No. 4 and let him cook. He had seven catches and probably should have had eight to ten more targets. I am
by no means a football genius, but just throw the ball to him every play. It can’t be a bad idea.
Caleb Downs: A
Downs became the first player to force two fumbles in one game in the history of the College Football Playoff. He finished with 8 tackles, 5 solo tackles, and 2 forced fumbles. Downs will leave Ohio State as one of the best safeties and defensive players in school history.
Bo Jackson: A
I actually think that even though they were down and needed to mount a comeback, the Buckeyes went away from the run too early. Jackson finished with 11 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown. He was averaging five yards a carry and was starting to get some solid yards in the second half. Buckeye Nation should be very excited to see him back next year.
Julian Sayin: C
I think there were times Sayin looked like the guy we had seen most of the year, but this was not the game he likely wanted NFL scouts to look at. He was flustered early, missed a couple of open throws, threw a couple of fade routes out of bounds, and struggled to recognize any creativity that Miami had on defense. He had a good year, but he needs to take the next step this offseason to be the elite quarterback that a lot of people think he can be.
Offensive line: D
Not much good here. They got better in the second half when Ian Moore was inserted into the game at left tackle, but the Miami defensive front was causing havoc from the second the game started, and it clearly caused Julian Sayin to see some ghosts early on. The Hurricanes finished with five sacks and seven tackles for loss. That simply is not going to get the job done.
Special Teams: What is lower than F?
Not only did Jayden Fielding miss a field goal in an important spot (again) in what was the most obvious missed field goal in the history of field goals before he kicked it, but an illegal formation penalty on the last punt of the game gave Miami the ball on the 30-yard line instead of the 10-yard line on the game-winning drive. A bad group all season was a bad group in the biggest game of the season.
Shocking.
