The Ohio State football program went on one of the most memorable runs in college football history. They had the hardest path possible to a national championship. Taking down Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame was by far the toughest path any CFP team was going to have to win a title.
Ohio State came into the College Football Playoff with no momentum. In fact, one could argue that they had negative momentum. After losing to TTUN for the fourth straight year, they looked like a dead team walking. Instead, they turned that pain into one of the best runs we’ve seen.
There were a lot of great moments during this run to a national title. When you take down those four iconic teams in a row, there are going to be a lot of fantastic moments. Quite frankly, it was hard to narrow it down to just three from this CFP run, but that’s what I did.
These three moments will be remembered most when people think about this run five or ten years from now. In my opinion, these aren’t just the three most memorable, but they are the three best moments from the postseason run that the Buckeyes made.
The first moment is really more of a collection of moments from one of the games during this run.
3. Ohio State’s dominant first half against Oregon
After destroying Tennessee in the first round at the Shoe, fans were feeling better about the Buckeyes. Still, a lot of them were hesitant. The game against the Vols was at home and it was by far the best the Ohio State Buckeyes had played all year long. Could they repeat that performance against the number-one team in the country?
The answer turned out to be a resounding yes. Ohio State ended up taking it to the Ducks just like they did the Volunteers. In fact, the first half was an absolute clinic. That’s why it was hard to pick a single moment from this game; the entire first half was memorable.
Jeremiah Smith started things off with a touchdown on the first drive. He ended up finishing the game with seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Most of that damage was done in the first half because the Ducks kept playing man-to-man.
TreVeyon Henderson had a big touchdown run for the second consecutive game, escaping on a 66-yard touchdown run that showed Oregon had no answers for Ohio State’s offense. Quite frankly, it was the best first half of football I’ve ever seen the Ohio State football team have in my life.
When it was all said and done, the Buckeyes had a 34-8 halftime lead. They finished with a 41-21 victory after they went into cruise control in the second half. That was the win that really showed the rest of the country that they had a shot to win a national championship.
The second-best moment on this run happened in the final game of the season against Notre Dame.
2. Jeremiah Smith’s 56-yard catch to seal the national championship
The Ohio State football team had another big first half in the National Championship Game. They scored on three straight drives in the first half and eventually found themselves with a 28-7 lead in the game. Then, Notre Dame started to show some fight.
A late fumble by Emeka Egbuka gave the Fighting Irish hope. All of a sudden, the Irish were down just eight while the Buckeyes were trying to seal the game on their final drive. All of a sudden, they faced a 3rd and 11 with 2:38 left in the game. It was do-or-die time.
Ryan Day and Chip Kelly gave the trust in their senior quarterback and their true freshman superstar. Will Howard saw that Smith had one-on-one coverage on the outside with no safety help. He knew exactly what to do after that, delivering a beautiful ball.
Smith got separation and hauled in a 56-yard pass to seal the game. Ohio State would finish the drive off with a field goal just to make sure. That catch by Smith sealed a national championship for the Buckeyes and gave him an all-time moment in Ohio State football history.
The final moment is one of the best moments in Ohio State history, and certainly the best one in the last decade
1. Jack Sawyer’s sack-fumble return for a touchdown against Texas in the Cotton Bowl
This ended up being the toughest game that the Buckeyes would play in this run to a title. Texas had proved to be one of the most talented teams in college football this season. The Longhorns were able to keep Smith under wraps, keeping him to just one catch for three yards.
At the end of the game, Texas was trying to have a game-tying drive with under three minutes left. With the Buckeyes being the best red-zone defense in the country, Texas wasn’t able to score. Instead, the Buckeyes scored on the greatest play of the 2024 season.
Jack Sawyer sacked Quinn Ewers on fourth and 11, picked up the football, and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Buckeyes a 28-14 lead that they would not relinquish. It sent them to the National Championship Game against Notre Dame, which they obviously would win.
Sawyer was wreaking havoc on the Longhorns all game long. This play not only punctuated the Cotton Bowl but his Ohio State football career. It’s a play that will have him remembered in Columbus forever. Beating Notre Dame sealed that fact.
It was a great run for this team. It’s a national championship that will never be forgotten. Ohio State football fans need to cherish it and not look immediately to next season. Let’s enjoy the moment!
