andrew grimm
redemption. That will be the story of the 2024-25 Ohio State Buckeyes.
This is a story full of that.
Roughly 51 days before Ryan Day got drunk on Gatorade and hoisted the national championship trophy, more people thought he would be looking for a job than thought the above scenario was possible. .
There was some fair criticism of the coach, but the main focus was on the four losses to teams from states just above the northern border, and how that happened.
There were things said about him that would reach even the most hard-headed among us. His team was considered dead by some in the fanbase, and people were busy packing their bags for him.
That’s not to mention the hardships he went through in life before becoming a coach.
The story that emerged from the playoff-opening win over Tennessee focused less on the team’s response to the events of Nov. 30 and more on Day and the divisions in his fan base.
He just kept the team ready to win one more game. On Monday night, he was celebrating and talking about something. “Born at third base” and “We can’t win in important games.” It was completely destroyed.
What about Will Howard? He came to Ohio State after a setback at Kansas State, made an inexplicable gaffe late in the loss at Oregon State, and threw two interceptions on Nov. 30.
He put together four spectacular performances in the playoffs, including the decisive bomb that clinched the title.
He had a phenomenal performance in the Rose Bowl, avenging his loss to Oregon and defeating Kansas State’s Texas in the semifinals.
Now, instead of being talked about as the reason a very talented team is underperforming, he’s being talked about as a potential NFL player.
What about Jaden Fielding? He missed two field goals in a 13-10 loss on Nov. 30 and had to overcome competition in practice just to keep his job before the Tennessee game.
In the final moments of the national championship game, on the sport’s biggest stage, he was held up by his teammates after making his second field goal of the night to end the game.
Jack Sawyer? The Ohio State product is in the midst of a flag-planting ordeal, having endured a playoff elimination and four losses to its biggest rivals, and is in the midst of a great deal that looks like he’s leaving Columbus with no hard feelings. He became a hot topic as a player.
After making one of the best plays in team history before the round, he stood on the national championship stage with the trophy and the equally maligned coach who made him one of the first recruits. .
What about the whole defense/coordinator Jim Knowles thing? It was a big reason the team was happy and got through that disappointing day in November because it separated a team with a talented offense.
The list could go on.
I don’t know that anyone other than Day and his players and coaches, even the most ardent of fans — certainly not me — had any idea that Monday, the night of Nov. 30, would turn out that way. . But it happened. A great story and a great start to the expansion playoffs.
It’s far from perfect and the seeding format could definitely use some changes, but there are other ways to showcase the traits that make the sport so great, most of all Redemption. Opportunities were presented that otherwise would not have existed.
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