Ohio State football: 3 biggest surprises from 2019 season

1. Fiesta Bowl officiating

Having won their own championship on a questionable call, the Ohio State fanbase has absolutely zero room to complain about officiating. Don’t you remember the 2002 BCS National Championship? However, the job the officials did in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl will forever be in question by the losing side.

The targeting call. The catch-and-fumble-that-wasn’t. Two plays that drastically changed the momentum in the College Football Playoff semifinal between Clemson and Ohio State. And the Buckeyes, being on the wrong end of each call, had plenty to overcome.

Shaun Wade’s targeting penalty resulted in an ejection, leaving the Ohio State secondary scrambling. Not many teams have a group of skill position players like Clemson either, with Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, and Travis Etienne out of the backfield. And after getting over the shock of losing a teammate, especially one as important as Wade, the Ohio State secondary adjusted — almost scoring a touchdown of their own.

In a game dominated by big plays, one in particular in the 3rd quarter will be the highlight of this game for decades. Did Justyn Ross catch it? If so, Ohio State was robbed of a touchdown. And if Ross dropped the pass…what constitutes a catch? How many steps must a receiver take with possession to complete the process of a catch? It was ruled an incompletion, upon review, and the Tigers maintained possession of the ball and a four-point lead.

Ultimately, though, the Buckeyes lost the game on offense in the redzone where they couldn’t score touchdowns. Give Clemson credit, they shut Ohio State down in the redzone and forced three field goals. They also sealed the game with an interception inside the 20-yard line. That’s just nine points from a potential 28 from the redzone. The Buckeyes’ lack of success in the redzone is why they lost, but the officiating was a major surprise.