Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from classic Rose Bowl win over Utah

Ohio State football came from behind to beat Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl which turned out to be a classic. What did we learn from the Buckeyes’ big win?

Coming into this game, the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes knew that several players would be out in lieu of the NFL Draft. Wide receivers Chris Olave and Garret Wilson, offensive lineman Nicolas Petit-Frere, and defensive lineman Haskell Garrett all opted out.

Ohio State had 15 other players (19 total) unavailable for today’s Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes missing their two All-American wide receivers would be a concern for anyone else not named Ohio State.

Behind Olave and Garrett are five-star Julian Fleming, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Smith-Njigba might be the best player on the team). The concern was on the defensive side of the ball. The Buckeyes surrendered 35 points in the first half; those concerns had merit.

Smith-Njigba was the star of the show setting an FBS bowl record 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. had a coming-out party with three touchdowns of his own.

Quarterback CJ Stroud threw for 572 yards and six touchdowns in his homecoming (Stroud is from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.).

Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes win in a classic Rose Bowl game.