What started as a promising season for Tennessee ended in a crushing 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
The Vols seemed poised for a competitive showing in Columbus, with a large contingent of orange-clad fans taking over Ohio Stadium. Unfortunately, the on-field performance didn’t match the energy from the stands.
The game was all but decided in the first quarter, as Ohio State exploded for a 21-0 lead. The Buckeyes struck early with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith and followed up with scores from Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Tennessee’s defense struggled to contain Ohio State’s offense, which racked up 205 yards in the opening frame alone.
Tennessee showed a glimmer of hope before halftime, cutting the deficit to 21-10 thanks to a 36-yard field goal from Max Gilbert and a two-yard touchdown run by Nico Iamaleava. However, that momentum didn’t last long. The Buckeyes came out strong after the break, with Howard connecting with Smith again and Judkins adding another short touchdown run to extend Ohio State’s lead to 35-10 by the end of the third quarter.
The Vols’ offense never found its rhythm. Iamaleava, who showed flashes of brilliance during the season, struggled to get anything going through the air, finishing with just 104 passing yards on 14 completions. Tennessee’s run game wasn’t much better, particularly after Dylan Sampson left early with a hamstring injury. Peyton Lewis led the ground attack with 77 yards, but most of those came after the game was already out of reach.
Ohio State, on the other hand, played a nearly flawless game. Howard passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns, while Henderson and Judkins combined for four rushing scores. Jeremiah Smith was the standout receiver, hauling in six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
After hours of hearing from SEC fans on social media — including Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin — many other fans were ready to give them a taste of their own medicine.
So to be clear, we should restructure the entire postseason so we can let *worse* SEC teams than this in?
— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) December 22, 2024
So this is the Tennessee team that beat the Alabama team that everyone is crying didn’t get in? pic.twitter.com/uQYba6KUYp
— Ghost of Whip (@GhostofWhip) December 22, 2024
This Tennessee team beat Alabama? No wonder they put SMU in.
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) December 22, 2024
Sec fans seeing Tennessee get blown out knowing they are no longer undefeated in hypothetical matchups pic.twitter.com/sF15FGKPN6
— John (@iam_johnw) December 22, 2024
The narrative will always be there no matter what, but perhaps, it would just be best if we stopped with the hypotheticals altogether.