NEW ORLEANS — Tyvis Powell sat in front of his locker, grinning ear to ear, sporting a black straight-brim hat which read “Sugar Bowl Champions.”
It was just minutes after Ohio State had defeated Alabama, 42-35, in a national semifinal game to send the fourth-ranked Buckeyes to Dallas for a date with Oregon. Powell, who is one of Ohio State’s most charismatic players, couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
“I had that much faith in us that we was gonna win the Sugar Bowl that I left the Big Ten championship hat at the crib so I’m gonna rock this one until we get to Dallas and hopefully pull that one off,” he said. “I’m not taking his hat off until we can get another one.”
Not many people gave Powell and the rest of his teammates much of a shot to have a chance to wear those hats, though.
The No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide were nine-point favorites, playing only a short distance away from their campus in Tuscaloosa. They were picked by an overwhelming majority of both local and national media outlets.
And with 8 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in the first half, it looked like all of those people would be proven right when Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon scored on a two-yard touchdown run to put the Crimson Tide ahead, 21-6.
The Buckeyes could have folded.
“The mind is a fragile thing,” Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said. “You know, all of a sudden you get down against a team like that, that's No. 1 in recruiting every year for the past six, seven years, our guys know that.”
But what happened next was a 28-point run for Ohio State as it surged ahead for a 13-point lead. Touchdowns by Ezekiel Elliott and Michael Thomas got the Buckeyes within one at halftime. Then, Devin Smith caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Cardale Jones and defensive end Steve Miller shortly followed with a 41-yard interception return for a score.
The Alabama fans inside the Mercedes Benz Superdome who were noticeably loud the entire game were suddenly stunned to silence.
“It’s one of those games that you’ll turn on 10 years from now and it’ll be a classic,” Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry said. “I’m really excited to be part of a thing like that and making history right now.”
The Buckeyes have instilled an "E+R=O" mindset into their team. Event plus Response equals Outcome.
And Ohio State got down early, but responded in a big way and now it is heading to Dallas to take on the second-ranked Ducks.
“This is not my story; this is about our team,” Jones said. “I haven’t just come through a lot, my teammates have. It’s just been an emotional season for us all.”
It's certainly been a rollercoaster-type year for the Buckeyes. But now after taking down No. 1 Alabama, Powell has one more opportunity to get himself a new hat.
