Last weekend, I finally deleted from my DVR Ohio State's crushing 29-23 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
I watched it at least five or six times for reasons I've yet to determine. I'm not a total masochist however in that I've also rewatched wins over Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and even Rutgers more than a few times, as well.
But hey, it's June 25, 2020 so it feels like it might almost be time to turn the page on one of the most well-rounded Ohio State football teams in memory.
Before I do that, there are four freakish statistical anomalies from last year's ride that I want to make sure you're aware of, or at least, don't forget.
OHIO STATE SCORED 10 RED ZONE TOUCHDOWNS IN A SINGLE GAME
Lol. Those 10 red zone touchdowns even came against a conference opponent as the Buckeyes rolled Maryland, 73-14, improving to 9-0 on the season.
The Buckeyes tallied 11 total red zone scores in 12 trips with those 10 touchdowns, one field goal and a fumble.
The success against Maryland isn't entirely shocking as Ohio State ranked No. 4 nationally, scoring touchdowns on 78.7 percent of its red zone possessions while Maryland's defense ranked No. 74 in yielding touchdowns on 62 percent of its defended red zone opportunities.
It's easy to take Ohio State's offensive greatness for granted last year as they often made things look so simple but scoring 46.9 points per game and scoring 59 red zone touchdowns in 14 games aren't easy things to do.
Just ask Akron. The Zips scored 10 red zone touchdowns all year.
JUSTIN FIELDS TOSSED THREE INTERCEPTIONS IN 354 ATTEMPTS
In his first year as a starting quarterback at the collegiate level, Justin Fields turned in a bunch of impressive stats including throwing for 41 touchdowns and completing 67.2 percent of his passes while being responsible for 51 total scores.
Even as those stellar stats earned him a trip to New York City as a Heisman finalist, what he didn't do in 2019 set him apart as much as what he did do.
In 354 attempts, Fields threw just three interceptions. That serves as the fewest by an Ohio State starting quarterback with at least 50 attempts in a season dating back to at least 1944, and probably ever, but the media guide only goes back so far.
Of course the most painful reality of those three picks is that the last one should've been a touchdown that sent Ohio State past Clemson and into the national title game versus LSU.
CHASE YOUNG RECORDED SEVEN SACKS IN A TWO-GAME SPAN
The most notable fact from Chase Young's ridiculous 2019 campaign is he racked up 16.5 sacks to become the school's all-time record holder for sacks in a single-season.
What sticks out to me even more is his tally of seven total sacks spanning back-to-back games played.
Young had one of the most dominant individual performances you've ever seen in week eight against Wisconsin, posting a school-record-tying four sacks (along with five tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles).
He then served a two-game hiatus before coming back and destroying Penn State with three sacks in week 11, to give him those seven total sacks across back-to-back games played.
Did you know that if Young only played those two games he still would've led Ohio State in season sacks, edging Davon Hamilton's six (in 14 games) and Baron Browning's five (in 12 games)?
His four sacks against Wisconsin also amounted to 20% of the season total allowed by the Badgers offensive line.
OHIO STATE'S OFFENSE CONVERTED 55.2% OF ITS THIRD DOWN CHANCES
It's not a shock Ohio State was really good at converting third downs based on recent history, the overall balance and offensive firepower but the 55.2 percent conversion rate led the country in 2019.
Even more impressive, when you consider many games were blowouts and the starters often only played the first half, is Ohio State's 59.2 percent conversion rate in the opening half of games.
In fact, of Ohio State's 101 third down conversions over the course of the season, 61 of those came during the first half of games.
The total of 61 third down conversions in the opening half of games is more than 22 FBS teams recorded during their entire seasons. A sampling of those programs includes South Carolina, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Maryland and the Miami Hurricanes.
