Ohio State had four starters in the Super Bowl for the first time ever, but they came up short of winning the game.
Cornerback Eli Apple, safety Vonn Bell, defensive end Sam Hubbard and right tackle Isaiah Prince all started for the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday night’s final game of the NFL season. If you include Joe Burrow, who started his college career at Ohio State but played his final two college football seasons at LSU, the Buckeyes had five starters – all for the Bengals – in Sunday night’s game.
Before this year, Ohio State had never had more than three starters in a Super Bowl; the Buckeyes had three starters in both Super Bowl III (Tom Matte and Bob Vogel for the Colts and Matt Snell for the Jets) and Super Bowl XXXI (Keith Byars, Terry Glenn and William Roberts for the Patriots), but never had four starters in a single Super Bowl until Sunday.
None of the Buckeyes who actually played in this year’s Super Bowl were on the winning side of the game, however, as the Bengals fell to the Los Angeles Rams, 23-20.
The Rams did not have any former Ohio State players on the field in Super Bowl LVI, but one former Buckeye will receive a Super Bowl ring: Jordan Fuller, a team captain for the Rams who started all 16 games he played in during the regular season but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in their final game of the year.
Man God is so good!!!!! SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!!!!!!!
— Jordan Fuller (@j_fuller4) February 14, 2022
In a losing effort, Hubbard had eight total tackles and two tackles for loss and Bell had seven total tackles with one tackle for loss. Apple recorded five tackles and a pass breakup.
On the final play of the quarter, Akers rush no gain tackle by Vonn Bell#Rams 7 #Bengals 3 End of Q1 pic.twitter.com/bilo5relTf
— Ss 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) February 14, 2022
Sam Hubbard (@Sam_Hubbard_) controls his gap with great lateral movement backside. Plays the cut back beautifully & makes the tackle! #WhoDey #SuperBowl #StopTheRun pic.twitter.com/zrWe1so8GK
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) February 14, 2022
On 2nd & 5, Akers rush loses 2-yds TFL Sam Hubbard#Rams 16 #Bengals 20 Q4 pic.twitter.com/WNdnogOZgr
— Ss 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) February 14, 2022
Ultimately, however, Apple gave up the game-winning touchdown when NFL offensive player of the year (and Super Bowl MVP) Cooper Kupp beat him for a game-winning 1-yard touchdown catch with 1:25 remaining. Bell was also called for an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Rams’ game-winning drive.
IT'S BEEN COOPER KUPP ALL YEAR.
— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022
HE DOES IT AGAIN. #RamsHouse
: #SBLVI on NBC
: https://t.co/K02y40b5Nu pic.twitter.com/02QlsZmirX
The Bengals’ offensive line gave up seven sacks in the loss, and Prince was also called for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.
Burrow, who suffered an injury scare on the same play Prince was penalized but did not miss a single offensive play, completed 22 of 33 passing attempts for 263 yards and a touchdown in his first Super Bowl appearance.
| PLAYER | POS | TEAM | SUPER BOWL STATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELI APPLE | CB | BENGALS | 5 tackles, 1 PBU |
| VONN BELL | S | BENGALS | 7 tackles, 1 TFL |
| JORDAN FULLER | S | RAMS | IR (ankle) |
| SAM HUBBARD | DE | BENGALS | 8 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QBH |
| ISAIAH PRINCE | OT | BENGALS | Started at RT |
Going into Sunday’s game, Hubbard said winning was the only thing that mattered to him. After the game, however, he still expressed gratitude for the run the Bengals were able to make to the Super Bowl and the support they received from Bengals fans all year long.
“I think people really enjoyed cheering for us this year,” Hubbard said. “The support that we felt, I felt from them was amazing, and all I want to do is just keep playing hard for them and take that next step.”
Burrow said that while the loss “stings,̦” he still thinks the Bengals have “something to celebrate” after winning the AFC championship in a year where few people expected them to even make the playoffs. And he hopes they can build on that loss by making it back to the Super Bowl and winning in the future.
“We’re a young team, so I’d like to think that we’ll be back in this situation multiple times over the course of the next few years,” Burrow said. “So we take this and let it fuel you for the rest of our careers.
“We really wanted to win it, not just for us but for the fans and the organization obviously, but it is what it is.”
Hubbard agrees that getting to the Super Bowl this year can help the Bengals in their efforts to win the Super Bowl in future years.
“We know what it takes. We can be here. We know how to get to the Super Bowl. Now the next step is to win this game,” Hubbard said. “There’s a lot of stuff that we went through that people never thought or even us thought was achievable, and now we know it’s possible.”
