In Ohio State's College Football Playoff win over Tennessee, the Eleven Warriors staff thinks three — well, actually four — Buckeyes stood out above the rest as we named quarterback Will Howard, defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as our Three Stars of the Game.
First Star: Will Howard
Ryan Day said it best on Saturday.
“In life, you’re gonna be defined by the way you handle adversity as a person, as a man, as a dad,” Day said of the message he shared with Ohio State’s players after the game. “To see the way (the team) responded in this game, you could tell from the jump that they had a look in their eye and were gonna win this game. I thought they played that way.”
Howard certainly did.
After his worst performance as a Buckeye in The Game, Howard responded with a lights-out performance against Tennessee as the veteran signal-caller completed 24 of 29 passes (83 percent) for 311 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Both of Howard’s touchdown passes went to Smith, which we will show later in the Third Star section. Howard’s interception came via a Smith target, as well; however, it’s debatable whether, one, Tennessee cornerback Arion Carter committed pass interference and, two, whether Will Brooks had a foot in bounds when he picked off the Ohio State quarterback in the end zone.
TENNESSEE PICKS OFF WILL HOWARD IN THE END ZONE
— ESPN (@espn) December 22, 2024
A much-needed takeaway for the Volunteers pic.twitter.com/mcqebHZnOi
The interception aside, Howard had a stellar performance in his first career College Football Playoff game. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day praised his efforts after the game.
“Will was excellent in this game. He made some big-time throws. When he needed to make plays with his legs, he did,” Day said. “Will was a leader.”
Second Stars: JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer
OK. We cheated a little bit here.
Tuimoloau and Sawyer have been teammates for almost four complete seasons, yet the Tennessee game may be their best performance as a defensive end duo at Ohio State.
Facing a Volunteers squad that entered the weekend with one of college football’s best offenses, Tuimoloau and Sawyer combined for 13 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one forced fumble.
After a complete performance from the former top-10 overall recruits turned All-Big Ten edge rushers, Tuimoloau said he had fun running alongside Sawyer as the 2021 class secured a win in their final game at the Horseshoe.
“We always match each other’s energy. Whenever he makes a play, I want to make a play and vice versa. But seeing him, man, it makes me happy. I’m blessed to play alongside him. I couldn’t be thankful enough to have another edge like him alongside me, as well as anybody else on the (defensive line).
“We took turns. It looked like I got a sack; he got a sack. He got one; I got one. We were feeding off each other. We’re always ready to have games like that. We just got to continue to stay consistent and put another game together.”
Third Star: Jeremiah Smith
The Big Ten Freshman and Receiver of the Year delivered a standout performance in the first College Football Playoff game of his career.
Following a dominant regular season in which he collected a team-leading 57 receptions for 934 yards and 11 total touchdowns, Smith hauled in six passes for 103 yards and two scores in Ohio State’s win over Tennessee.
Smith’s impact was immediate, as the 6-foot-3, 215-pound pass catcher scored a 37-yard touchdown on the Buckeyes’ opening drive. He later added receptions of 18, 6, 10 and 10 yards in the first half before reaching the end zone a second time in the third quarter, this time a 22-yard strike from Howard.
JEREMIAH SMITH OPENS THE SCORING IN COLUMBUS WITH AN UNREAL GRAB
— ESPN (@espn) December 22, 2024
THE FRESHMAN SENSATION CONTINUES TO BALL OUT THIS SEASON pic.twitter.com/uoi6Jp1pxw
JEREMIAH SMITH DOES IT AGAIN
— ESPN (@espn) December 22, 2024
HIS SECOND TOUCHDOWN IN HIS FIRST-EVER CFP GAME
What a dime from Will Howard pic.twitter.com/BjzndKxTut
Smith received two more targets after his second touchdown; however, both resulted in penalties as the Volunteers were called for an illegal substitution and pass interference.
| OPPONENT | FIRST STAR / ★ | SECOND STAR / ★★ | THIRD STAR / ★★★ |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKRON |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 6 catches, 92 yards, 2 TD |
LATHAN RANSOM, S 9 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FR, 1 TD |
JT TUIMOLOAU, DE 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks |
| WESTERN MICHIGAN |
QUINSHON JUDKINS, RB 9 carries, 108 yards, 2 TD |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 5 catches, 119 yards, 1 TD |
JACK SAWYER, DE 3 tackles, 1 sack |
| MARSHALL |
QUINSHON JUDKINS, RB 14 carries, 176 yards, 2 TD |
TREVEYON HENDERSON, RB 6 carries, 76 yards, 2 TD |
EMEKA EGBUKA, WR 5 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD |
| @ MICHIGAN STATE |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 6 touches, 102 yards, 2 TD |
CALEB DOWNS, S 6 tackles, 3 solo, 1 TFL |
EMEKA EGBUKA, WR 7 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD |
| IOWA |
EMEKA EGBUKA, WR 9 catches, 71 yards, 3 TD |
JACK SAWYER, DE 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF |
WILL HOWARD, QB 21-25, 209 yards, 5 total TD, 1 INT |
| NEBRASKA |
JORDAN HANCOCK, DB 5 tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT |
CODY SIMON, LB 8 tackles, 3 TFL |
CARNELL TATE, WR 4 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD |
| @ PENN STATE |
THE OFFENSIVE LINE 176 rushing yards |
DAVISON IGBINOSUN, CB 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU |
CODY SIMON, LB 10 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack |
| PURDUE |
TREVEYON HENDERSON, RB 9 touches, 128 yards, 1 TD |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 6 catches, 87 yards, 1 TD |
JT TUIMOLOAU, DE 4 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 FF |
| @ NORTHWESTERN |
CARNELL TATE, WR 4 catches, 52 yards, 2 TD |
SONNY STYLES, LB 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 PBU |
JACK SAWYER, DE 7 tackles, 3 QBH, 1 FF |
| INDIANA |
CALEB DOWNS, S 5 tackles, 1 punt return TD |
WILL HOWARD, QB 22-26, 201 yards, 3 total TD, 1 INT |
CODY SIMON, LB 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF |
| TENNESSEE |
WILL HOWARD, QB 24-29, 311 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
JT TUIMOLOAU and JACK SAWYER, DE 13 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4 TFL, 3 PBU, 1 FF |
JEREMIAH SMITH, WR 6 catches, 103 yards, 2 TD |
As the season continues, we’re tracking the stars (or points) each Ohio State player receives in 2024. Here's how we do it: Each time a Buckeye earns the first star of the game, that Buckeye adds three points to their season total. Then, the second star and third star add two points and one point to their totals.
| RANK | PLAYER | FIRST STAR / ★ | SECOND STAR / ★★ | THIRD STAR / ★★★ | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JEREMIAH SMITH | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| T2 | QUINSHON JUDKINS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| T2 | WILL HOWARD | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| T2 | JACK SAWYER | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| T5 | CALEB DOWNS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| T5 | EMEKA EGBUKA | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| T5 | TREVEYON HENDERSON | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| T8 | CARNELL TATE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| T8 | CODY SIMON | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| T8 | JT TUIMOLOAU | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| T11 | JORDAN HANCOCK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| T11 | THE OFFENSIVE LINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| T13 | LATHAN RANSOM | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| T13 | DAVISON IGBINOSUN | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| T13 | SONNY STYLES | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
