Skull Session: Ohio State Was “Clicking on All Cylinders” Against Tennessee, Donovan Jackson Calls Vols Fan’s Neyland North Troll ”Lame” and Jack Sawyer Would “Go to War” for Ryan Day

By Chase Brown on December 23, 2024 at 5:00 am
Jack Sawyer
Joseph Maiorana – Imagn Images
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Ohio State is Rose Bowl-bound!

Have a good Monday.

 THAT LOOK IN THEIR EYE. Ohio State football. It just means more.

Following three weeks of hell, Ohio State experienced elation in a 42-17 win over Tennessee that saw complete performances from the Buckeyes’ coaches and players, though Ryan Day credited all of the team’s success to the latter in his postgame press conference.

“I’m proud of the way they responded,” Day said. “You could tell from the jump they had a look in their eye and that they were gonna win this game.”

I’ll correct myself from earlier and Day from his comment. Ohio State didn’t just win – the Buckeyes demolished, destroyed and dismantled the Volunteers for their largest win over an SEC opponent (25 points) since a 20-point win over Vanderbilt in 1933! Before those blowouts, Tennessee hadn’t received a whoopin’ that bad since Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman showed up at Shiloh.

Ohio State rushed out to a 21-0 lead with touchdowns from Jeremiah Smith, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. The Buckeyes looked poised to extend their lead to 28-0; however, the officials had to make sure the Volunteers showed some life in the contest. 

First, the referees missed a blatant pass interference call on Tennessee cornerback Arion Carter, who blanketed himself on Smith and forced an interception as the freshman receiver attempted to haul in his second score. Then, on the ensuing drive for the Vols, the referees said Kenyatta Jackson Jr. roughed Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, which negated a Davison Igbinosun interception. (Bonus note: Igbinosun did not commit a pass interference on Saturday, which is an extremely positive development for Ohio State’s pass defense.)

Even though The Zebra Show aired in the second quarter and allowed Tennessee to cut Ohio State’s lead to 21-10, the Buckeyes responded with a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Volunteers 14-0 in the frame. Both their touchdowns came from second-timers, as Smith reached the end zone with a 22-yard reception and Judkins punched a run in from 1-yard out.

Will Howard said Ohio State’s performance out of halftime set the tone for the remainder of the game.

“We did a hell of a job not letting off the gas,” he said.

Howard was the one who applied the most pressure. In his best performance as Ohio State’s quarterback, Howard put a cinder block on the pedal as he completed 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 37 yards.

“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.”

Chip Kelly concurred. He said Howard was so dialed in that the quarterback told his teammates the play calls before he finished sending them in.

“The credit goes to the players,” Kelly said. “They were clicking on all cylinders.”

Ohio State’s performance sets it up for a rematch with Oregon in the Rose Bowl. I’ll talk about that matchup in more detail later this week (and next week) – I have seven more Skull Sessions to write before New Year’s Day, after all – but for now, I will share this message from Howard, who said his slide at the end of the Buckeyes’ first matchup with the Ducks still haunts him.

“I’m excited, man,” Howard said. “It’s gonna be a heck of an opportunity for all of us. I think we’ve all been looking forward to this one and for another crack at these guys. The way that last one ended didn’t sit right with me. It still doesn’t. It still bugs me. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to get another crack at them.

“I said before the (Tennessee) game, ‘In life, you don’t get a lot of second chances.’ The fact that we’re getting a second chance here is a blessing from the Lord. We’re gonna go out there and have some fun and let it rip because this is all we got. It’s win or go home.”

 IT WAS HER LAST TIME, TOO. Ohio State marching band. It just means more.

An Ohio State baritone player went viral on social media Saturday after ESPN cameras captured her crying while she performed the marching band’s Ramp Entrance and Script Ohio. While some of the responses to this post were positive, some were negative, which I found disheartening. 

Like the football team’s seniors who played their final game at Ohio Stadium this past weekend, there were also marching band seniors who performed their final Ramp Entrance and Script Ohio, their final Hang On Sloopy and their final Carmen Ohio. That’s an emotional experience that deserves praise, not mockery. I trust that no Eleven Warriors reader would participate in the latter, but there are some people – probably Tennessee people – who did, and that's shameful. 

That woman deserves her flowers!

Wait, she received some on Saturday because Ohio State trounced Tennessee and sent those shameful fans home packing.

All is good. All is well.

 NEYLAND NORTH! Oh, man. Tennessee fans called Ohio Stadium “Neyland North.” They called the 102-year-old fortress off the banks of the Olentangy “Neyland North” and thought they would get away with it. That’s comical.

Donovan Jackson had a fantastic quote about Neyland North. And by the way, like the tuba player I mentioned in the last section, Jackson deserves his flowers for another lockdown performance as Ohio State’s left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson had an 83.2 grade and allowed zero pressures on 34 pass-blocking snaps. That clinical performance came against future NFL defensive end James Pearce Jr. and some other talented edge rushers.

But I digress. Here’s what Jackson said about Tennessee fans’ presence at Ohio Stadium: “It made us feel some type of way coming out to warmups, and we were getting booed. We were like, ‘Wait a second.’ What did they call it? Neyland North or something like that? Yeah, that was lame.”

Look, I’ll give credit where credit is due. Tennessee fans traveled well. They took over College GameDay. They were in their seats early for the game. They were loud during warmups. But once Ohio State took belt to you know what in the opening 15 minutes, those fans went out sad – some of them as soon as the first quarter ended.

In addition to that hilarious news segment, here are some of my favorite social media posts from Tennessee (and non-Tennessee fans) regarding the Volunteers’ performance on Saturday:

 “I LOVE COACH DAY TO DEATH.” I’ve been thinking about this since Saturday regarding Ohio State’s national championship run. Well, really, I’ve been thinking about it since Nick Saban’s comments on Friday, but that’s neither here nor there. 

Whether Ohio State fans are for or against Ryan Day doesn’t matter; what matters is whether the players, the coaches and the staff are for him.

After hearing some of the players’ comments on Saturday, it’s clear Day has complete support from the locker room, including two of the team’s foremost leaders.

“I love that coach to death. That’s my coach. Most importantly, that’s my family right now,” JT Tuimoloau said. “When stuff (like the Michigan loss) happens, we lean on each other. We let Coach Day know and allow him to understand, ‘Hey, the players got your back. We’re right behind you every step of the way. I’m right here.’ You know, we wouldn’t want anything different. That’s our coach. He’s the best coach in the nation. I’m proud to have him on my team.”

Jack Sawyer echoed his running mate’s sentiments.

“Coach Day is awesome. We all love him,” Sawyer said. “He’s the best coach in college football by far, I think. I’d go to war with him any day.”

Later, Sawyer added, “I can’t express how much he means to all of us. Behind closed doors, stuff you don’t see, the stuff that you don’t see that he has to go through. I’ve said it a million times. I’d commit to him 100 times over if I could. This is a huge win for him.”

If the players believe, I believe.

Let's keep this thing rolling!

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Carmen Ohio” - The Best Damn Band in the Land.

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