Welcome to the Skull Session.
If you haven't already, I recommend you read or view this piece when you have time today. It's gold, Jerry! Gold!
From "83 yards through the heart of Texas" to a video with Pirates of the Caribbean music, the social media world covered all aspects of Jack Sawyer's scoop-and-score. https://t.co/jZbIhm5oUa
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 13, 2025
Have a good Tuesday.
TOUCHDOWN TREVEYON. It’s been over 72 hours since the Cotton Bowl. I still want to know what Texas defensive tackle Alex January said to TreVeyon Henderson that made the Ohio State running back retaliate with a left-handed punch. No matter what it was, Henderson – an often calm, cool, collected person on and off the field – shouldn’t have stooped to violence, something he acknowledged after the game.
“After making a mistake on the field with the penalty, (I was) just spending some time with the Lord on the sideline, asking for his forgiveness and helping me to repent and to turn away because that’s not the person I want to be,” Henderson told Nicole Shearin of 10TV. “His hand is always there. Man, he picked me up in that moment.”
Restored with clear eyes and a full heart, Henderson delivered the second-best moment of the game for the Buckeyes, following after Jack Sawyer’s strip-sack scoop-and-score. The moment? You know it: The 75-yard touchdown reception via a screen at the end of the first half. However, you may not know what went into the gutsy play call with less than 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
I think TreVeyon Henderson hit one of the Mario Kart dash panels around the 50-yard line. His acceleration was insane. pic.twitter.com/mGHupcVFNu
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) January 11, 2025
“The screen, we were laughing about it in the locker room, having some fun with it, because we do screen drill (in practice). Sometimes, these guys are like, ‘Are we ever going to call a screen?’ I actually said to the coaches, ‘We’re going to stop doing screen drill because we don’t call any dang screens,” Ryan Day said after the game. “Sure enough, it’s ‘What do you want to run?’ You want to run the ball? You want to take a knee?’ I said, ‘Just run the screen.’
And that screen went the distance.
No one could believe it.
Not even Ohio State.
“I don’t think anyone thought that was going for 75 yards. That’s kind of a drive starter in that two-minute scenario, and you run it that first play. We did it in the Tennessee game where we come out and run the ball, and you get a positive gain, then maybe we can continue to work our two-minute drill,” Will Howard said. “But when you have a guy like 32 that can make plays like that – I mean, Carson Hinzman made some unbelievable blocks down the field, the receivers stayed on their guys – but 32 took off. That was a huge play for us, a huge swing. We talk about winning the middle eight all the time, and that was big.”
Great googly moogly TreVeyon Henderson. pic.twitter.com/KMvTeHLnXp
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) January 11, 2025
A guy like 32?
That’s a three-down back, Day said.
“TreVeyon is going to be a tremendous pro because not only does he do a good job running the ball, but he protects the ball at a high level, and he’s a threat with the ball in his hands as a receiver,” the head coach explained. “That becomes a huge threat, especially when they’re looking to take away some of our receivers, in particular Jeremiah (Smith), so hat’s off to him.”
Yes, hats off to him, the running back who has been electric each time he has touched the ball in the College Football Playoff:
- Tennessee: 10 carries, 80 yards, two touchdowns; four catches, 54 yards
- Oregon: 8 carries, 94 yards, two touchdowns; three catches, 20 yards
- Texas: 6 carries, 42 yards; one catch, 75 yards, one touchdown
Is 11.4 yards per touch good?
TALK ABOUT UNDERRATED. There were at least four Buckeyes who had underrated performances in Ohio State's win over Texas. I want to talk about them. Let me break it down for you...
Donovan Jackson
I’ll admit it – Jackson and the next “underrated performer,” Carnell Tate (spoiler: he’s next), had Cotton Bowl contributions held in proper esteem. Still, I want to acknowledge them one more time because their efforts took a backseat to Sawyer’s scoop-and-score and Henderson’s momentum-stealing touchdown.
That said, Jackson was spectacular in the College Football Playoff semifinal. According to Pro Football Focus, the senior offensive lineman allowed zero pressures and recorded an 86.2 pass-blocking grade against Texas, who entered the game ranked No. 4 in the FBS with 44 sacks on the season.
Ohio State LT Donovan Jackson vs Texas:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 11, 2025
38 Pass Block Snaps
Zero Pressures Allowed
86.2 Pass Block Grade@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/97jEyBpFau
Carnell Tate
Before the Rose Bowl, Emeka Egbuka called Tate a No. 1 receiver for Ohio State.
“We don’t have a No. 3 receiver. I think we have three No. 1 receivers out there,” Egbuka said when asked about the sophomore pass-catcher. “Whatever the defense, if (the opponent) wants to put their attention on one guy or a couple of us, they’re not really doing themselves any favors because we would have a favorable matchup on the other side of the ball.
“We know we’re alpha dogs out there. Every single one of us knows we have the capabilities to be a No. 1 receiver. We are No. 1 receivers.”
Two weeks later, Tate filled the No. 1 role against Texas, collecting a team-high seven catches for 87 yards. He also could have had one more catch, nine more yards and one score had he hauled in a touchdown pass from Howard on Ohio State’s opening drive. Instead, the ball went straight through his hands and fell to the turf.
Nevertheless, Tate’s contributions in the Cotton Bowl were a dramatic improvement over that of the Tennessee and Oregon games, where he recorded one catch for 18 yards and one catch for 10 yards.
Sonny Styles
Who led Ohio State in tackles and tackles for loss in the Cotton Bowl? Not Sawyer, not JT Tuimoloau – not even Cody Simon or Caleb Downs. No, it was Styles who paced the Buckeyes with nine tackles and three tackles for loss in the Cotton Bowl. He also led Ohio State with six solo stops, collected one of the team’s four sacks and recorded one of its seven pass breakups. How about that for a first-year linebacker?
Jordan Hancock
Finally, Hancock deserves some praise for his performance in Dallas. The senior defensive back, who has earned snaps at nickel corner and safety in the College Football Playoff, was one of BIA’s best representatives in the Cotton Bowl. According to Pro Football Focus, Hancock allowed one catch for 4 yards on four targets, earning a 78.1 overall grade on 40 coverage snaps.
Ohio State DB Jordan Hancock vs Texas:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 11, 2025
78.1 PFF Grade
40 Coverage Snaps
1 Catch Allowed (4 Targets)
4 Yards Allowed@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/lpDBdYF7GG
Honorable mentions for a section full of honorable mentions:
- Gee Scott Jr.: A season-high five catches for 30 yards
- Quinshon Judkins: Nine carries for 36 yards and two touchdowns
- Lathan Ransom: Four tackles and one tackle for loss, which came during Ohio State’s goal-line stand
“FOOTBALL IS BORN IN YOUR BLOOD.” With ESPN commentators like Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban coming after Ohio State’s “lunatic fringe” in recent weeks, Urban Meyer defended Buckeye Nation on the latest episode of The Triple Option.
“There’s really one place – and I’m biased (because) I’m from the great state of Ohio – where football is born in your blood,” Meyer said. “You realize when you’re born in Columbus, Ohio, they give you a ‘Beat That Team Up North’ shirt? … In Canton, Ohio, and Massillon, they put a football, if you’re a boy, in your crib when you’re born.
“People say that’s insanity. I agree with you. You’re out of your mind. But I’ll tell you one thing: You can never worry about an open seat at Ohio Stadium. You can never worry about a program that’s not gonna be funded by people because they are complete, absolute nut jobs.”
Meyer thinks that’s a good thing – most of the time.
“I love passionate fan bases because I’ve seen the opposite,” Meyer said. “I’m very defensive of the Ohio State fanbase because I’m one of them. I grew up a Buckeye. I understand football is a way – it’s not a pastime or America’s pastime — but it’s a way of life.”
Yes, we Ohioans are “out of our minds.” We love football, and above all, we want to see the Buckeyes succeed. Does this make us seem like “complete, absolute nut jobs” sometimes? For sure. But that’s what makes this fanbase so special.
It’s a shame that people who have posted Day’s home address on social media or sent death threats to coaches and players have made our lunacy a target for Talking Heads, but I am thankful Meyer reminded the college football world that you can’t fit over 11 million fans under the same umbrella.
11WINDIANA. To end the Skull Session, I want to defend Indiana.
When the Hoosiers fell to Notre Dame, 27-17, in the College Football Playoff, SEC fans complained that Alabama or South Carolina should have taken their spot in the inaugural 12-team tournament.
Then, the Crimson Tide lost to Michigan, 19-13, in the ReliQuest Bowl, and the Gamecocks lost to Illinois, 21-17, in the Citrus Bowl.
Tough look.
To make matters worse for the SEC, Indiana’s resume continued to receive considerable boosts when both the opponents the Hoosiers lost to, Ohio State and Notre Dame, tore through their side of the CFP bracket and reached the national championship game. So, as a friend pointed out to me this week, Indiana played Ohio State better than Tennessee and Notre Dame better than Georgia. It also beat Michigan – who handled Alabama – and dominated the other 10 regular-season opponents it faced beyond the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
Not a bad season for Curt Cignetti and Co.
It was, however, a bad season for the SEC.
Boy, is it fun when that happens!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Flash" - Queen.
CUT TO THE CHASE. A.J. Brown’s sideline read skyrockets to No. 1 hottest seller on Amazon... Texas man charged with stalking WNBA and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark... Hanging out at Starbucks will cost you as company reverses its open-door policy... The Steelers Aae stuck in a Time Loop of Mediocrity — and Ii’s getting old. Why is the American Diet so deadly?
