Tennessee’s 10 wins came largely on the back of one of the nation’s strongest defenses. That same group apparently did not make the trip to Columbus. 

The Vols’ offense certainly deserves some of the blame. Multiple three-and-outs against an explosive team like Ohio State puts the Vols in an automatic hole. But there were several plays where Tennessee looked inexplicably bad. 

As already outlined, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had a field day in the secondary. Emeka Egbuka added a 40-yard catch of his own, taking advantage of a rare coverage break. Ohio State generated 12 plays of at least 15 yards and four that went over 25 yards. 

It was especially surprising to see Tennessee entirely overmatched in the trenches against a shorthanded Ohio State offensive line. The Vols, who entered the game with the FBS’ No. 8 rush defense, allowed Ohio State to stay ahead of the chains while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson was a particular menace, with 10 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns that covered 29 and 24 yards, respectively. 

It was an extremely disappointing performance for a Tennessee defense that was so strong for most of the year. 

 Who truly knows what would have happened to Ryan Day if Ohio State lost? It probably wouldn’t have been pretty. Fortunately for Day, he doesn’t have to find out. 

The often embattled Ohio State coach secured a much-needed signature win against a 10-win SEC ball club. For now, at least, the Buckeyes’ disastrous loss to Michigan to close the regular season feels like a distant memory. 

This was just the second College Football Playoff win of Day’s career. It feels like the biggest. 

That being said, there’s still plenty of work to do. Since Ohio State went 0-for-2 on beating Michigan and winning the Big Ten Championship Game (it didn’t even make it to Indianapolis) the only meaningful goal left on the table is winning a national championship. 

Even if Day doesn’t get that far, he’s likely earned himself more time in Columbus — beyond a shadow of a doubt, at least — thanks to Saturday evening’s result. 

 Turns out, when Ohio State feeds star freshman Jeremiah Smith, good things happen. After an explosive start to the season, Smith had just eight catches for 69 yards and one touchdown over Ohio State’s last two regular season games. He averaged a meager seven yards per catch in a loss to Michigan. 

Smith reminded all of us that he’s the best player on the field, no matter what, against the Vols. He torched a very strong secondary with six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. 

His 37-yard diving touchdown catch on Ohio State’s first drive set the tone for what turned into a rout. He later had a 22-yard touchdown catch on a very similar route, making a nice adjustment over his shoulder and beating star Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy in the process. 

Smith is just the fourth freshman in College Football Playoff history with at least 100 yards and two touchdowns receiving in a single game, and the first since former Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross in 2018. 

 No time for a rally at this point, but it looks like Tennessee will end this game on a relative high note. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava just rushed for his second touchdown of the day. He’s got 20 carries on the night, as he’s had to handle a lot of Tennessee’s offensive burden with running backs Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop banged up. 

 As if there was every any doubt, Ohio State could go ahead and start booking flights to Pasadena before the game clock officially expires. Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson just extended his team’s lead with a 24-yard rushing touchdown, gashing Tennessee’s defense and racing past the secondary after bouncing the run outside for his second score of the night. Ohio State might be able to give its backups some very valuable experience here soon. 

 Ohio State added two touchdowns in the third quarter to extinguish any hope Tennessee had of coming back in this game. Will Howard shook off a first-half interception and looked fantastic against Tennessee’s talented defense. His 22-yard touchdown pass right on the money to Jeremiah Smith was tremendous.

Tennessee, on the other hand, had no shot against Ohio State’s defense. Without star running back Dylan Sampson, Tennessee turned to quarterback Nico Iamaleava to move the ball in the ground game. The Vols had some success there late in the first half but were never able to get the ball into Ohio State’s territory in the third. 

Tennessee clearly didn’t trust its offensive line to hold up to let Iamaleava throw the ball downfield. As a result, all of his passing attempts were for five yards or fewer. 

 Tennessee fans immediately started heading for the exits after a Quinshon Judkins 1-yard touchdown run put the Buckeyes up 35-10. Ohio State has dominated Tennessee in this game and could easily be up more if not for a couple questionable calls that did not go its way. Will Howard has been a star and is up to 311 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. 

 Tennessee looked poised to really make this a game in the second half but give Ohio State credit for never allowing that to take hold. Ohio State’s defense got a stop on Tennessee’s first possession of the third quarter and now its offense is moving the ball well into the Vols’ side of the field. If Ohio State can keep running the ball effectively — and burning the clock — Tennessee won’t have a chance to get back in this. 

 Tennessee cannot stop Jeremiah Smith. Maybe only Ohio State’s offensive play-calling really can. Smith, OSU’s freshman standout, continues to dominate this Tennessee defense, the latest example being a 22-yard touchdown catch on a beautiful Will Howard pass. 

When the Howard-to-Smith connection is cooking like it has tonight (six catches for 103 yards and two TDs), Ohio State might be the best team in the country. 

 Tennessee finally got going on offense in the second quarter and cut the Buckeyes’ lead to only two scores after an impressive 16-play, 79-yard drive made it 21-10 right before the half. Nico Iamaleava, who didn’t have a single passing yard in the first quarter, settled in and finished the half with 81 passing yards, 36 rushing yards and a touchdown. He should have had an interception earlier in the quarter but got bailed out on a questionable roughing the passer penalty that eventually led to a Tennessee field goal. 

Ohio State started the game hot, but a Will Howard end zone interception doomed its best chance at extending the lead in the second quarter. Ohio State looked ready to go up 28-0 before Will Brooks came down with an interception that looked potentially out of bounds but held up after a replay review. 

Still, Ohio State easily out-gained Tennessee 296 yards to 147 in the first half. Howard was 17 of 21 for 220 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He had the most success targeting star freshman Jeremiah Smith, who led all receivers with 81 yards and a touchdown on five catches.

Tennessee has two big injury question marks around its offensive stars to answer coming out of the half. Receiver Squirrel White headed to the locker room early while star running back Dylan Sampson appeared to get hurt and had only six yards on two carries. At halftime, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was asked specifically about Sampson’s status and said only, “Got a lot of football left to play.” 

 In a gutsy 16-play, 79-yard drive, Tennessee posted its first touchdown of the game right before halftime on an Iamaleava 2-yard touchdown run. Give Tennessee credit for battling back and getting it down to a two-score game before halftime with the Vols getting the ball to start the second half. Tennessee looked cooked down 21-0 in the first quarter, but this team is showing good resiliency here. 

 Tennessee receiver Squirrel White, who has one catch for 17 yards tonight, headed to the locker room early after appearing to limp to the sideline. For an offense that is already struggling tonight, the loss of White would be significant. There’s not much experience at that spot behind White. 

 Tennessee finally got an offensive drive going and was able to Ohio State’s lead to 21-3 on a Max Gilbert 36-yard field goal. The Vols got a big break a few plays earlier after Nico Iamaleava threw an interception but Ohio State got hit with a very questionable roughing the passer call. 

Iamaleava looked more comfortable on that drive and finally tallied his first passing yards (44) but it still looks like it’ll be awfully tough for Tennessee to score tonight against an OSU defense that is overwhelming UT’s offensive line. 

 Will Brooks made an incredible catch to intercept Will Howard in a play that looked awfully close to being out of bounds but stood up to a replay. Keeping Ohio State from making it a four-score lead is huge but Tennessee needs to capitalize on offense. Tennessee may have gotten lucky on a no call on possible pass interference here, too. 

 Ohio State dominated the first quarter and quieted the invading Tennessee fanbase that arrived early and loud inside Ohio Stadium. Will Howard looked terrific, going 10 of 12 for 160 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State fed the ball to Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson to great success. 

It was a much different story for the road team as Nico Iamaleava didn’t have a single passing yard in the first quarter on an 0-for-4 effort. The Volunteers looked completely out of sorts in the first quarter and may not have the offense capable of even getting back in this game. The defense may have been an even bigger surprise, though, in its inability to do anything to stop Howard and Co. Ohio State out-gained Tennessee 205-16 in the first quarter. 

 The Volunteers might be cooked. Ohio State is dominating every facet of this game and looks unstoppable right now on offense. Against a top-10 rush defense, TreVeyon Henderson just dashed down the field for a 29-yard touchdown after a Tennessee defender slipped trying to tackle him. With Tennessee looking helpless on offense, it’s getting harder and harder to talk yourself into the Vols finding a way to come back here. 

 Ohio State’s offense is cooking and Tennessee’s most decidedly is not. The Volunteers have negative-six yards on offense while the Buckeyes have already racked up 120 yards with more than six minutes left in the quarter. It’s early but it sure feels like a dangerous spot already for Tennessee. The Volunteers badly need a stop here with Ohio State starting at its 42-yard line. 

 Amazing what happens when you get to the ball to your stars in space, huh? Looks like Ryan Day and Chip Kelly figured out feeding Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka leads to good things. Will Howard hit Smith in space for an 18-yard gain and then two plays later connected with Egbuka for a 40-yard gain. Two plays later, Quinshon Judkins punched it in from a yard out and the Buckeyes are rolling in Columbus. 

Ohio State couldn’t have asked for a better start than this. A loud and rowdy visiting Tennessee fan crowd is awfully quiet now. 

 One of the big questions headed into the game is how Tennessee’s offensive line would hold up against Ohio State’s talented defensive front. On a 3rd-and-4, QB Nico Iamaleava had no time to work with and quickly had to bail out of the pocket for a 1-yard gain before taking a big shot from linebacker Jack Sawyer. Tenessee’s run game should be OK but Nico will need more time to work with than that if the Vols are going to keep pace with Ohio State. 

 Will Howard put it right on the money for a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith to give the Buckeyes the early lead. It started off a little rocky for Ohio State with a false start and a burned timeout but the Howard to Smith connection shows how explosive this offense can be when the offensive line can hold up. Howard went 3 for 4 for 66 yards and a touchdown to start the game. 

 Ohio State starts with the ball. With plenty of Tennessee fans here, Ryan Day and Co. could really use a strong start to hold off the home crowd boos and prevent Tennessee fans from getting too excited. 

 It looks like the fears of Tennessee invading Columbus have proven accurate. There is a huge contingent of Tennessee fans here — it feels like somewhere between 25,000-30,000 fans — in a stunning display for a road team for an on-campus playoff game. Most interestingly, the Tennessee fans aren’t isolated to one area the way you’d typically see a road crowd. There is orange throughout including right up front. 

 All the pressure is on this all-in Ohio State team that likely has the nation’s most talented roster but hasn’t always played up to its potential. Does the home loss to Michigan continue to loom over this team and lead to some early boos? Or can the Buckeyes finally live up to the hype and come out firing against a very talented Tenenssee defense? I picked Tennessee to win in my gut-reaction bracket that I filled out as soon as the pairings were released, and because I’m an honorable man, I will stick with it. This one should be close, and Tennessee getting the points is the play either way. Pick: Tennessee +7.5