OK. Settle down and step away from the ledge Ohio State fans. Northwestern put a scare in all of Buckeye Nation, but then a Superman stepped out of the booth by the name of Trey Sermon and rescued the Big Ten championship.
The win is now the fourth-straight conference title for the Buckeyes, and the fifth championship game victory overall, both conference-leading. But at the end of the day, there’s a lot to take from this game, and not all of it good. Justin Fields struggled, so did the rushing defense at times, and there were far too many mistakes.
However, you’d much rather learn lessons after a win as opposed to a loss, and nobody should ever apologize for winning a ring. That’s where things stand today.
As we always do, here are five things we observed from the nip and tuck — and sometimes squeamish — game in Indianapolis.
NEXT … Trey Sermon, Wildcat hunter
Ohio State loses this game without Trey Sermon
TREY SERMON CAME TO PLAY 😤
He set an Ohio State single-game record AND Big Ten Championship record with 331 rushing yards ‼️ pic.twitter.com/EeHYg9sVrL
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 19, 2020
I don’t know if I feel grateful with what we saw from Trey Sermon today, or a little bewildered by not seeing enough of him up until this point. Okay, scratch that — I do feel more grateful than anything.
Regardless, what we saw today from Sermon is closer to what I think all Ohio State fans expected when he made the decision to transfer to OSU from Oklahoma. He was a man on a mission today, running with great purpose, vision, and speed.
He may very well have cemented himself as the starter for whatever postseason game the Buckeyes end up in because all he did was break Eddie George’s single-game rushing record at Ohio State. This game is not a happy ending without Sermon behind the Ohio State pulpit today.
NEXT … There are issues in the passing game
Justin Fields is human after all
College Football World Stunned By Justin Fields’ Performance Today https://t.co/7CoNDrRyov
— MSN Sports (@MSNSports) December 19, 2020
Look, we’re not bashing Justin Fields here, just calling out what is now clearly evident. The Ohio State quarterback can indeed get rattled and hang onto the ball too long. We thought it was just an anomaly against Indiana, but now we’ve seen it two out of the last three games.
Fields is clearly one of the most athletically gifted quarterbacks you’ll find anywhere, but he often tries to do too much and can make some poor decisions. It’s a trend now against really good defenses, and the template has been set. That has to be corrected somehow if the Buckeyes don’t want to go home after one game in the College Football Playoff.
NEXT … Chris Olave means a lot to this team
Ohio State is a lot more dangerous with Chris Olave on the field
Ohio State star wide receiver Chris Olave confirmed out for Big Ten Championship Game https://t.co/x9yaW1U9VH
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) December 19, 2020
I really thought that if there was any position Ohio State could absorb a loss at, it was the wide receiver spot. Not so. Justin Fields missed Olave big time today. Julian Fleming flashed a little in the first half, but it was a little tougher for Garrett Wilson as the No. 1 guy. He seemed to feel the weight of pressure.
Behind him, Jameson Williams ran incorrect routes (one resulting in an interception), and you could just tell Fields didn’t trust the sum of all the parts in the passing game. This group is very talented, but we should not forget all the practice and timing needed to make things truly hum through the air.
NEXT … Northwestern is the real deal
Hats off to Northwestern
Northwestern can drag any team in football into the trash pile. Might not win but you'll still be mad that you were in the trash pile
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) December 19, 2020
I’ll admit it. I thought Ohio State was going to run away with this game. It’s not that I don’t believe in the coaching of Pat Fitzgerald, or think there aren’t good players wearing the shade of purple, I just really believed the skill in Columbus would eventually create mismatches and win the day.
That never really happened on the outside and in space. Instead, where the game was won, was at the point of attack and when the coaching staff finally realized Trey Sermon was about to shoot laser beams out of his caboose and leap tall buildings in a single bound.
The reality is that Northwestern’s defense is the real deal. Those kids play like crazy, rally around each other, and are fantastic football players. In other words, Chicago’s Big Ten team is leaps and bounds better than the one in Ann Arbor.
NEXT … Playoff?
Ohio State SHOULD be off to the College Football Playoff
Ohio State appears to have locked up its spot in the College Football Playoff. https://t.co/3SjkxQ5lT3
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) December 19, 2020
With another game over a ranked opponent, and with a conference championship, Ohio State should have done enough to get into the College Football Playoff.
Now, the caveat with all of that lies within the understanding that there are some pretty flawed human beings ranking the teams on the College Football Playoff Committee. However, in a pandemic beyond Ohio State’s control, the Buckeyes went undefeated, beat two ranked teams, and won a Big Ten Championship.
Texas A&M is the only other team that you could see jumping the Buckeyes, but there’s no conference championship to speak of to make that leap — even if the Aggies do play in the SEC. That last point is my only reservation in calling this thing a slam dunk.
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