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Ohio State Football Contacts: Jerry Emig (614-203-2766 and emig.2@osu.edu);
Mike Basford (908-892-8951 and basford.16@osu.edu)
Ohio State vs. Tennessee at Ohio Stadium in CFP 1st Round Game
Programs sixth CFP appearance, and fourth under Ryan Day, features historic December home game
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A 10-win regular season, including two wins over current Top 10 College Football Playoff teams, and a Top 5 national ranking virtually the entire season has carried the Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 8 seed, into a first-round College Football Playoff game against the No. 9 Seed Tennessee Volunteers Saturday, Dec. 21, at Ohio Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ESPN will televise the game.
Tickets for the game will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. this Thursday, Dec. 12. More information about the playoffs is available here: https://go.osu.edu/postseasoncentral24.
The Ohio State vs. Tennessee game will be the first football game played in Ohio Stadium in the month of December.
Fourth CFP Under Ryan Day
Ohio State, 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten Conference this season, is playing in the College Football Playoffs for a sixth time since the start of the CFP era in 2014 and for the fourth time – in six years – under head coach Ryan Day. Ohio State is the only program in the country to appear in four CFPs in the last six years.
Ohio State is No. 3 in CFP appearances, trailing only Alabama (eight appearances) and Clemson (seven). Georgia and Oklahoma round out the Top 5 with four appearances apiece.
Texas, the Southeastern Conference runner-up and which hosts Clemson, is the only team from last year’s CFP to make this year’s field.
Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoffs in 2014 and is 3-4 all-time in CFP games.
Ohio State CFP Results
2014
- Defeated No. 1 Alabama, 42-35, in CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl
- Defeated No. 2 Oregon, 42-20, in CFP National Championship game at Arlington, Texas
2016
- Lost to No. 2 Clemson, 31-0, in CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl
2019
- Lost to No. 3 Clemson, 29-23, in CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl
2020
- Defeated No. 2 Clemson, 49-28, in CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl
- Lost to No. 1 Alabama, 52-24, in CFP National Championship game at Miami, Fla.
2021
- Lost to No. 1 Georgia, 42-41, in CFP Semifinals at the Peach Bowl
Ohio State in 2024
The Buckeyes went 10-2 in the regular season, highlighted by wins over CFP-bound teams Penn State (20-13 in State College, Pa.) and Indiana (38-15 in Columbus). The Buckeyes have been led by one of the nation’s top defenses as Jim Knowles‘ unit ranks No. 1 in total defense (241.1 yards allowed per game), No. 1 in scoring defense (10.9 points allowed per game), No. 7 in rushing defense (96.8 yards allowed per game) and No. 2 in passing defense (144.3 yards allowed per game).
Over the second half of the season, Ohio State allowed just five total touchdowns with none of them coming via the pass. The Buckeyes’ average of 4.10 yards allowed per play is second only to Texas (4.00).
On offense, quarterback Will Howard is fourth nationally in completion percentage (72.3) and has 27 touchdown passes to go along with eight interceptions. His top targets have been Emeka Egbuka (60 receptions, 743 yards, nine TDs), Jeremiah Smith (57 receptions, 934 yards, 10 TDs) and Carnell Tate (41 receptions, 583 yards, four TDs). On the ground, running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have combined for 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns. The offensive line has had two senior starters, each with more than 30 starts, lost to the season with injuries and has had four different line-up changes and eight different starters.
Tennessee in 2024
Tennessee finished 10-2 in the regular season with its only losses coming at Arkansas and at home vs. Georgia. The Volunteers were powered by an offense that averaged 37.3 points per game. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw 19 touchdown passes with just five interceptions while running back Dylan Sampson led the SEC in rushing with 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Tennessee’s defense was second in the conference in every major statistical category: points against (13.9), total defense (278.3 yards allowed per game), rushing defense (99.5 yards allowed per game) and passing defense (178.7 yards allowed per game).
Up Next for the Winner
The winner of Ohio State’s game vs. Tennessee will move onto the quarterfinals where it will face top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. That game will be played on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. EST.
#GoBucks
This article was published by Ohio State Buckeyes on 2024-12-08 20:13:00
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