Five Things: C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba put on a show and Ohio State's defense found its footing late in a come-from-behind 48-45 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl.
For a program used to playing postseason games with national championship implications, No. 6 Ohio State sure was dialed into its Rose Bowl date with No. 11 Utah - especially in the second half - as the Buckeyes overcame a 14-point halftime deficit on the way to a 48-45 win in Pasadena.
His lone interception seemed like a killer, coming in the end zone on the first possession of the second half as Ohio State trailed 35-21, but Stroud regrouped to lead the Buckeyes on five straight scoring drives capping the comeback. His first collegiate touchdown came on a 4th-and-1 snap as he beat his man on a go route and hauled in a tear-drop from Stroud in the front-left corner of the end zone for a 30-yard score cutting Utah's lead to 14-7 early in the second quarter.
On kickoff return, Egbuka's 39-yarder to the OSU 40 helped set up a score, he had a 75-yarder called back, and his 33-yard return to the OSU 42 was a key play in Ohio State's game-winning field goal drive. But somehow, a beleaguered Buckeye defense playing a ton of reserves came out with its hair on fire in the second half and held Utah to 10 points and 139 total yards on 3.2 yards per carry and 5.0 yards per play while stopping the Utes on 2-of-8 third/fourth down conversion attempts.
A linebacking corps that struggled all season saw huge contributions from guys frankly not known for huge contributions. Cade Stover converted from tight end to Sam linebacker during bowl practice and was sensational with six tackles in a career-high 46 snaps. He played with an aggression not often seen from OSU linebackers this season and when he wasn't making tackles, he generally helped funnel Ute ball carriers back inside to teammates. Heck of an outing from him.
Yes, it was great to see the defense step up in the second half but this is still a group, even prior to opt-outs, ranked outside the top-50 in total defense that was manhandled on the ground against the two of the three best running games it faced.First up, and I'm sure a lot of this work is done just not public, is getting the staff set. We know Matt Barnes isas its new defensive coordinator.
That article sure sparked some passionate thoughts on both sides from you all and Ohio State answered the bell last night.
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