After losing to Michigan in the season finale and blowing their chance at playing in the BIG championship game and a possible first-round bye in the college football playoff, it would be very unwise for the Buckeyes to choose “Under Pressure” by Queen for their entrance music when the Vols invade Columbus for a prime time playoff game on Saturday, December 21st. But, there is pressure. A lot of pressure on the team and the coach. When you spend $20M in NIL money and lose to Michigan for the fourth consecutive season, the folks in Columbus are restless, to say the least.
CFP Preview: Tennessee at Ohio State
Tennessee
Tennessee is a different team than we’re used to seeing. While they’ve historically had a strong running game, they leaned on it more than usual this year. They also have a good defense which hasn’t always been the case.
On offense, the biggest question we have is which version of Nico Iamaleava will we see under the brightest lights in the biggest of games on the road. He’s played in big games no doubt but this is the biggest showcase for him to date.
However, the Vols will rely heavily on running back Dylan Sampson. After showing promise as a freshman with limited touches he has exploded this season with 1,458 yards and an astounding 22 rushing touchdowns. For Tennessee to walk out of The Shoe with a win he will have to be a big reason why.
Tennessee usually has a good stable of wide receivers but with Nico only throwing for 19 touchdowns those numbers dropped off from when Joe Milton. was under center a year ago. Bru McCoy was expected to be the top receiver and while he did lead the team with 35 receptions, he only managed 432 yards and two touchdowns. He was outshined by Dont’e Thornton, who put up 647 yards, six touchdowns, and an amazing 25.9 yards per catch but only 25 catches.
This was a very good year for the Vols on defense. They gave up less than 3 yards per rushing attempt and only 178 yards per game through the air. While the yards passing against them are good, not great it’s even more impressive when you factor in that their opponents couldn’t run on them and had to pass.
Defensive linemen James Pierce Jr. and Omar Norman-Lott led the defense in sacks with 7.5 and 4 respectively even though neither was near the team leader in tackles. The secondary only had 11 interceptions on the year but the stats show they covered well. Regardless they will have their hands full against a Buckeyes team that has a lot of skill on the perimeter.
Ohio State
Incoming K-State transfer quarterback Will Howard was expected to be a significant upgrade over Kyle McCord who didn’t feel welcome back in Columbus after last season. His primary sin was losing “The Game” to Michigan 30-24 in a game that included a late pick with the Buckeyes driving. However, Howard was not the upgrade they anticipated. In fact, Howard’s numbers in 2024 were very comparable to McCord’s in 2023. Howard is better on the ground but another loss to Michigan was unexpected and painful for the team and the fans
The running attack was led by the two-headed monster of incoming Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson was supposed to give the Buckeyes the best running attack in the country. However, while 1,500 + rushing yards and 14 touchdowns is good, it’s also good for one lead back on a team.
On the outside is where the Bucks have an advantage over every team they play though it’s a must that Howard gets them the ball early and often.
The wide receivers for the Buckeyes are very good led by freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith who led the team in receiving yards with 934 and touchdowns with ten and senior Emeke Egbuka who had 743 yards and nine touchdowns. The Bucks got virtually no production from the tight-end position all season long.
On defense, the only way Michigan could win “The Game” was to control the line of scrimmage and hope Ohio State made enough mistakes to give them a chance. Both of those things happened.
The defense was led by linebacker Cody Simon and lineman Jack Sawyer with 5 and 4.5 sacks. While the rest of the defense has talent, the secondary only managed nine interceptions on the season. The strength of this defense is not getting scored on as they only surrendered 11 points per game in the campaign. It will be imperative that they get the Vols offense off the field before the running game gets going which could make for a long night for the home team.
Prediction
It’s not a stretch to say that in recent years the Vols have had a “Georgia problem “ similar to Texas this year. But they’re not playing the Dawgs. Tennessee is well-seasoned from another season of SEC wars. Ohio State is facing questions about their toughness and coming off a home loss against their biggest rival when they had the talent advantage at the skill positions, everything to play for, and revenge on their minds.
We’re picking the Vols to win the war in the trenches like Michigan did. It will be an interesting off-season in Columbus.
Tennessee 27 Ohio State 17
Can Tennessee end the Buck’s dream of an undefeated season and national title? We will have to wait and see but we will enjoy every minute of it.
Main Image: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
