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The Ohio State Buckeyes are going to the nationalist rubric game. In the 28-14 win against Texas successful the Cotton Bowl, Buckeye antiaircraft extremity Jack Sawyer had the game-sealing scoop-and-score touchdown.
Although this play sealed the victory, Ohio State couldn't person won this crippled without the assistance of immoderate cardinal players Ryan Day added from the transportation portal. Last offseason, the Buckeyes had a immense transfer-portal recruiting class, ranked ninth nationally per 247Sports. It included the likes of backmost Will Howard, moving backmost Quinshon Judkins and information Caleb Downs.
In the Cotton Bowl semifinal, and during Ohio State's full season, these players person been a immense crushed for the Buckeyes' success. Let's instrumentality a look astatine each of these players' performances, and however they ended up astatine Ohio State to statesman with.
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How Ohio State transportation trio came up large successful Cotton Bowl
All 3 of these guys came up immense successful this game. Howard, who was named the Cotton Bowl's violative MVP aft the game, went 24-for-33 for 289 yards passing with 2 touchdowns. He did person an interception, but Texas punted connected the ensuing possession, incapable to capitalize connected the turnover.
Judkins finished with conscionable 36 yards rushing, but helium had 2 of Ohio State's touchdowns, including the people that gave the Buckeyes a 21-14 pb with 7:02 left.
Caleb Downs finished with 5 full tackles, including 4 solo stops, and an interception disconnected Ewers precocious successful the 4th quarter.
But 1 of his biggest moments came erstwhile Texas was down to Ohio State's one-yard-line trailing 21-14. Facing a second-and-goal, Ewers pitched the shot backmost to Quintrevion Wisner. Downs blew past Texas violative tackle Kelvin Banks and helped his teammate Lantham Random marque the tackle, which resulted successful a nonaccomplishment of 7 yards:
Will rapidly beryllium forgotten, but Caleb downs elite instincts lowkey won america this crippled successful the extremity connected this play
pic.twitter.com/tTEDX1WdBa
Oh by the way, Banks is an All-American violative tackle, and is projected to beryllium a first-round 2025 NFL draught pick. On the precise adjacent play, Sawyer made the game-sealing scoop-and-score.
Howard arrived successful Columbus aft spending his archetypal 3 seasons of his vocation astatine Kansas State. He had 5,786 with 48 touchdowns and 25 interceptions implicit 3 seasons, and helped pb the Wildcats to a Big 12 rubric successful 2022.
Howard's prospects arsenic a passer weren't peculiarly overwhelming—the cognition was that with the weapons helium had astir him, helium could beryllium much of a game-manager. But passim the season, Howard has elevated his crippled arsenic a passer significantly. On the season, helium has 3,490 yards with 32 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, which are career-high numbers for him.
He's peculiarly elevated his play during Ohio State's playoff run. Take a look astatine his numbers his past 3 games out:
- First-round vs. Tennessee: 311 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and an interception with an 82.8 completion percentage
- Second-round vs. Oregon: 319 yards passing with 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 65.4 completion percentage
- Semifinal vs. Texas: 289 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and an interception with a 72.7 completion percentage
"The biggest happening is I felt similar I could travel vie present to triumph a nationalist championship," Howard told Sporting News' Bill Bender successful January of past year. "That, supra thing else, was 1 of the much important things. I felt similar I conscionable had much that I wanted to execute successful college."
Judkins transferred to Columbus aft 2 1,000-yard rushing seasons astatine Ole Miss. Although him splitting reps with moving backmost TreVeyon Henderson means his numbers person dipped somewhat from his archetypal 2 years astatine Ole Miss, he's been a large portion of this Ohio State discourtesy this season. Not to notation helium has 4 touchdowns during the Buckeyes' playoff run.
Ohio State landing Downs was arguably the biggest get for Ryan Day successful the transportation portal. Downs, who played 2023 astatine Alabama, became the archetypal existent freshman successful schoolhouse past to pb the Tide successful tackles. He's 3rd connected the squad successful tackles with 71 full tackles and 2 interceptions connected the play and was a first-team All-American. He's helped Ohio State participate Friday's semifinal with the nation's top-ranked total, passing and scoring defense.
Howard, Judkins and Downs person been captious pieces that person helped Ohio State spell backmost to the nationalist title for the archetypal clip successful 4 seasons.
How Buckeyes built a $20 cardinal roster done NIL, transportation portal
All 3 guys were portion of Ohio State's $20 cardinal roster that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes built by utilizing recruiting, NIL and the transportation portal.
No, that isn’t a typo — $20 cardinal dollars. That fig surfaced earlier the 2024 play began, as an ESPN study from Jake Trotter archetypal cited that OSU spent a whopping $20 cardinal to physique its team. The information down it? Losing to rival Michigan successful 2023 and past having to ticker the Wolverines spell connected to triumph the nationalist title.
As ESPN describes, Ohio State poured the $20 cardinal dollars from its NIL money into gathering its 2024 roster, drafting from the transportation portal and recruiting people and besides enticing immoderate Buckeye players from going to the NFL.
The adjacent measurement for the transfer-portal trio? Winning a nationalist title. To bash so, the Buckeyes volition person to get past Notre Dame.
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