CFP First Round Recap: No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17
Score by Quarters
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #9 Tennessee (11-3) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| #8 Ohio State (11-2) | 21 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson rushed for two touchdowns apiece as the Buckeyes (11-2) gave their fans an early Christmas present that should quiet some of the outcry following the devastating fourth straight loss to Michigan three weeks ago.
Howard finished 24 for 29 for 311 yards, his second 300-yard game of the season. Smith had six catches for 103 yards, the sixth freshman to have over 100 receiving yards in a CFP game.
Eighth-seeded Ohio State scored on its first three drives while forcing three straight Tennessee punts. The ninth-seeded Vols (10-3) finally got on the board with a second-quarter field goal and touchdown but couldn't generate anything in the second half until getting a meaningless touchdown late in the game.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was 14 for 31 for 104 yards and rushed a career-high 20 times for 47 more.
The 473 yards gained by Ohio State was the most surrendered by the Tennessee defense all season.
The game time temperature was 25 degrees and dropping in the first college football game played in December in 102-year-old Ohio Stadium.
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Score (V-H) | Team | Scoring Play | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 12:46 | 0-7 | Ohio State | Jeremiah Smith 37 yd pass from Will Howard (Jayden Fielding kick) | 5-75 (02:14) |
| 1st | 08:09 | 0-14 | Ohio State | Quinshon Judkins 1 yd rush (Jayden Fielding kick) | 5-68 (02:39) |
| 1st | 03:27 | 0-21 | Ohio State | TreVeyon Henderson 29 yd rush (Jayden Fielding kick) | 7-58 (03:22) |
| 2nd | 06:39 | 3-21 | Tennessee | Max Gilbert 36 yd FG | 9-62 (03:23) |
| 2nd | 00:20 | 10-21 | Tennessee | Nico Iamaleava 2 yd rush (Max Gilbert kick) | 16-79 (04:03) |
| 3rd | 09:16 | 10-28 | Ohio State | Jeremiah Smith 22 yd pass from Will Howard (Jayden Fielding kick) | 6-65 (3:14) |
| 3rd | 01:18 | 10-35 | Ohio State | Quinshon Judkins 1 yd rush (Jayden Fielding kick) | 9-81 (04:46) |
| 4th | 10:53 | 10-42 | Ohio State | TreVeyon Henderson 24 yd rush (Jayden Fielding kick) | 5-39 (02:26) |
| 4th | 01:56 | 17-42 | Tennessee | Nico Iamaleava 2 yd rush (Max Gilbert kick) | 9-73 (03:19) |
Team Statistics
| TENN | OSU | |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 24 |
| Rushing | 12 | 8 |
| Passing | 4 | 14 |
| Penalty | 1 | 2 |
| Rushes-Yards | 39-152 | 33-156 |
| Passing Yards | 104 | 317 |
| Passes Comp-Att-Int | 14-31-0 | 25-31-1 |
| Total Offense (Plays-Yards) | 70-256 | 64-473 |
| Punt Returns-Yards | 0-0 | 2- -3 |
| Kickoff Returns-Yards | 1-24 | 1-0 |
| Punts (Number-Avg) | 7-40.9 | 3-39.3 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Sacks By (Number-Yards) | 0-0 | 4-35 |
| Penalties-Yards | 6-50 | 3-25 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 6-of-16 | 4-of-9 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 1-of-2 | 1-of-1 |
Individual Statistics
| TENN | OSU | |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing | Peyton Lewis, 10-77; Nico Iamaleava, 20-47, 2 TD; DeSean Bishop, 7-22; Dylan Sampson, 2-6. | TreVeyon Henderson, 10-80, 2 TD; Will Howard, 5-37; Quinshon Judkins, 10-34, 2 TD; James Peoples, 7-6; Emeka Egbuka, 1- -1. |
| Passing | Nico Iamaleava, 14-31-0, 104. | Will Howard, 24-29-1, 311, 2 TD; Devin Brown, 1-1-0, 6; Julian Sayin, 0-1-0. |
| Receiving | Bru McCoy, 4-40; Peyton Lewis, 3-7; Braylon Staley, 2-11; Squirrel White, 1-17; Dont'e Thornton Jr., 1-14; Chris Brazzell II, 1-8; Miles Kitselman, 1-5; Dylan Sampson, 1-2; DeSean Bishop, 0-0; Mike Matthews, 0-0. | Jeremiah Smith, 6-103, 2 TD; Emeka Egbuka, 5-81; TreVeyon Henderson, 4-54; Gee Scott Jr., 4-39; Quinshon Judkins, 2-9; Carnell Tate, 1-18; Will Kacmarek, 1-7; Brandon Inniss, 1-6; Will Howard, 1-0; Bryson Rodgers, 0-0. |
| Punting | Jackson Ross, 7-286, 40.9. | Joe McGuire, 3-118, 39.3. |
| Returns | Punt: None; Kickoff: Peyton Lewis, 1-24; Intercept: Will Brooks, 1-0. | Punt: Caleb Downs, 1- -4; Brandon Inniss, 1-1; Kickoff: TreVeyon Henderson, 1-0; Intercept: None. |
| Field Goals | Max Gilbert, 1-1 (36 Good). | Jayden Fielding, 0-1 (56 Missed). |
| Tackles (Solo-Assist-Total, Sacks-Yds, TFL-Yds) | Jeremiah Telander (7-3-10, 0, 1-1); Jermod McCoy (4-1-5, 0, 0); Will Brooks (3-2-5, 0, 1-1); Kalib Perry (2-2-4, 0, 0); James Pearce Jr. (3-0-3, 0, 2-2); Rickey Gibson III (3-0-3, 0, 0); Arion Carter (2-1-3, 0, 0); Boo Carter (1-2-3, 0, 0); Andre Turrentine (2-0-2, 0, 0); Christian Harrison (2-0-2, 0, 0); Omari Thomas (2-0-2, 0, 1-3); Caleb Herring (2-0-2, 0, 1-3); Christian Charles (1-1-2, 0, 0); Tyre West (0-2-2, 0, 0); Ben Bolton (0-2-2, 0, 0); Jakobe Thomas (1-0-1, 0, 0); Dominic Bailey (1-0-1, 0, 1-1); Edwin Spillman (1-0-1, 0, 0); William Wright (1-0-1, 0, 0); Jalen McMurray (1-0-1, 0, 0); Joshua Josephs (0-1-1, 0, 0); Tyree Weathersby (0-1-1, 0, 0); Daevin Hobbs (0-1-1, 0, 0); Nathan Robinson (0-1-1, 0, 0). | Cody Simon (5-7-12, 0, 0); JT Tuimoloau (5-3-8, 2.0-20, 2.5-20); Caleb Downs (4-3-7, 0, 0); Sonny Styles (3-2-5, 0, 0); Lathan Ransom (3-2-5, 0, 1.0-5); Jack Sawyer (1-4-5, 1.5-12, 1.5-12); Ty Hamilton (0-4-4, 0.5-3, 0.5-3); Jaylen McClain (2-1-3, 0, 0); Arvell Reese (1-2-3, 0, 0); Jermaine Matthews Jr. (1-2-3, 0, 0); Tyleik Williams (0-3-3, 0, 0.5-1); Davison Igbinosun (2-0-2, 0, 0); Jordan Hancock (1-1-2, 0, 0); Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (0-2-2, 0, 0); Caden Curry (1-0-1, 0, 0); Malik Hartford (1-0-1, 0, 0); C.J. Hicks (1-0-1, 0, 0); Eddrick Houston (0-1-1, 0, 0); Jason Moore (0-1-1, 0, 0); Mitchell Melton (0-1-1, 0, 0); Tywone Malone (0-1-1, 0, 0); Lorenzo Styles Jr. (0-0-0, 0, 0); Bryce West (0-0-0, 0, 0). |
Starters & Reserves
Ohio State Starters
| Pos. | No. | Offense |
|---|---|---|
| WR | 1 | Dont'e Thornton Jr. |
| WR | 3 | Squirrel White |
| WR | 5 | Bru McCoy |
| OL | 53 | Lance Heard |
| RB | 6 | Dylan Sampson |
| OL | 63 | Cooper Mays |
| OL | 70 | Andrej Karic |
| OL | 74 | John Campbell Jr. |
| OL | 76 | Javontez Spraggins |
| QB | 8 | Nico Iamaleava |
| TE | 87 | Miles Kitselman |
| Pos. | No. | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| DB | 1 | Rickey Gibson III |
| DB | 2 | Andre Turrentine |
| DL | 20 | Bryson Eason |
| DL | 21 | Omari Thomas |
| LB | 22 | Jeremiah Telander |
| DL | 27 | James Pearce Jr. |
| DB | 3 | Jermod McCoy |
| DB | 35 | Will Brooks |
| LB | 7 | Arion Carter |
| LB | 8 | Kalib Perry |
| DL | 90 | Dominic Baile |
Ohio State Reserves
0 - Wright, William, 10 - Simmons, Elijah, 10 - Matthews, Mike, 12 - Slaughter, John, 13 - Spillman, Edwin, 14 - Staley, Braylon, 14 - Charles, Christian, 15 - Farooq, Edrees, 17 - Brazzell II, Chris, 18 - Weathersby, Tyree, 18 - Bishop, DeSean, 19 - Staes, Holden, 19 - Josephs, Joshua, 23 - Carter, Boo, 25 - Beasley, Kaleb, 27 - Lewis, Peyton, 29 - Ross, Jordan, 31 - Herring, Caleb, 33 - Bolton, Ben, 37 - Bandy, Montrell, 42 - West, Tyre, 47 - Salansky, Matthew, 5 - Harrison, Christian, 51 - Moi, Jaxson, 52 - Purcell, Eli, 53 - Hobbs, Daevin, 55 - Norman-Lott, Omarr, 6 - McMurray, Jalen, 66 - Davis, Dayne, 68 - Warren, Bennett, 75 - Lampley, Jackson, 77 - Johnson III, Larry, 79 - Umarov, Shamurad, 9 - Thomas, Jakobe, 90 - Gilbert, Max, 94 - Turbyville, Josh, 94 - Robinson, Nathan, 97 - Jenkins, Jayson, 98 - Ross, Jackson.
Tennessee Starters
| Pos. | No. | Offense |
|---|---|---|
| RB | 1 | Quinshon Judkins |
| QB | 18 | Will Howard |
| WR | 2 | Emeka Egbuka |
| WR | 4 | Jeremiah Smith |
| OL | 67 | Austin Siereveld |
| OL | 70 | Josh Fryar |
| OL | 74 | Donovan Jackson |
| OL | 75 | Carson Hinzman |
| OL | 77 | Tegra Tshabola |
| TE | 88 | Gee Scott Jr. |
| TE | 89 | Will Kacmarek |
| Pos. | No. | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| LB | 0 | Cody Simon |
| CB | 1 | Davison Igbinosun |
| DB | 10 | Denzel Burke |
| DB | 2 | Caleb Downs |
| DE | 33 | Jack Sawyer |
| DL | 44 | JT Tuimoloau |
| DL | 58 | Ty Hamilton |
| LB | 6 | Sonny Styles |
| CB | 7 | Jordan Hancock |
| S | 8 | Lathan Ransom |
| DL | 91 | Tyleik Williams |
Tennessee Reserves
10 - Julian Sayin, 11 - Brandon Inniss, 11 - C.J. Hicks, 12 - Bryce West, 13 - Bryson Rodgers, 15 - Jelani Thurman, 16 - Keenan Nelson Jr., 17 - Carnell Tate, 17 - Mitchell Melton, 18 - Jaylen McClain, 20 - Arvell Reese, 20 - James Peoples, 23 - Garrett Stover, 24 - Jermaine Matthews Jr., 26 - Payton Pierce, 3 - Lorenzo Styles Jr., 3 - Lincoln Kienholz, 32 - Brenton Jones, 32 - TreVeyon Henderson, 33 - Devin Brown, 38 - Jayden Fielding, 39 - Joey Velazquez, 42 - Joe McGuire, 43 - John Ferlmann, 49 - Patrick Gurd, 5 - Aaron Scott Jr., 5 - Mylan Graham, 51 - Luke Montgomery, 53 - Will Smith Jr., 54 - Toby Wilson, 62 - Joshua Padilla, 68 - George Fitzpatrick, 69 - Ian Moore, 82 - David Adolph, 86 - Max LeBlanc, 9 - Malik Hartford, 92 - Caden Curry, 93 - Hero Kanu, 94 - Jason Moore, 95 - Tywone Malone, 96 - Eddrick Houston, 97 - Kenyatta Jackson Jr., 98 - Kayden McDonald.
