C.J. Stroud was almost heroic, carrying a banged up offense on his back and playing the game of his life in the playoffs.
The College Football Playoff game between Georgia and Ohio State was decided in the fourth quarter.
The usually reliable Noah Ruggles missed badly on a 50-yard field goal attempt that would have sent the Buckeyes to the championship game, and now Ohio State is going to have a hard time moving forward.
We learned a lot from the game.
While surrounded by backups, Stroud was amazing. He completed 23 of 34 passes and scored four times. The quarterback who won't run scampered for 34 yards and skipped around the pocket with great coolness. His runs were focused on traffic. His throws were on target.
He did this without a running game, without a tight end and without a star receiver.
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There were wrongheaded doubts about Stroud's strength because he is so quiet. Though he might want to learn to slide before he suits up in an NFL game, there were more doubts about his willingness to run.
The complete quarterback who nearly won a big one all by himself was something that the NFL scouts liked.
Nice guys don't have to finish last
Ryan Day said that what this guy did and the way he competed in the second half, all those things coming at him, I can't say enough. He played a great game. He's the leader of this team, but he's not the only one. I was proud of how he attacked the game.
The Ohio State offense may have looked at the defense in a dirty way. Ohio State scored 41 points against the defending champ and held a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter.
The zone defense that was solid in the third quarter was thrown away by the Buckeyes. Georgia's scoring efforts came without resistance and big plays were the backbreaker.
There are four- and five-star players all over the field, and that's the reason why first-year assistant coach Jim Knowles can't claim the reason is talent. The Buckeyes folded in the fourth quarter after adjusting well. Consistency and scheme aren't present.
Defense is to blame for the wasted years of the high flying Stroud years.
Playing running back, receiver and kick returner was a factor in the game. He was a part of the senior day ceremony.
While Johnson hasn't said if he's leaving or returning for a sixth season, he's not good enough to start for Ohio State.
He could continue to add new things to the Ohio State's offense. He had six runs for 28 yards and three catches for 43 yards on Saturday. In the biggest game of the year, he threw a key pass-protection block on one of the key runs, even though he was the fifth-string running back.
Harrison left the game after a vicious hit in the end zone. The officials gave the Buckeyes a first down at the 3 after they were assessed a targeting penalty.
As the second-best player in the game was woozy and had his helmet taken away, replay officials overturned the call and ruled there was no foul. The field goal made the score 38-24 with 31 seconds left in the quarter.
Day was told it wasn't targeting because he didn't get hit in the head. He was a defenseless receiver waiting for a pass when his head was hit by a flying Bulldog. That is a violation. No parent should allow their children to play football if it's not true.
On the heels of a no-targeting call in the Michigan game earlier in the day, it was a game-changing overturn.
A championship team that has a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter doesn't feel it has to keep running the ball. Ohio State doesn't believe in its ability to run. No clock was eaten up in the traditional way because of that.
The Buckeyes had 85 yards on 20 rushes.
The absence of Henderson and Williams hurt, but the other backs were highly recruited, and the lack of a stable rushing attack put too much pressure on the other backs to perform. As the season went on, Ohio State went from pass first to pass only.
The personnel strategy was difficult to understand. Dallan was the star of the game. He didn't play against Michigan, but he did get the runs. Trayanum had no carries on Saturday. He carried six times.
A more balanced offense could be crucial next year with Kyle McCord or Devin Brown possibly not up to the mark. The answer doesn't feel right.
Five things we learned about Ohio State after their football loss to Georgia.
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