Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: OHIO STATE 58 FEBRUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED C O L L E G E F O O T B A L L P L A Y O F F BY JACK SOBLE R yan Day stood, motionless and expressionless, as Ohio State's world crumbled around him Nov. 30. The Buckeyes had just lost to Michi- gan for the fourth season in a row. Los- ing to the Wolverines under any cir- cumstance is a travesty in Columbus, but this time, it truly was inexcusable. The NFL raided the Wolverines after their 2023 run to the national champi- onship, while Ohio State retained most of its talent and added several top-flight transfers over the offseason. The Buck- eyes had an exponentially better roster, but somehow, they lost 13-10. This season, Michigan had limped to a 6-5 record with Davis Warren, a former walk-on, at quarterback. Against the Buckeyes, he threw for 62 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. And yet, Warren still put his name in the re- cord books as the winning quarterback in the rivalry known as "The Game." So, there Day stood after the game, watching fisticuffs thrown by both sides. Michigan's players tried to plant their flag on the midfield logo at Ohio Stadium, and Ohio State players turned to violence in their attempt to stop them. He then had to answer questions about how, with a team many believed had the most talent in college football, this could possibly happen again. "We're expecting to win this game and then go play in the Big Ten Champion- ship Game, and neither of those things happened," Day said after the game. "We don't know what's going on now." It was, in many ways, Ohio State's BRING ON THE BUCKEYES Long considered college football's most talented team, Ohio State surged to the national championship game Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith racked up 13 receptions for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Buckeyes' CFP wins over Tennessee and Oregon. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE