Ohio State’s resurgence under Urban Meyer came to the forefront in the 2014 college football season. The Buckeyes needed redemption after a few (relatively) disappointing performances in the national spotlight since 2005, and the road to redemption was always going to go through the SEC.
But, of course, why am I recapping this? Every Buckeye fan knows this. It was Ohio State’s redemption from a decade of being second-best. It was finally a (second) bowl win over an SEC program, after the Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas was vacated. And, perhaps most importantly, it was a huge win by a great program that no one gave a chance.
Well, with Ohio State and Alabama announcing a home-and-home series this decade, let’s look back on that game. And yes, I am using this as an excuse to write about the game, because, in all honesty, what Buckeye fan wouldn’t?
In fact, I think we here at the Buckeye Wire should look back at this game every chance we get. Heck, we should look back on it every day if we can. Honestly, the most popular Ohio State website could definitely be one that just plays highlights of this game over and over.
Is there any game in recent years that Buckeye fans, on the whole, love more than this one? Maybe one or two others come close. But this game defined the 2010s for Ohio State football, and Buckeye fans aren’t soon to forget it.
First, let’s start with the pre-game. When I said above that no one gave Ohio State a chance, I meant it. Here’s the ESPN pregame, where everyone picked Alabama to win.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rm2O-hSCMs&w=560&h=315]
I don’t want to go through every single highlight right now, and can definitely save that for another post (or ten, because this will be written about nonstop when Ohio State’s next game against Alabama approaches), but let’s skip through the first quarter. Ezekiel Elliot had a great run and Devin Smith a great catch, but the Buckeyes couldn’t pay off those drives with touchdowns, and turnovers let Alabama jump out to a 21-6 lead.
I’m even going to skip through the Buckeyes’ touchdown drive to bring it to 21-13, because I want to focus on just the biggest and best plays here.
Speaking of which, the Buckeyes ended the first half on what remains, to this day, the very best single play in College Football Playoff history. It’s a trick play, a perfect throw by a wide receiver, and a great catch by Michael Thomas, getting his foot down an inch away from the sideline. (Yes, I have a video of my reaction to this play. No, I will not be sharing it. Let’s just say that I ran up to the television in my college dorm lounge so I could point to the sliver of green between Thomas’ shoe and the sideline.)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhsISsfUsZA&w=560&h=315]
The next highlight I want to focus on came a bit later. After the Buckeyes took the lead on a beautiful touchdown pass from Cardale Jones to Devin Smith, the Buckeyes stretched their lead to 13 points on the most beautiful “big guy touchdown” in recent Buckeye history.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjgL0hHvIUI&w=560&h=315]
The next 15 minutes didn’t go so well for the Buckeyes. They never relinquished the lead, but it got stressful for a time. Let’s not overly focus on that section. I also don’t want to focus on the final play of the game (maybe I’ll do a separate post on that), because that Hail Mary throw came dangerously close to being caught. (Yes, it was intercepted by Tyvus Powell. But Powell was behind two Alabama receivers, and if that ball comes down half a yard shorter it could have been caught.)
Instead, let’s cap the game off for its most memorable moment:
85 Yards Through the Heart of the South.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9WwaeV9IoA&w=560&h=315]