It was another fantastic college football season in 2019. We can look back and feel some regret for sure, but the reality is that there were a lot of really great games that made us fall in love with this game all over again, even if Ohio State didn’t quite finish the deal on the national stage.
ESPN has looked back to and named its top 100 college football games of the year, and you might suffer from some triggers when we tell you what game landed at No. 1. Yep, you guessed it. The worldwide leader in sports programming has named the Ohio State vs. Clemson matchup in the Fiesta Bowl as its top contest of 2019.
Here’s what Bill Connelly said about the game that will live on as a missed opportunity forever in Buckeye history.
It was the only game so good I decided to score it like a 12-round title fight.
It featured star moments from virtually every one of the game’s stars: Trevor Lawrence’s absurd 67-yard gallop. Justin Fields’ huge fourth-down, fourth-quarter touchdown pass. Travis Etienne’s touchdown explosions. J.K. Dobbins’ 68-yard run (followed soon after by a 64-yard run). Isaiah Simmons’ tiptoeing interception. A hurry and half-sack (later overturned) by Chase Young with Ohio State trying to seize control of the game in the second quarter.
It contained a lingering waft of controversy thanks to refs having to make two of the hardest types of calls (a less-than-100 percent-clear targeting call and a vital catch-or-no-catch ruling). That never hurts for making a lasting impression.
It gave us all the plot twists a great game should feature — a 16-0 start from Ohio State, a 21-0 run by Clemson, three second-half lead changes (with a fourth prevented only by a last-minute interception) — and on a national semifinal stage. The most talented players in the country, playing in one of the most important games, and putting on a lasting show. Can’t ask for much more than that from college football.
Ryan Day vows to use Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson as motivation https://t.co/Hx2IVI9Y0J
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) January 24, 2020
The game was definitely entertaining, and I’m sure all the rest of the country loved watching it. As for me and I’m sure a large contingent of Buckeye fans, it left me a little sick to my stomach.
Hopefully there’s jubilation to remember next time Ohio State is put in the same position. But yeah, you have to agree with Connelly on this one — it was a highly entertaining game with drama and intrigue. Especially as an unbiased observer.