Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Justin Fields (1) and Tuf Borland (32) hold up the Sugar Bowl trophy after the Ohio State vs. Clemson Sugar Bowl. Ohio State won 49-28. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The 2020-21 college football season was like no other.
Played in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, every team faced new challenges and protocols while competing for the ultimate goal of a national title. It was no different for Ohio State, who dealt with a season postponement and return to play, various game cancellations and a COVID-19 outbreak en route to a national championship game berth.
Here’s five takeaways from an unforgettable run by the Buckeyes:
The culture built by Ryan Day shined through during difficult times
Head coach Ryan Day addresses the team during a group huddle during fall practice in the Ohio Stadium on Oct.3. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State’s pandemic campaign can be described in one word: “fight.”
In his second season as head coach, Ryan Day faced challenges like never seen before in the modern college football era. However, Day fought through the unfamiliarity of the season, and the culture he built within the program kept the team afloat during difficult times.
When the Big Ten season was postponed Aug. 11, Day, the players and their parents didn’t waver and continued to push for a season and a shot to play for a national championship — which they ultimately achieved.
The Buckeyes also endured three game cancellations while dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak from late November up until the national championship in January. However, the team never faltered and remained committed to the task at hand.
Having played for both Day and former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, graduate linebacker Justin Hilliard described what stands out about the culture within the program.
“Coach Meyer in a lot of ways laid the foundation for the culture we have now, and a lot of those things, a lot of his sayings and teachings still are here today,” Hilliard said Jan. 6. “Then I think coach Day even more so brought an atmosphere of love, an atmosphere of brotherhood I think to Ohio State that’s special right now, and I think that only enhanced our culture in the last couple years.”
Secondary deficiencies proved too great to overcome
The Ohio State defense take down Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith (6) during the Ohio State vs. Alabama National Championship Game. Alabama won 52-24. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State’s pass defense was a question mark going into the season.
It became a concern following a second-half surge from Penn State and a near catastrophic detriment against Indiana.
However, the secondary did not prove fatal until the Buckeyes were at the doorstep of their ninth national title.
Unlike Penn State’s three-touchdown second half or Indiana’s 491-yard aerial barrage, Alabama’s passing attack efficiently cut through the Ohio State defense to the tune of 464 yards and five touchdowns.
With the Ohio State offense struggling to overcome the loss of graduate running back Trey Sermon on the first play of the game, the 18-point halftime deficit loomed too large for a defense that only stopped the Crimson Tide twice in their first 10 possessions.
“When you’re playing against elite players, and this is probably one of the better offenses in college football in a long time, the margin for error is tiny,” Day said Monday. “But clearly we didn’t hold up well enough in the pass game.”
Senior cornerback Marcus Williamson will return next season for the Buckeyes, but redshirt junior cornerback Shaun Wade has until Monday to decide if he will come back for another season.
“I do want to come back and everything,” Wade said Monday. “It is upsetting that we got here and we just didn’t accomplish the goal, and that’s just been my goal, winning a national championship and just winning big games like this. I’ll just go back with my parents, go talk to them and just go from there.”
A player like Justin Fields is a luxury, not an expectation
Ohio State junior quarterback Justin Fields (1) kneels before the Ohio State vs. Clemson Sugar Bowl. Ohio State won 49-28. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
In his two seasons at Ohio State, junior quarterback Justin Fields went 20-2 and scored 78 touchdowns to go along with 6,240 total yards.
On the heels of former quarterback Dwayne Haskins and his record-setting season in 2018, Fields paired efficiency and toughness to help lead the first iteration of Day’s offense as head coach of Ohio State.
“When he first got here he had leadership skills. I think his ability on the field pulled some guys with him, and I think that as time went on, he became more and more of a leader,” Day said Jan. 4.
With two freshmen — Jack Miller and C.J. Stroud — waiting on their opportunity to replace the legendary Buckeye signal caller, there was no clear indication of who would be taking the spot in the 2021 campaign.
In what Day called “a fluid situation,” Miller and Stroud would normally switch off who relieved Fields of his duties in late-game situations this season — with both finding the end zone once this season.
Stroud and Miller will likely duke it out with incoming freshman and five-star recruit Kyle McCord — who is also expected to make a run at the potential vacancy left behind by Fields.
Although the Buckeyes are losing arguably the greatest quarterback to ever come through Ohio State, they still have plenty of talent at the position going forward. Alongside McCord, Stroud also graded as a five-star recruit before coming to Ohio State, while Miller entered as a four-star prospect.
The Buckeyes will have to replace plenty of veteran leadership
Ohio State graduate defensive end Jonathon Cooper (0) sits in sorrow after the Ohio State vs. Alabama National Championship Game. Alabama won 52-24. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State is expected to lose all seven of its captains heading into the 2021 campaign, including two players who held that distinction for multiple years.
The loss of veteran leaders will mostly affect a young defense coming off a difficult and disappointing season as four captains and countless other veterans hail from the defensive side of the ball — including graduate linebacker Tuf Borland and graduate defensive end Jonathon Cooper, who served as captains for more than a season.
The Buckeyes could potentially lose their entire starting linebacking corps, which includes sixth-year Hilliard along with Borland, graduate Baron Browning and senior Pete Werner. The four linebackers combined for 188 career games played and served as a vessel of leadership for the 2020 defense.
“We put more things on the table — the coaches put things on the linebackers’ table, and a lot more towards the end of the season because they know that we’re capable of doing it,” Werner said Jan. 6.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Buckeyes obviously lose Fields if he turns professional, but they also take hits on the offensive line.
Redshirt junior guard Wyatt Davis, redshirt junior center Josh Myers and senior tackle Thayer Munford are all expected to take their talents to the next level. Davis and Myers served as captains, while Munford served as the elder statesman of the offensive front.
The three linemen combined for 104 games played between them.
The Buckeyes must step away before they can move forward
Helmets laid out before the Ohio State vs. Alabama National Championship Game. Alabama won 52-24. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes played eight games throughout the course of the season, but they had to overcome more than eight obstacles along the way.
Navigating lost practice time, a lost season, COVID-19 cases and cancellations, Ohio State dealt with plenty of opponents that did not don shoulder pads and helmets.
Players also spent time away from their families during the season — a time that included holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Even when family and friends were in attendance for Big Ten games, players were not allowed to make contact with them as part of a Big Ten rule to limit exposure.
Pair all of this with the extended season thanks to Ohio State’s advancement to the title game and Day recognized the need for the players and team members to take time away from football.
“Yeah, we need a break. We need to get away. The kids are — guys are missing their families, and we all just need a break,” Day said. “We’ll unwind for a little while, have an opportunity to reflect on what the season has been, and then get back into it.”
