It’s difficult to see C.J. Stroud performing significantly better on Saturday. And it was still insufficient against the reigning champion Georgia Bulldogs.
In a memorable College Football Playoff semifinal, Ohio State fell to Georgia 42–41 in the fourth quarter, trailing 14 points at one point.
GEORGIA OVERTAKS WITH JUST UNDER ONE MINUTE RESERVE‼️What a game. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFBPlayoff?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#CFBPlayoffs A href of “https://t.co/wuHbgnRkRz”screenshot.twitter.com/wuHbgnRkRz
With three seconds left, the Buckeyes had a chance to win the game, but Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard field goal attempt went wide.
GETTING BACK TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, GEORGIA‼️
It’s enough to say that following the devastating loss, Ohio State’s game management during the last drive, caused chaos on Twitter:
Thor Nystrom at thorku
At the conclusion of that sequence, what in the world was Ryan Day doing? Was he really the greatest Nathaniel Hackett impersonator ever?
Amazing game.The passage continues.removing the ball from CJ Stroud’s grasp on the opening play, considering that he had placed the team on his
We should not hold the missed field goal responsible for Ohio State’s defeat in this game! This football game was decided by a lot of events that happened in the final nine minutes! Real Talk.
That ending sequence for Ohio State left something to be desired… can’t really blame a college kicker for not hitting a 50 yarder from the left hash
Stroud had gained 5 yards, 12 yards and 27 yards on 3 straight plays. The ball was at Georgia’s 31, Ohio state had 2 timeouts. Ohio State runs the ball and ends up kicking a FG from their 32 to lose the game Just a disgusting way to end the game. Disgusting.
Sam Vecenie@Sam_Vecenie
Ryan Day did a great job for like 59 minutes in that game, then got conservative and set up his kicker for a 50-yarder from the left hash.<br><br>Game changed on the fake punt TO by Smart, and the Harrison hit to knock him out of the game.
It is also time to have a conversation about Ryan Day.<br><br>How does one get THAT conservative on the cusp of feasible field-goal range with two timeouts in one’s pocket?
It was a particularly harsh result on Stroud, who was brilliant, finishing 23-of-34 for 348 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Perhaps just as impressively to the throwing chops he put on display Saturday was the playmaking ability he showed with his legs, rushing for 34 yards while extending a number of plays after breaking the pocket.
But for all of his many impressive accomplishments during his college career, so much of the narrative surrounding him has focused on what he hasn’t done.
Hasn’t beat Michigan. Hasn’t won a Big Ten title. Hasn’t won a College Football Playoff game. A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, but never the winner. Not much of a runner or playmaker with his legs.
Stroud didn’t erase those narratives Saturday, but he did make them feel unnecessarily negative. He was awesome, in what was a performance worthy of a future first-round pick at the NFL draft, and folks took notice:
It’s not easy to slow things down against UGA defense. Stroud showing incredible calm/poise and delivering one strike after another. Slow heartbeat. Big time impressed!
Stroud’s accuracy and touch are really really good. Ball is on-time and right where it needs to be.<br><br>Yes, he has great WRs, but he helps them out consistently.
The difference between an upset win and a heartbreaking loss was that Stroud and the Buckeyes were held to just three points in the decisive fourth quarter, however. Day will have to own some of that, despite putting on a coaching masterclass for the prior 59 minutes.
That’s the cruelty of sports. Sometimes, just one minute can define your legacy. Day and Stroud will be feeling the weight of that harsh truth for some time.
Day will have plenty of time to change his narrative in the future for Ohio State. Stroud will have the chance to do so in the NFL. But on Saturday night, both were left to lament what might have been.
