Football: No. 4 Buckeyes lose lead late, fall to No. 1

Georgia 42-41

ZACHARY RILLEY Former Photo Editor rilley.4@osu.edu

This story was originally published Jan. 1, and updated for the Buckeye Bound Edition.

While the time was ticking down on the game clock as the ball fell in Times Square to ring in the new year, the Buckeyes lost to No. 1 Georgia in the final minute of the College Football Playoff Dec. 31, 2022.

Former-graduate kicker Noah Ruggles lined up for a chance to send Ohio State to the national championship. Sailing wide left, Ruggles’ kick failed to fall through the posts as No. 4 Ohio State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten) lost 41-42 to the Bulldogs (14-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) in Atlanta.

Following Ohio State’s 45-23 loss to No. 2 Michigan Nov. 26, 2022, many around the country questioned the Buckeyes’ physicality while the coaching staff evaluated schematics to avoid allowing big plays.

Ohio State answered these questions in its loss. Despite the score, the Buckeyes pushed the SEC champion Bulldogs to their limit. With Ohio State leading for the majority of the game, Georgia pushed one point ahead with 54 seconds left on the game clock. Then-third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud drove his team down and gave Ruggles a chance at a 50-yard game-winner that failed to score.

Stroud impressed in what was his final game as a Buckeye, throwing for 348 yards on 23 completions. In a change from the norm, Stroud, who is usually seen as a pocket passer, rushed for 34 yards — including a late scamper up the middle to set up the Ruggles attempt.

“I was just trying to leave it all on the line,” Stroud said. “Games like this, I mean, you’re lost for words.”

On the other side of the ball, fellow Heisman finalist and Georgia’s then-fourth-year quarterback, Stetson Bennett, threw for 398 yards on 23 attempts. Bennett, who led Georgia to a national championship a year before, was instrumental in the Bulldogs’

“I thought our team came out and swung and played hard in this game,” head coach Ryan Day said. “Came up short, came down to one play.”

Then-sophomore wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. notched 106 all-purpose yards; however, a late-third-quarter hit left the receiver battered, and he exited the game.

“To say that losing Marv didn’t have an impact on the game, it absolutely did,” Day said.

Harrison was not the only loss for Ohio State in this matchup. Then-senior tight end Cade Stover also found himself sidelined due to back spasms.

Stover was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons, according to an announcement in the press box at the Peach Bowl.

“We lost Cade early in the game, which really sent us into a little bit of a tailspin, in a couple groupings, but I just thought that Xavier, Mitch and even Joe stepping in did a nice job,” Day said.

On the defensive side of the ball, Ohio State gave up 18 fourth-quarter points and 42 points total.

“42 points,” then-senior defensive end Zach Harrison said. “We can’t let up 42 points in a game like that.”

Senior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg echoed Zach Harrison’s sentiment.

“It doesn’t come down to Noah,” Eichenberg said. “It comes down to me. I got to do, I got to do better.”

Behind the tears and emotion, Ohio State players and coaches alike exited the field one-by-one, encased by the sounds of a Georgia victory celebration.

Refusing to break with tradition, former

Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller was the sole Buckeye joining the Ohio State Marching Band as they performed “Carmen Ohio.” Miller would eventually be joined by Ohio State then-junior linebacker Mitchell Melton and now-sophomore cornerback Ryan Turner, and as the band played their last note, Miller let out an emphatic, “O-H.”

Stroud, drawing scarlet and gray for what was the final time, said he found joy in the loss.

“When we were out there, it was kind of like you knew what was going to happen. When you’re playing like that, you’re playing free,” Stroud said. “I think that was one of the most fun games I ever played in my life.”

As the 2023 season came to a close that Saturday night, a new season is rapidly approaching, and the Buckeyes hope to return to the College Football Playoff for another chance at vying for the trophy.