Vols DL Omarr Norman-Lott makes brutally honest admission about Tennessee's loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff
The Tennessee Vols reached the College Football Playoff in 2024 for the first time ever, but they made a quick exit thanks to arguably the worst first-round draw in playoff history. Tennessee ended up being the No. 9 seed in the playoff, which meant they had to go on the road in the first round. […]
The Tennessee Vols reached the College Football Playoff in 2024 for the first time ever, but they made a quick exit thanks to arguably the worst first-round draw in playoff history.
Tennessee ended up being the No. 9 seed in the playoff, which meant they had to go on the road in the first round. The Vols were matched up against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the eventual national champs.
The feeling going into the playoff was that Ohio State was a wounded program after losing to a mediocre Michigan Wolverines team in the final week of the regular season.
Ohio State, however, rallied behind the outside noise and played inspired football as they cruised through the College Football Playoff on their way to the program's first national championship since the 2014 season.
The Buckeyes' dominant 42-17 win against the Volunteers in Columbus sent a message to the rest of the sport that Ohio State was anything but "wounded".
Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott, a projected early round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, was asked about the loss to the Buckeyes at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week.
Norman-Lott didn't sugarcoat the loss, telling reporters that the Vols were "blown out of the water" by Ohio State.
"That experience was amazing, being able to be a part of the 12-team College Football Playoff," said Norman-Lott. "Who stood out (for Ohio State)? We got blown out of the water, so I'd probably say the whole team. Maybe the young wide receiver (Jeremiah Smith), he's not to be messed with."
"You're, like, rendered powerless," said Norman-Lott of going up against Smith. "You're doing anything you can to stop him. But it's a man versus man game. And that day, he was the better man."
It's really unfortunate for the Vols that they were matched up against Ohio State in the first round. Tennessee had a great season, going 10-2 with wins against Alabama and Florida, but the lasting image of UT football for most folks around the country was a blowout loss on national television against the Buckeyes.
If Tennessee had a more favorable matchup in the first round, they probably advance to at least the second round and their season is viewed much differently than it is now. But hey, that's how it goes in sports sometimes. The scenario you land in isn't always necessarily "fair". Such is life.
Credit to Norman-Lott for being candid about the loss, though. That's something we could use more of in sports.
