ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit confirms suspicion about the role that Tennessee Vols fans played in Ohio State's championship run
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit confirmed on Monday night near the end of the College Football Playoff championship game that Tennessee Vols fans played a huge role in the Ohio State Buckeyes' dominant post-season turnaround. Herbstreit, an Ohio State alum who called the Buckeyes' championship game win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for ESPN on Monday […]
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit confirmed on Monday night near the end of the College Football Playoff championship game that Tennessee Vols fans played a huge role in the Ohio State Buckeyes' dominant post-season turnaround.
Herbstreit, an Ohio State alum who called the Buckeyes' championship game win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for ESPN on Monday night, noted several times during the broadcast that he has a personal relationship with OSU head coach Ryan Day. And that personal relationship led to Herbstreit gaining some unique insight on Ohio State's mindset in the College Football Playoff.
The longtime ESPN broadcaster said on Monday night that seeing Vols fans try to take over Ohio Stadium in the first round of the playoff was "the turning point" for a Buckeyes team that was being doubted after a shocking late-season loss to the Michigan Wolverines.
"That frigid night [against] Tennessee when the Volunteer fans tried to take over the horseshoe. That began the run," said ESPN play by play announcer Chris Fowler.
"I think that was the turning point as far as the psychological aspect of this team," responded Herbstreit. "Looking up in their stadium and seeing all that orange, I think they got back to that locker room, from what Ryan Day and a lot of the players have told me, they basically drew a line in the sand from that moment on. When they won that game, they restored their confidence and belief that 'hey, we can go on a run here'. And they've come together. You either split apart when you go through something like that or you come together. And they've definitely come together."
Ohio State beat Tennessee 42-17 that night in Columbus. The Buckeyes then beat the Oregon Ducks by 20 points in the Rose Bowl before taking down the Texas Longhorns in the semi-finals and eventually ending the season with a 34-23 win against Notre Dame in the championship game.
There's no doubt that Ohio State was the most talented team in college football in 2024. They just needed some motivation to get in the right head space to play their best football.
You gotta credit Day and his staff for getting his players to buy into the disrespect. That's what good coaches do. And it paid off in a big way for the Buckeyes.
