Ohio State football: Defense blows Peach Bowl

The Ohio State football team had a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter of the Peach Bowl. You would think that would be enough for them to seal the deal. Instead, the defense choked and cost the Buckeyes the game.

Ryan Day called his best game of the season offensively. His play calls were excellent all game long. Ohio State scored 41 points, so that should’ve been enough to win. Instead the defense let down the offense. They couldn’t stop Georgia when it meant the most and that’s why they aren’t playing for a national championship. 

C. J. Stroud played his best game of the season in this game. He threw four touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over a single time. It didn’t matter. The defense was not up to the task, just as was the case against Michigan.

There’s no reason why the Buckeyes shouldn’t have won this game. The defense had an 11-point cushion with under 7 minutes left in the game. It didn’t matter. They still have up two touchdowns to lose the game. Yes, Noah Ruggles had a chance to make a field goal to win the game. But it never should’ve come down to that. 

This is an extremely tough way to end the season. The Ohio State football dominated most of this game. Jim Knowles didn’t earn his paycheck. His unit is the reason why this team isn’t playing for a national title. There’s no other reason. The offense played well enough to win this game.

There are going to be a lot of questions regarding this defense next year. There should be. They cost the Buckeyes the last two games they played. It’s an unbelievably disappointing way to finish the season. The offseason will spawn a lot of questions about the future of this program.