Once Ohio State delivered an early blow, the Volunteers were unable to battle back.
Tennessee saw the 2024 campaign come to an end with a 42-17 loss to Ohio State in hte first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH.
The loss brings the Vols’ season to a close with a 10-3 mark.
“There wasn’t a phase of the football game where we operated the way we needed to early in the game, and came back and made a couple plays at the end of the second quarter to tighten it up, and just didn’t function well enough the beginning of the third quarter, either,” Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel said. “That’s a credit to them. But just didn’t do what you have to on the road in a game against a really good football team. Disappointed on all those accords.”
The Buckeyes started quick to take a 21-0 lead after a quarter of play.
“Yeah, defensively first series we got a chance to get off the field; end up with a playing penalty,” Heupel said of the first-quarter defensive woes. “Some of that’s going to happen during the course of a game. Had a couple of busts in coverage, and they made some plays, too. That’s going to happen against a good team.”
“But what we didn’t do is come back and find a way to get on the right side of it, and that’s defensively, offensively; it’s everybody.”
After a Will Brooks interception in the endzone, Tennessee was able to mount a drive in the second quarter before a false start hampered the effort to find the endzone. The Vols still came away with points as Max Gilbert hit a 38-yard field goal.
In the closing minutes of the first half, Nico Iamaleava scored on a two-yard run to pull the Vols within 21-10 at the half.
“Yeah, kid (Nico) is going to lay it on the line and compete with everything that he’s got, and he did that tonight,” Heupel said. “There’s some things that he’d want back, and that could be a read, a throw, but continued to play and fight. There were a lot of moving parts within our personnel around him, and when you’re playing that position you need to have the guys around you playing at a high level, too.”
Iamaleava had 47 rushing yards on the ground, and went 14-of-31 passing for 104 yards. The redshirt freshman became the first quarter in Tennessee history to win 10 games in a single season.
Bru McCory had four catches for 40 yards, while Peyton Lewis had 77 yards on 10 carries.
Tennessee was without starting running back Dylan Sampson for most of the game.
“Yeah, end of the Vandy game, got dinged up, and it was soft tissue, and had been out the first couple weeks and got back with us,” Heupel said. “Started building him through the week. Felt like he was in a good spot. Anticipated him not having the same type of load that he normally would have. Just early in the game kind of retweaked it and wasn’t available there for a while.”
After Tennessee was forced to punt on the opening drive of the third, Ohio State reeled off 21 straight to take control.
Iamaleava scored on a tow-yard run in the closing minutes to account for the final score.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard went 24-of-29 for 311 yards, while TreVeyon Henderson had 10 carries for 80 yards.
Jeremiah Smith was the leading receiver for the Buckeyes with six catches for 103 yards.
While the game was in Columbus, there was a large and noticeable contingent of Tennessee fans inside Ohio Stadium.
“First, just want to thank our fans,” Heupel said. “I don’t know what the actual number was that showed up, but there was a bunch of orange that decided to make the trip. Appreciate them. Disappointed for them. Disappointed for our team and everything that we have put into it since last January, that we didn’t coach and play better in this one early.”
