While roses bloomed for the Buckeyes, the hopes of thousands of faithful Tennessee fans who made the five-hour drive to Columbus wilted in the frigid Ohio temperatures. Ohio State rode a 21-0 lead to a 45-17 victory in the first round of the playoffs.
Tennessee fans, who made up maybe 30% of the crowd of 102,819, according to some estimates, turned sections of the stands at the Horseshoe orange but could not will their team to a victory. Ohio State fans poked fun at them by chanting “SEC” during the game. And their night ended with Ohio State mocking them by playing a short burst of “Rocky Top” over the stadium loudspeakers before quickly transitioning to “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye.”
Tennessee fans did not go home happy but left a lasting impression on the Ohio State players.
“That’s the best thing about college football — the fan bases,” Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer said. “They’re so big. Tennessee has got a great fan base. I knew they were going to travel. A lot of them were in our hotel.”
In its first playoff appearance, Tennessee (10-3) suffered its most lopsided loss of the season. A number of Volunteer players warmed up shirtless before the game to prove the cold wouldn’t affect them. One Tennessee fan near the Ohio State tunnel followed their lead.
Ohio State scored touchdowns on its first three possessions to silence the Tennessee fans.
“I think they thought they were going to take over this place,” Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said, “and we showed them pretty quick that we weren’t going to let that happen. I think obviously us jumping out to a pretty quick start helped with that, but I’ve got to give credit to Buckeye Nation for showing up and being loud.”
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel opened his postgame press conference by thanking the fans.
“I don’t know what the actual number was that showed up,” he said, “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.”
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