Tennessee vs. Ohio State: Box score, stats and summary feat. Will Howard (CFP First Round)

No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) and No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) wrapped up the first round of the College Football Playoff with a showdown in Columbus on Saturday. The matchup is considered the most anticipated in the first round, considering the level of both teams.

The Volunteers entered the 2024 college football season renowned for its high-powered offense, but it has been the defense that has propelled the team forward. They rank second in the SEC in both total defense and scoring defense. This is bound to be an advantage for them at the Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes, on the other hand, boast big talents across nearly every position on the field. This, combined with the advantage of playing at home, gives them a significant edge. It’s noteworthy that both of Tennessee's losses this season occurred on the road.

Tennessee vs. Ohio State box score

Team	First Quarter	Second Quarter	Third Quarter	Fourth Quarter	Final Score
Tennessee	0	10	0	7	17
Ohio State	21	0	14	7	42

Tennessee box score

Quarterback

Player	Pass Completion	Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs	Interceptions
Nico Iamaleava	14/31	104	0	20	47	2	0

Rushing

Player	Carries	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
Peyton Lewis	10	77	7.7	0	26
DeSean Bishop	7	22	3.1	0	8
Dylan Sampson	2	6	3.0	0	3

Receiving

Player	Receptions	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
Bru McCoy	4	40	10.0	0	21
Squirrel White	1	17	17.0	0	17
Dont'e Thornton Jr.	1	14	14.0	0	14
Braylon Staley	2	11	5.5	0	7
Chris Brazzell II	1	8	8.0	0	8
Peyton Lewis	3	7	2.3	0	4
Miles Kitselman	1	5	5.0	0	5
Dylan Sampson	1	2	2.0	0	2

Defense

Player	Interception	Sacks
Will Brooks	1	0

Kicking

Player	Extra Point Made/Attempted	Field Goal Made/Attempted	Long
Max Gilbert	2/2	1/1	36

Ohio State box score

Quarterback

Player	Pass Completion	Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs	Interceptions
Will Howard	24/29	311	2	5	37	0	1
Devin Brown	1/1	6	0	0	0	0	0
Julian Sayin	0/1	0	0	0	0	0	0

Rushing

Player	Carries	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
TreVeyon Henderson	10	80	8.0	2	29
Quinshon Judkins	10	34	3.4	2	8
James Peoples	7	6	0.9	0	6
Emeka Egbuka	1	-1	-1.0	0	0

Receiving

Player	Receptions	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
Jeremiah Smith	6	103	17.2	2	37
Emeka Egbuka	5	81	16.2	0	40
TreVeyon Henderson	4	54	13.5	0	21
Gee Scott Jr.	4	39	9.8	0	26
Carnell Tate	1	18	18.0	0	18
Quinshon Judkins	2	9	4.5	0	6
Will Kacmarek	1	7	7.0	0	7
Brandon Inniss	1	6	6.0	0	6
Will Howard	1	0	1.0	0	0

Defense

Player	Interception	Sacks
JT Tuimoloau	0	2
Jack Sawyer	0	1.5
Ty Hamilton	0	0.5

Kicking

Player	Extra Point Made/Attempted	Field Goal Made/Attempted	Long
Jayden Fielding	6/6	0/1	0

Tennessee vs. Ohio State Summary

The playoff encounter lived up to the billing right away with Ohio State scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Quarterback Will Howard found Jeremiah Smith with a pass in the end zone from 37 yards with 12:46 left on the clock.

The Buckeyes extended the lead some minutes later with a rushing touchdown. Following what was a brilliant drive, Quinshon Judkins rushed to the end zone from the one-yard line with 8:09 left in the first quarter.

Ohio State made it three touchdowns in three drives with another rushing touchdown in the first quarter. TreVeyon Henderson rushed 29 yards to the end zone with 3:27 left, exerting the Buckeyes dominance on the game.

Tennessee recorded its first point of the game in the second quarter with a field goal. Max Gilbert hit the target from 36 yards with 6:39 left on the clock following a drive of nine plays for 62 yards.

The Volunteers reduced the margin further just before halftime with a rushing touchdown. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava rushed to the end zone from the two-yard line with just 0:20 left before halftime.

Ohio State resumed scoring in the third quarter with a passing touchdown. Will Howard once again connected with Jeremiah Smith from 22 yards to widen the reduced margin with 9:16 left on the clock.

The Buckeyes extended the lead further in the closing stages of the third quarter. Quinshon Judkins got his second rushing touchdown of the game, finding his way to the end zone from the two-yard line with 1:18 left.

Ohio State continued its dominance in the fourth quarter with a rushing touchdown. TreVeyon Henderson also got his second of the game, rushing the end zone from 24 yards with 10:53 left on the clock.

Tennessee reduced the margin as the game was running closer to an end. Nico Iamaleava grabbed his second rushing touchdown of the game. The quarterback found his way to the end zone from the two-yard line with 1:56 left in the game.

It was an emphatic win for Ryan Day and his team at home in Columbus. They advance to the next stage of the playoffs where they'll come up against Oregon in the Rose Bowl.