COLUMBUS, Ohio “ No. 7 Tennessee (10-3) suffered a 42-17 loss to No. 6 Ohio State (11-2) in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff at Ohio Stadium on Saturday night.
Tennessee, under head coach Josh Heupel, ended the season with its second 10-win campaign in three years, with 30 victories over the last three seasons”the program’s most since 1998-2000.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava finished 14-for-31 with 104 passing yards and added 47 rushing yards, including two touchdowns. The redshirt freshman also became the first freshman quarterback in Tennessee history to win 10 games in a single season. Wide receiver Bru McCoy was his top target, recording four receptions for 40 yards. Freshman running back Peyton Lewis led the Vols in rushing with 77 yards on 10 carries, as starter Dylan Sampson battled an injury.
Ohio State jumped out to a fast 21-0 lead, scoring on its first three drives. Will Howard connected with Jeremiah Smith for a 37-yard touchdown, while Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson each added a touchdown on the ground.
The Vols got a boost when redshirt senior defensive back Will Brooks intercepted Howard in the end zone, giving Tennessee momentum. The Vols used the pick to drive 62 yards in nine plays, capped by a 36-yard field goal from Max Gilbert. Iamaleava then led the offense on a 16-play drive, scoring on a two-yard touchdown run to close the gap to 21-10 at halftime.
Ohio State responded in the second half, scoring on its first three drives. Howard and Smith connected for a 22-yard touchdown pass, followed by Judkins and Henderson adding one-yard and 24-yard rushing touchdowns, respectively.
Tennessee managed to add a late touchdown, with Iamaleava rushing for a two-yard score with 1:56 remaining, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Ohio State’s dominance.
Tennessee defense registered seven tackles for loss, finishing the year with 100 TFLs, tied for the eighth-most in program history. Sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Telander led the defense with a career-high 10 tackles, including one for loss.
An estimated 30,000 Tennessee fans were part of the 102,819 in attendance, marking the Vols first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
