Day’s Buckeyes had that ‘look’ in rout of Vols
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Jake Trotter, ESPN Senior Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith dashed past the Tennessee defense for a 37-yard touchdown on the opening drive then high-fived Ohio State fans near the tunnel. Moments later, Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon delivered a hit on Nico Iamaleava so thunderous, it left the Volunteers quarterback with a cracked helmet.
Ohio State jumped to a three-touchdown lead in the first quarter and never looked back on the way to a resounding 42-17 win in the first round of the College Football Playoff, bouncing back from the crushing home loss to Michigan three weeks prior.
“Proud of the way they responded,” said Ryan Day, who notched his first victory over an SEC opponent as Ohio State’s head coach. “You could tell from the jump they had a look in their eye that they were going to win this game.”
Ohio State didn’t just win. With the outside pressure on Day and the Buckeyes mounting following a fourth consecutive loss to the Wolverines, Ohio State throttled the Volunteers for its largest victory over an SEC foe, eclipsing the previous record of 20 points set against Vanderbilt 91 years ago, according to ESPN Research.
“We did a hell of a job not letting off the gas,” said Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard, who played only five snaps in the fourth quarter before giving way to the backups. “We could’ve let that become a game. Being able to keep the foot on the pedal was huge.”
Howard set the tone, rebounding from his worst game this season with arguably his best.
He threw two picks in Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to Michigan, as the Buckeyes failed to score in the second half for the first time in 13 years.
On Saturday night, Howard completed 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 37 yards as Ohio State led 42-10 early in the fourth quarter before substituting out its starters.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly noted that Howard was so dialed in, the quarterback was calling out plays before Kelly could finish sending them in.
“The credit goes to the players,” Kelly said. “They were awesome. They were clicking on all cylinders.”
After catching only one pass for 3 yards after halftime against Michigan, Smith was virtually unguardable against the Volunteers. He finished with a game-high 103 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions, including a 22-yard scoring grab on the first drive of the second half.
“He’s the dude, man,” Howard said of Smith. “I think he’s the best receiver in the country. You see what the kid does with the ball in his hands. He’s just everything you want in a teammate and a receiver.”
Running back TreVeyon Henderson led the Buckeyes on the ground, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns while adding 54 receiving yards.
Defensively, Ohio State didn’t allow Iamaleava to complete a pass until the 9:36 mark in the second quarter. By that point, the Buckeyes were in command with a 21-0 lead.
“These guys have a lot of pride,” Day said. “I think this said a lot about who our guys are to be able to respond like that in a big way.”
The response set up a rematch with Big Ten champion and No. 1 seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Ducks defeated the Buckeyes 32-31 in Eugene on Oct. 12. After Saturday’s game, ESPN BET opened Ohio State as a one-point favorite over Oregon. The Ducks covered as 3.5-point underdogs in that October matchup.
Smith and Howard both made crucial mistakes on the final drive of that loss at Oregon. Smith was flagged for offensive pass interference, which pushed the Buckeyes out of field goal range. Then, on the game’s final play, Howard slid following a scramble as time expired, preventing Ohio State from attempting a potential game-winning field goal.
“Yeah, I’m excited, man,” Howard said of facing the Ducks again. “It’s going to be a heck of an opportunity for all of us. We’ve all been looking forward to this one and for another crack at [those] guys. The way that last one ended doesn’t sit right with me. It still bugs me.”
LOS ANGELES — Veteran forward Evander Kane made his season debut for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Defenseman John Klingberg also returned from a lengthy injury absence as the Oilers attempted to even the series.
Kane is a 15-year NHL veteran who hasn’t played for the Oilers since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last June. He had surgery last September to repair a sports hernia, and he underwent knee surgery in January.
Kane was slotted on to the Oilers’ second line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
Klingberg hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury while blocking a shot March 27 in Seattle. The Swedish veteran signed with Edmonton in January after going unsigned early in the season, but he played in only 11 games while dealing with multiple injuries.
The Oilers are hoping Klingberg can help their blue line, which frequently struggled in the Kings’ 6-5 victory in Game 1.
Jeff Skinner was scratched by the Oilers to make room for Kane. The 15-year NHL veteran forward made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 1, recording an assist.
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Ryan S. Clark
Chris Drury and the New York Rangers agreed to a multiyear contract extension on Wednesday, keeping him at the helm of the team’s hockey operations after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
“I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as president and general manager,” Madison Square Garden chairman and CEO James Dolan said in a statement. “Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic and a tireless pursuit of excellence.
“While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”
Drury, 48, took over as general manager and president of hockey operations at the start of the 2021-22 season. The Rangers reached the playoffs in his first three seasons.
His future was one of a few items that remained in question, with the intent that the Rangers would use this offseason to reload in their bid to return to the playoffs. The team also is facing a third coaching search in four seasons after firing Peter Laviolette following his two seasons.
“I am honored to sign this contract extension and continue in this position with the team I grew up supporting,” said Drury, a former Rangers captain who played four seasons with the team. “As I said when I began in this role nearly four years ago, there isn’t a more special organization in hockey, and I look forward to continuing our work this offseason to help us reach our goals for next season and in the coming years.”
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference finals under Laviolette in the 2023-24 season, the Rangers started 12-4-1 this season, only to lose the next five games. That started a chain reaction of inconsistent play that ultimately led to the Rangers finishing six points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
While the Rangers sought to make the playoffs, Drury also made it known they were open for business in December. That’s when they traded captain Jacob Trouba, who still had a year left on his contract, to the Anaheim Ducks. A few weeks later, they traded Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen, who would then sign an extension with the Rangers.
A month before the trade deadline, the Rangers reacquired J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. The Rangers also traded defenseman Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche and forward Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights while adding defensemen Carson Soucy in a separate deal with the Canucks.
Still, the Rangers lost four consecutive games in early March before having two three-game losing streaks that further damaged their chances in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.
Now that Drury has a new contract, he’ll be charged with trying to improve a roster that PuckPedia projects will have only $9.67 million in available cap space. K’Andre Miller, Zac Jones and Matt Rempe are part of the club’s eight-player restricted free agent class, while the Rangers have only two unrestricted free agents in Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Calvin de Haan.
Drury will be looking for a coach in what is expected to be a competitive market. Anaheim and Seattle also fired their coaches, and three other teams — Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia — ended the season with interim coaches. The Canucks declined the option on coach Rick Tocchet, but they have offered him a new, more lucrative contract.
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