You remember that feeling in your gut when the first whistle blew at Ohio Stadium back in December 2024? It was cold. It was loud. And for about thirty thousand Tennessee fans who made the trek to Columbus, it was the start of a very long night. The Ohio State vs Tennessee game wasn't just another matchup; it was a collision of two fanbases that rarely cross paths but share a massive, almost religious devotion to their colors.
Honestly, people expected a dogfight. We’re talking about a #8 vs #9 seed matchup in the first round of the newly expanded College Football Playoff. On paper, it was the "game of the week." In reality? It was a Buckeyes masterclass that left the Volunteers searching for answers before the second quarter even started.
The 21-0 Lightning Strike
Most people get this part wrong—they think Tennessee just played "bad." Kinda. But the truth is Ohio State’s opening was surgically precise. Will Howard didn't look like a guy under pressure. He looked like a guy playing catch in his backyard.
Within five plays, Howard found Jeremiah Smith for a 37-yard touchdown. Boom. 7-0.
Then, the Buckeyes defense did what they’ve been doing all year. They suffocated Nico Iamaleava. Tennessee went three-and-out, and before you could grab another snack, Quinshon Judkins was punching it in from the one-yard line. When TreVeyon Henderson ripped off a 29-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0 by the end of the first quarter, the energy in the "Shoe" was basically vibrating.
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It felt over. You could see it on the Tennessee sideline. The speed of the Big Ten champions—well, the Big Ten runner-ups that year—was just too much for the SEC’s high-tempo offense to handle.
Nico’s Moment of Hope (and Why It Faded)
If you're a Vols fan, you probably hold onto the second quarter like a lifeline. It was the only time the game felt competitive. Nico Iamaleava started to find a rhythm, despite being chased by JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer all night.
- The Interception: Will Brooks picked off Howard in the end zone. Huge.
- The Drive: A 16-play, 79-yard marathon.
- The Score: Nico scrambled for a 2-yard touchdown right before the half.
At 21-10, there was this brief, flickering thought: Wait, can they actually do this? Tennessee had the momentum. They had the ball coming out of—no, wait, Ohio State actually deferred. It didn't matter. The hope lasted exactly as long as the halftime show.
Once the third quarter started, the Ohio State vs Tennessee game reverted to the mean. Ohio State went 21 unanswered. Again. Jeremiah Smith (who is basically a cheat code at this point) caught another touchdown, and the Buckeyes' backfield duo of Judkins and Henderson just started grinding the Tennessee front seven into the dirt.
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What the Stats Don’t Tell You
The final score was 42-17. That looks like a blowout because it was. But look closer at the individual performances.
Jeremiah Smith finished with 103 yards and two scores. He became the sixth freshman ever to go over a hundred yards in a CFP game. That’s elite company. On the other side, Nico Iamaleava finished 14 for 31 for only 104 yards. That was his season low. Think about that. A guy who had been lighting up the SEC all year got held to just over 100 yards through the air.
The Buckeyes' defense, led by Jim Knowles, figured out the "Heupel Speed." They didn't substitute. They stayed in their lanes. They dared Tennessee to run, and while Peyton Lewis had a decent night (77 yards), it wasn't enough to move the needle.
Why This Game Changed the "SEC vs Big Ten" Narrative
For years, the talk was always that the Big Ten was "slow" and the SEC was "fast." This game flipped the script. Ohio State looked like the faster team on both sides of the ball. They out-gained Tennessee 473 to 256. That’s not a gap; that’s a canyon.
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It also settled some nerves in Columbus. Ryan Day had been taking a lot of heat after losing to Michigan (again) three weeks prior. This win didn't make up for the Michigan loss—nothing does for Buckeyes fans—but it proved that his team belonged in the national title conversation. Tennessee, meanwhile, had to swallow the reality that being "a year away" is a tough place to be in the new playoff era.
The Aftermath and the 2025 Outlook
So, what happened after? Ohio State used that win as a springboard to the Rose Bowl, where they had that epic rematch with Oregon. Tennessee? They went home with a 10-3 record. For a redshirt freshman like Nico, winning 10 games in his first year as a starter is actually a historical feat for the Vols, but it’s hard to celebrate that when you get handled so convincingly on national TV.
Interestingly, this Ohio State vs Tennessee game also served as a bit of a "welcome to the big leagues" for the Vols' young roster. Most of those guys are back for the 2025 season. They saw the blueprint. They know the level of physicality required to actually win a playoff game on the road in December.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re looking back at this matchup to predict how these teams will fare in the 2025-2026 season, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Watch the Trench Play: Tennessee struggled against Ohio State's offensive line even when the Buckeyes were missing starters. If the Vols haven't bolstered their defensive interior through the portal, they'll struggle against power-run teams again.
- The "Freshman" Factor: Nico Iamaleava’s struggle in Columbus was a classic case of a young QB seeing "ghosts" against a complex defense. Look for his completion percentage to jump in 2025 as he gets better at pre-snap reads.
- Jeremiah Smith is the Key: Any game plan involving Ohio State has to start with doubling #4. Tennessee tried to play him straight up early on, and it cost them 14 points in the blink of an eye.
- Venue Matters: Playing in the "Shoe" in December is a different beast. If this game had been in Neyland Stadium, the noise factor probably keeps Nico calmer in that disastrous first quarter.
The 42-17 scoreline is etched in the record books now. It’s a reminder that in the College Football Playoff, a slow start isn't just a hurdle—it's a death sentence.
To truly understand where these programs are headed, you need to watch the 2025 spring ball tapes for both schools. Ohio State is reloading for another title run, while Tennessee is desperate to prove that the Columbus massacre was a fluke, not a ceiling. Keep an eye on the transfer portal entries for both teams this month; that's where the next chapter of this rivalry—if you can call it that yet—will actually be written.