The Ohio State Buckeyes are off to the national championship game in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff after a thrilling, 28–14 win over the Texas Longhorns on Friday. The Buckeyes ended their regular season with a crushing 13–10 loss to their bitter rival, the Michigan Wolverines. Now, coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes are cruising and have a chance to win it all.
Following the win in their CFP semifinal game over Texas, Day was asked about his team's response to the Michigan loss. He mentioned the adversity his team went through and how it's put them in position to win a national title.
"I think when you look at the guys that we have in our program, you see guys that are tough. You see guys that are resilient. You see guys who care about each other. You see guys that love being Buckeyes. You’re seeing two of them right here," Day said in his postgame press conference as he sat next to quarterback Will Howard and linebacker Jack Sawyer. Sawyer scored a game-sealing touchdown after a strip sack and fumble recovery for a scoop-and-score on Texas quarterback, and his ex-Ohio State roommate, Quinn Ewers.
"The story of this team is yet to be told. No great accomplishments are ever achieved without going through adversity. That’s just the truth," Day continued. "And so we’ve gone through our share of adversity. That’s life. I told those guys that. We’re not focused on what’s coming down the road, we’re not focused on what’s happened in the past. We’re focused on right now, and being right where we are. And at the end, we want to be able to tell the story of this team."
Ohio State defeat Oregon 41–21 in their quarterfinal matchup at the Rose Bowl game. Oregon beat Ohio State 32–31 earlier in the season, which is the Buckeyes' only blemish on the year besides the Michigan loss. Now, after OSU got past Texas at the Cotton Bowl, they need just one more win to finish the job.
The Buckeyes will meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Atlanta for the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 20.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ryan Day Explains How Loss to Michigan Helped Spark Team’s Playoff Run.