Reminiscing the Buckeyes turnaround moment in 2014

This Week in Buckeyes History

September 6, 2014

It was the second game of the year for the #8 ranked Buckeyes following a sluggish opening win against Navy in The Shoe the previous week.

This game, against Virginia Tech, was also a home game. But the Hokies didn’t get the memo and strolled into their locker room at halftime with a 21-7 lead. They had never beaten a team ranked in the top eight in 34 previous attempts.

OSU redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett struggled the entire game against a defense Urban Meyer expected to be overly aggressive and create big-play opportunities. Deep pass after deep pass failed to connect, with three of them finding themselves in Hokie hands.

Virginia Tech pressured the young Barrett all day in the pocket, sacking him seven times…three times on Ohio State’s penultimate possession of the game.

The offensive line was badly exposed and couldn’t handle the onslaught. Ezekiel Elliott ran the ball only eight times. Barrett finished 9 of 29 for 219 yards, 1 TD, and 3 picks. The Hokies held the football for 33:19, more than seven minutes longer than the Buckeyes.

But it wasn’t just Barrett and the O-Line that struggled on this Saturday. Even when Barrett delivered crisp passes, the receivers sometimes failed to haul them in.

Regardless of the poor play, the Buckeyes still had a shot to win the game in the second half, scoring the game’s only touchdown in the third quarter on one of Barrett’s nine completions…this one to Michael Thomas for a 53-yard score that brought the Buckeyes within one touchdown of the Hokies at 21-14.

Most Buckeyes fans believed the team would right the ship in the second half. And it began to look that way when Vonn Bell intercepted Hokies quarterback Michael Brewer on the next possession. But the Scarlet and Gray kept the ball for only five plays, the final one being a punt.

On Virginia Tech’s next possession, Joey Bosa sacked Brewer and made him cough up the football. Rashad Frazier recovered at the Hokies’ 12 and Zeke rolled into the end zone two plays later. Tied ballgame, 21-21. The tide was turning. 11:40 remained.

Except….over the next two minutes and 56 seconds, the Hokies travelled 65 yards in six plays to quiet the home crowd and retake the lead, 28-21. The Buckeyes offense couldn’t do a thing for the rest of the game. Donovan Riley rubbed salt in the wounds late in the game with a pick six that sealed the upset. Virginia Tech 35 Ohio State 21.

It wasn’t like losing to Appalachian State, but it felt like it at the time. Who were these guys in the Scarlet and Gray uniforms? Who was that guy on the sidelines with the two national championship rings from his days in Florida?

Boy, did we find out!

This was one of the most important losses in Ohio State history because we know what happened afterward, how it ignited these talented young men to reach their potential.

Thirteen straight wins, Cardale Jones emerging as Superman, Evan Spencer throwing finesse darts to Michael Thomas and blocking like a beast so Zeke could run 85 yards through the heart of the South, and a national championship win over Oregon.

Today, with the playoff expansion, a loss or two…or maybe three…will not keep blueblood programs out of national championship contention.

The Buckeyes have approximately 60 new players on the team this season. But the offensive starters are largely intact. And who expected Matt Patricia’s defense to be so dominant last season after losing so many starters from 2024? I’m betting he gets the job done again.

O – H!

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Billy Bruce covers Ohio State Buckeyes football for tristatesportspage.com