Tennessee at Ohio State: College Football Playoff first round live updates, score, highlights
Ohio State and Tennessee are set to meet in the final College Football Playoff game in the first round, with the winner set to advance to the quarterfinals to take on top-seeded Oregon.
There should be no shortage of drama on Saturday night in Columbus, with both teams feeling good about their chances. The Buckeyes enter as the No. 8 seed, while the Volunteers are the No. 9 seed.
On3 will be following the game throughout the evening to provide live updates, so stay tuned below for all the latest from the pivotal postseason matchup. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET with a broadcast on ABC. Let’s dive right in.
Will Howard putting on a show early on
12/21/2024 07:34:10 PM
The Ohio State quarterback has started off red hot through the first two drives. So far he is 5-of-6 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown. He has completions of 40, 37 and 21 yards so far. If he keeps playing like this, the Buckeyes will be almost impossible to beat.
SCORE ALERT: Ohio State 14 – 0 Tennessee, 8:09 1Q
12/21/2024 07:31:37 PM
Tennessee couldn’t sustain much on its opening drive, eventually punting it back away to Ohio State. The Buckeyes would waste little time cashing in yet again, with Will Howard dropping some absolute dimes. A one-on-one shot to Emeka Egbuka went for 40 yards down into the low red zone. A couple Quinshon Judkins runs later and Ohio State is up 14-0 with 8:09 to play in the first quarter.
SCORE ALERT: Ohio State 7 – 0 Tennessee, 12:46 1Q
12/21/2024 07:31:19 PM
Ohio State takes the lead on its opening drive, despite some early hiccups that appeared to be related to crowd noise. The drive looked to be in trouble until a facemask penalty on Tennessee on third down extended the drive. Then Will Howard got hot and connected on back-to-back big passing plays, the latter going to star freshman Jeremiah Smith for a 37-yard touchdown strike. Game on!
GAME ON: Tennessee kicks it away
12/21/2024 07:19:33 PM
The game begins with the Volunteers kicking it away to the Buckeyes. And we’re off, with the crowd definitely something to monitor in the early going tonight.
Tennessee fans have shown up in droves
12/21/2024 06:55:54 PM
Credit Tennessee fans for traveling remarkably well with the team and making a serious dent in the crowd split tonight at the Horseshoe. According to some estimates by reporters on scene, there may be as many as 30,000 Volunteers fans in the house. That should make for an electric environment both ways.
Ohio State opens as 6.5-point favorite
12/21/2024 06:17:30 PM
With the benefit of the home field in the College Football Playoff opener, Ohio State opened as a 6.5-point favorite in the contest, according to lines released by FanDuel. The opening over/under for the contest was set at 47.5 points, so offense could be at a premium tonight. Can either team take an early lead and dictate the tempo? That could be telling.
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