Ohio State Football Player Fires Back At The Team's Fan Base
Ohio State receivers coach Brian Hartline isn't the only whose been combative in the aftermath of the Buckeyes' win over Tennessee on Saturday night.
Despite questions surrounding OSU's offensive line play going into the game, Ryan Day's team blew the Vols out 47-12 on its way to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
"For three weeks, everyone in the world was telling us we suck," Ohio State left tackle Donovan Jackson told The Toledo Blade. "Half the fan base was telling us we sucked. Almost every analyst and expert and anyone with a podcast was telling us we sucked."
"So we took it personal," Jackson said. "We're like, 'That's not how we're going to go out. We know we're better than this.' Sure, we're down a couple guys, but all the guys in this room can go. ... We just wanted to go out there and play with our hair on fire."
Former Buckeyes quarterback and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit also took aim at his alma mater's fans during the network's broadcast — which definitely wasn't appreciated by a lot of folks in Columbus.
EUGENE, OREGON - OCTOBER 12: Donovan Jackson #74 of the Ohio State Buckeyes blocks during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
"The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country," Herbstreit said to partner Chris Fowler. "It used to be 8-10 [percent of the fan base]. I think it's grown now to about 15-20. So I don't know. I'm sure they'll be happy tonight — be fired up about what the Ohio State team did. But God forbid they lose to Oregon. They may want to fire [Ryan Day] again."
Ohio State definitely took the field with something to prove in the first round of the CFP.
Now they'll look to keep it rolling with a New Year's Day game against Big Ten foe Oregon at the Rose Bowl.
