Scarlet Sunrise: Roddy Gayle Jr.'s monster night lifts Buckeyes over West Virginia in overtime
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Roddy Gayle Jr.’s monster night lifts Buckeyes over West Virginia in overtime
Ohio State led by as many as 14 points in the first half against West Virginia Saturday night in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Buckeyes trailed for all of 52 seconds in a 78-75 win after the Mountaineers staked themselves to a game-opening 3-0 advantage.
Roddy Gayle Jr. scored a career-high 32 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists, not to mention the five 3-pointers and nine rebounds (four offensive) Jamison Battle piled up.
And yet the neutral site game still went down to the wire — overtime, in fact.
Gayle notched seven of Ohio State’s first 12 points, knocking down a 3-pointer and a turnaround jumper to start before stealing an inbound pass and elevating for a two-handed dunk.
Offense, however, was hard to come by for head coach Chris Holtmann’s team at times. The Buckeyes had streaks of seven straight misses and 11 straight misses in the first half, the second of which saw WVU dig itself out of its 14-point hole with an 11-0 run that featured an and-one from forward Quinn Slazinski and a dunk off the glass from Patrick Suemnick, who chipped in a season-high nine points.
Ohio State also missed six shots in a row in the second half — after a couple of Battle 3-pointers, a Gayle jumper and layup from center Felix Okpara restored the Buckeyes’ double-digit lead — and then the final three field goal attempts of that period, too, while WVU completed its comeback. Layups by Suemnick and, before that, a 3-pointer from RaeQuan Battle, who scored a team-high 24 points, did the trick late.
Noah Farrakhan dished the ball to Suemnick for the game-tying layup. Farrakhan scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half, including eight in the span of 3:24 midway through the period.
The Buckeyes had their chances to finish off WVU, most notably Gayle’s potential game-winner at the end of regulation. They also shot themselves in the foot with six missed free throws and two turnovers in the extra frame. But 3-pointers from Battle, Gayle and then Bruce Thornton helped seal the deal.
Catching up on Cotton Bowl content?
Ohio State flopped offensively in the Cotton Bowl, scoring 20 points or fewer for just the fifth time since Ryan Day joined the program in 2017 — but the third time this season.
There weren’t too many bright spots in a 14-3 defeat to Missouri, but the top-10 New Year’s Six showdown in AT&T Stadium did feature a strong performance by the Buckeyes’ defense.
Lettermen Row had full coverage of the disappointing finish to the 2023 season, which included the short-lived starting debut of Devin Brown and the first real meaningful snaps for fellow quarterback Lincoln Kienholz.
Get up to speed here…
Quick hitters from Ryan Day Cotton Bowl postgame press conference
Lincoln Kienholz thrust into tough spot in Cotton Bowl, not given help he needed to beat Missouri
Devin Brown’s starting debut ruined by another high ankle sprain
Why did Ohio State change its starting offensive line for the Cotton Bowl?
Defense did everything it could to help Buckeyes in Cotton Bowl
Messy Cotton Bowl performance makes Buckeyes quarterback evaluation tougher
Holbrook: Offensive changes are necessary, but will Ryan Day make them?
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Controversy is coming
Ohio State Mike Hall Jr. declares for NFL Draft
Ohio State defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. declared for the NFL Draft Saturday after three years with the program.
“This has been one of the greatest opportunities to ever experience playing for THE Ohio State University playing in front of the best damn fans and the best damn band in the land,” Hall wrote in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I am also very grateful for the Brotherhood here at Ohio State that is special and I am grateful to create everlasting memories and relationships amongst my teammates.”
Hall registered 24 total tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Perhaps most notably, though, Hall logged 29 total pressures, the third most on the team, according to Pro Football Focus.
For the full story, go here.
Buckeyes punter Jesse Mirco, DL Jaden McKenzie enter transfer portal
A pair of Ohio State players entered the transfer portal the day after the Buckeyes’ season ended: three-year starting punter Jesse Mirco and veteran defensive lineman Jaden McKenzie.
Mirco had his best game of the year in the Cotton Bowl with four 50-plus-yard punts and three total boots landing inside the Missouri 20-yard line.
McKenzie played a career-high 77 defensive snaps this season, according to PFF, including 10 or more in five different games, while notching 10 total tackles.
For more on Mirco, go here.
For more on McKenzie, go here.
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 335 days
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