Bear with me its going to be a bit of a "living document" with updates, stats, and the like any posts of stats, pics, tweets, etc. Detailing these players journeys would be appreciated The best story in college football involves many parts and dozens of players, but four stories stand out above the rest in demonstrating what this team has been through.
The four Buckeyes of the Tidepocalypse, and the four horrific dates that shaped the 2020 team
Offense:
Trey Sermon and Justin Fields: We Arent done yet.
i hate this hit, but the brotherhood is alive and well, even for these two "Transfers"
Justin Fields- August 11, 2020, big ten cancels football. August 16th Justin and several other players create the famous online #wewanttoplay petition, which many believe was a major impetus for the season being un-cancelled and resuming v. Nebraska on October 24th. "Heroic" doesn't even begin to describe seventh game of the year vs. Clemson. I lack the descriptive powers to even attempt to do so.
Trey Sermon - March 22, 2020. At the beginning of the pandemic, Trey Sermon made the fateful plunge into the transfer portal and on this date chose to play for the buckeyes after their RB1, Master Teague, suffered an Achilles injury. This decision looked brilliant at the time but throughout the pandemic looked worse and worse. Trey was looking at his final season and with obvious talent and a desire to play at the next level, but needed the reps in a high powered offense to get enough film.
The bad luck seemed to snowball for Trey. Not only had the big ten cancelled sports indefinitely after he transferred, opt outs and suspensions were opening up the RB position at the school he transferred from. Trey was looking at playing less games, possibly not at all, BECAUSE he transferred. By the time the big ten un cancelled football, Master Teague had recovered, and Trey was in a position of 'splitting carries" and effectively made a RB2 or RB1B.
If you'd ask Trey, I'd say the Brotherhood worked out for him pretty well
Defense:
The Bulletproof Silver Bullets: Jonathon Cooper and Haskell Garrett
Haskell Garrett - August 30, 2020- while hopefully awaiting the big ten to come to its senses and uncancel 2020 fall sports, the buckeyes were dealt another devastating blow. In trying to assist a woman in a public domestic dispute, starting DT Haskell Garrett was shot in the face. He was able to retreat to safety and quickly seek medical care, but he was inches away from losing his life yet would end up taking the football field less than two months later.
GoBucks!!! pic.twitter.com/tSQ4LFGySD
— Haskell Garrett (@HASKELL_808) September 2, 2020
Jonathan Cooper- December 28, 2019. At the end of a season plagued with injuries, Gahanna, Ohio native was given a decision of playing one more game of the 2019 season in order to preserve his eligibility for the 2020 season. A true Buckeye, coop chose to earn another pair of gold pants and help defeat the team up north 56-27. Unfortunately that rendered him unable to play on the date above, where he had to watch his brothers "lose" one of the most heartbreaking games in buckeye history. And while that game was a motivator for many, perhaps none more so than Coop:
At the last workout before fall camp, captain @JonathonCooper7 gave this message to his teammates. pic.twitter.com/AkITri5AKG
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 10, 2020
Let it be known that Coop balled out when he finally did get his shot against Clemson.
These guys may all four be gone next year, but Im gonna appreciate the hell out of what they did for this team this year, and those sixty glorious minutes they still have yet to play.
