COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Buckeyes took the 13th step toward completing a magical season, and after a regular season of dominance, the events that unfolded in Saturday’s game were further proof that this team may be one of the most special in program history.
This will be the third Ohio State team that has ventured into the College Football Playoff, but 2019 marks the first time that an unscathed Buckeyes will make an appearance. In order to avoid a mark in the loss column, the Buckeyes needed to make great plays on the field in the second half, but the rally started in the locker room.
Six of Ohio State’s captains have combined for 2,599 yards from scrimmage, 159 tackles and 32 touchdowns. There is a seventh captain, however, that has not contributed to any of these totals, but his impact in the Big Ten Championship game was echoing through the locker room after the game.
“I think one of the biggest things at half time was actually C.J. Saunders getting up in front of the whole team and just talking to us and telling us that we got it, so he definitely helped the team out a lot,” Justin Fields said.
Fields and the Buckeyes would put together a 27-0 scoring advantage in the second half to claim a third-straight Big Ten title, but the player that may be responsible for sparking the resurgence was using crutches on the sideline.
“I just told the guys with all my heart like, ‘If you don’t believe that we’re about to win this game with every part, with every fiber in you then don’t leave this locker room and don’t go out on that field, because we need everybody out there to fully believe that we’re about to go and win this game,’” Saunders said.
A knee injury has derailed the former walk-on’s fifth season with the Buckeyes. Saunders has made 27 catches for 294 yards and a touchdown in his career.
Despite a disappointing outcome for him individually, Saunders has continued to fight for his teammates in ways that do not earn yards or receptions, and the leadership he has brought to the team may be more valuable than any play he could have made on the field.
“It’s not what I would have expected,” Saunders said on the way his season has gone. “It’s not how I would have wrote up this season, but I am thankful I’m in this position regardless, that God has put me in this position, and I think if my role maybe it’s not catching touchdowns and doing stuff on the field, but it’s motivating guys and helping us get to this point then so be it.”
The mark of a great team can be measured by its top-flight talent, and Ohio State certainly does not lack in that department. Between Fields, J.K. Dobbins, Chase Young and Jeff Okudah, the Buckeyes are one of the most talented teams in the country.
The great teams become special, however, when the impact can come from the lesser-known players.
“The type of person he is, is the reason why we won this game,” Josh Myers said about Saunders. “We have a bunch of guys like him. He came here, he didn’t have a scholarship, he earned one. He ended up being a captain. Everything he does, like he can’t lose no matter what he does in life, like he’ll never lose, and that’s the type of people we have in this locker room.”
The next time the Buckeyes take the field, it will be to take on a Clemson team that has been an unsolvable puzzle for the Buckeyes in the past. Saunders was on the 2016 team that fell to the Tigers 31-0, but he did not take a snap in that game.
Similarly, he will not make an appearance in the 2019 game, but unlike the previous matchup with Clemson, his impact will be felt.
“Maybe it’s not catching touchdowns or passes on the field, but on the sidelines motivating guys, at practice keeping dudes’ heads on straight and just trying to be that positive impact for them,” Saunders said on his role on this team.
