Ohio State Quarterback C.J. Stroud Sets School, Rose Bowl Records In Thrilling Win Over Utah

The redshirt freshman capped his first year as a starter with the best performance of his young career.

Even though he was missing a pair of wide receivers who are projected to be first-round picks in April’s NFL Draft, quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 573 yards and six touchdowns in Ohio State’s 48-45 win over Utah on Saturday evening.

It was the most passing yards in a single game in school history, as well as the most touchdown passes in the the history of the Rose Bowl. It also capped a season in which Stroud – a Heisman finalist – set school records for completion percentage (71.9), passer rating (198.6) and yards per game (345.1).

“This is the Rose Bowl,” Stroud said after the game. “This is where legendary games have been played. If you aren’t motivated to play in it, I think I question your love of the game. 

"Every game I go out there, I try to do my best and make sure I prepare the right way and do the right things because you never know what can happen in the game.”

Stroud, who grew up less than an hour’s drive from the Rose Bowl, leaned heavily on sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 15 passes for a bowl and school record 347 yards and three touchdowns on the night.

He also found freshman wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. three times in the end zone, offering a glimpse of things to come for the Buckeyes’ offense with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson now off to the NFL.

“We built that connection back when we came in as freshman together, throwing at the Woody (Hayes Athletic Center) on our first day,” Stroud said of his rapport with Smith-Njigba. “Then scout team last year is when we really built it. It doesn’t surprise me at all. When I heard the numbers, I didn’t really notice it because he does this all the time.

“I’m just blessed to be around guys like this. I mean, me and him don’t have a big game without our lineman. Our offensive line played their butts off. I don’t think I got sacked once. Our running backs ran the ball well. Our tight ends played very well. The young guys, Marvin and Julian (Fleming) played really well, as well.

“When you put all of those things together, I feel like we can just keep going.”

Harrison entered the Rose Bowl with just five receptions for 68 yards on the season but surpassed that on Saturday by hauling in six passes for 71 yards and the three scores, including a 25-yarder on 4th-and-1 that got the scoring started for the Buckeyes in the second quarter.

“I call Marv ‘Route Man Marv,’” Stroud said. “His routes are amazing, especially against a good corner in (Clark Phillips) and (Micah Bernard) had a decent game, as well, filling in in that spot. Respect to their defense, but when my guys are rolling, I think we’re pretty much unstoppable.

“Marv had a great game. He showed y’all a little glimpse, but he had way more in his bag. Julian, I know he popped his shoulder out, but he has way more in his bag, as well, and I know they’ll hit their peak next year.”

Coming off a devastating loss to Michigan that kept Ohio State from the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff, as well as facing an opponent that was eager to prove it belongs among the nation’s elite, Stroud and the Buckeyes could have easily packed it in when they trailed by 14 points at intermission.

Instead, they used the lessons learned in the loss to Oregon in September and the back-to-back nine-point wins over Penn State and Nebraska in late October and early November to end the season on a high note – or rather start the 2022 season off with a bang.

“You always have ups and downs,” Stroud said. “These are all learning experiences when you’re young. This is our first year starting, so when you have games like that under your belt, you know how to finish games off in a sense. You know not to panic, how to stay calm, and I think that’s what we did.

“I’m really proud of my guys for staying calm and not really panicking, not point fingers or anything like that. We all kind of stayed even-keeled and make sure we were going to win this game.”

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