"We were missing some guys out there, we were trying to figure it out, and on the biggest stage, he played one of his best games."
In what will likely be his final game in an Ohio State uniform, redshirt sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns and nearly lead the Buckeyes to an upset of top-ranked and defending national champion Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
“I just tried to leave it all on the line,” an emotional Stroud said after the game. “I tried my hardest. I think I left my heart out on that field … We had the mindset that we were going to let everything hang, we were going to go out and fight as hard as we can, swing as hard as we can. I feel like we did that.”
The Buckeyes ultimately finished the season without their top two wide receivers, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba was limited to just three games due to a hamstring injury and Marvin Harrison Jr. left the loss to the Bulldogs with a concussion in the final minute of the third quarter.
They were also without their leading rusher from last season, as TreVeyon Henderson had surgery on his injured left foot earlier this month, while their top tight end, Cade Stover, went to the hospital with back spasms after attempting to hurdle a defender in the first quarter.
Throw in the fact that running back Miyan William – Ohio State’s leading rusher this season – was limited to just three carries on the evening after dealing with a stomach bug all week, it's a wonder how Stroud had the Buckeyes in field goal position with a chance to win the game at the end.
“What this guy did and the way he competed in the second half with all those things coming at him, I just can’t say enough,” Day said. “I’m so proud of the way he played … The way that he attacked this game, I couldn’t be any prouder of the way he did that.
“We were missing some guys out there, we were trying to figure it out, and on the biggest stage, he played one of his best games.”
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