ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Playoff-snubbed Ohio State got to raise another trophy in the building where the Buckeyes won a national championship.
While the streaming confetti this time was for a Cotton Bowl victory instead of a title celebration like three seasons ago, coach Urban Meyer still got a special feeling from the fifth-ranked Buckeyes’ defensively dominant 24-7 win over No. 8 Southern California.
“The mindset was obvious. We wanted to go down as one of the great teams at Ohio State, Big Ten champions, obviously a top five finish,” said Meyer, 73-8 in six seasons at Columbus. “This will go down as one of the best teams I’ve ever coached and one of the best groups of young people I’ve ever been around.”
With Buckeyes All-America junior cornerback Denzel Ward sitting out after deciding to go into the NFL draft, fellow defensive back Damon Webb returned an interception for a touchdown after recovering a fumble to set up an early score.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 champions would usually play New Year’s Day in Pasadena instead of deep in the heart of Texas, but the Rose Bowl is a College Football Playoff semifinal game this season.