ATLANTA — More than a month later and with the College Football Playoff days away, Ohio State still can’t seem to shake its one loss of the season.
Even though they’ll be competing for a shot at the national championship in the Peach Bowl semifinal against No. 1 Georgia (13-0) on Saturday night, the fourth-ranked Buckeyes (11-1) haven’t moved past their 45-23 loss to rival Michigan on Nov. 26 to close the regular season.
Ohio State players said the loss has left them cast as the underdogs against the Bulldogs, who are seeking to repeat as national champions. The Buckeyes have lost to Michigan in back-to-back seasons, and clearly last month’s ugly defeat left a mark.
“We feel like it’s always been Ohio against the world,” defensive end Jack Sawyer said Wednesday. “We feel like that’s never going to change. So throughout this whole month of bowl prep, our defense has been playing very (angry) in practice — I think the whole team as a whole has been. And I think that’s where we need to be.
“And like I said, we’re just really focused and really eager to get back on the field Saturday night.”