Adam Cairns-Imagn Images
Tennessee talked a big game ahead of its showdown with Ohio State in the College Football Playoff only to get sent home packing in very decisive fashion. The Volunteers attempted to act like they were unfazed by the chilly weather in Columbus before the game, but Will Howard took a victory lap while reflecting on an intimidation tactic that didn’t have the desired effect.
The Tennessee Volunteers had never punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff prior to this season, but they reaped the benefits of the 12-team expansion while earning the right to face off against an Ohio State team that got the nod for the sixth time.
There were plenty of questions surrounding the Buckeyes in the wake of their embarrassing loss to Michigan during the final game of the regular season, and Tennessee fans did everything in their power to reduce Ohio State’s home-field advantage by scooping up tickets at The Horseshoe in the hopes of giving their team a boost in a game where the Vols were listed as 7.5-point underdogs.
Tennessee was seemingly also at a disadvantage thanks to the weather in Columbus, as the thermometer read 25°F at the time of kickoff to mark the third-coldest game in the program’s history.
Members of the visiting team went out of their way to try to act like they were unfazed by the cold after a number of players came out of the tunnel shirtless for the pregame warmup. There’s no way to know how big of an impact the elements had on the game, but it’s hard to imagine balmy conditions would have helped Tennessee fare much better in a contest where their season ended after Ohio State walked all over them in the 42-17 victory.
Buckeyes QB Will Howard threw for 311 yards and had a couple of touchdowns in the win he recently reflected on while sitting down with Jon Gruden ahead of the NFL Draft, and he used their film session as an excuse to clown on Tennessee for their shirtless antics.
Cracking up at Will Howard talking about Tennessee coming out shirtless
“What the f— are these clowns doing, man?” pic.twitter.com/Ia0feh6TRK
— Stefan Krajisnik (@skrajisnik3) April 8, 2025
Howard noted the attempted show of force failed to strike too much fear into his heart based on how short-lived it ended up being, saying:
“The funny thing is they came out with their shirts off and they ran over to the opposite endzone and immediately put them back on.
I was like, ‘What the f—k are these clowns doing, man?’ At that moment, I knew we had them.”
Good job, good effort.