C.J. Stroud doesn't have 'immediate answer' on playing in New Year's Six bowl

On3 imageby:Andy Backstrom11/26/22

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COLUMBUS — Saturday was Ohio State’s second straight loss to Michigan, something that hadn’t happened since 1999-2000. It was the first time the No. 3 Wolverines had beaten the Buckeyes in Columbus in 22 years. But it also might have been the final game of quarterback C.J. Stroud’s Ohio State career.

“I’ll have to take it up into consideration, whatever happens,” Stroud said postgame, when asked if he would still play in a New Year’s Six bowl if the No. 2 Buckeyes don’t make the College Football Playoff.

“I don’t know. I can’t give you a final answer on whatever happens. It all has to happen over these next couple weeks. I don’t have an immediate answer for that question.”

Stroud continued: “But this is the one that we really wanted. This is 365 days of everybody laughing, talking. I thought we started out strong and just laid an egg in the second half.”

Stroud completed 31-of-48 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. On the flip side, he threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter of the 45-23 defeat. Stroud finished the regular season with a 37:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He came into Saturday tied for first nationally in touchdown passes.

What’s more, the redshirt sophomore signal caller entered The Game as a Heisman Trophy candidate and a projected top-five NFL Draft pick.

But Stroud’s performance — as decent as it looks on paper — wasn’t enough against Michigan. The same was true last year in Ann Arbor when he put up a similar 394 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 42-27 loss.

“I thought he competed,” Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said of Stroud. “I thought he played hard all the way to the end. He made some good throws. There’s nobody who wanted to win more than C.J. Stroud today.”

Stroud took ownership for the loss postgame. Of course, it wasn’t all on him. Ohio State was embarrassed defensively by its Big Ten East rival for the second year in a row. The Buckeyes — who ushered in a new defensive staff this offseason to avoid exactly what occurred in Ohio Stadium Saturday — allowed 530 total yards of offense to a Michigan team that was missing its own Heisman candidate, running back Blake Corum, for practically the whole game.

First, the Wolverines made Ohio State look silly through the air with four J.J. McCarthy 30-plus-yard passes in the first three quarters of action. Then, Michigan broke the Buckeyes’ back in the second half with two Donovan Edwards rushing touchdowns that went at least 75 yards.

Still, Stroud is well aware that some will hold his two losses to Michigan against him.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Stroud said, when asked what he wants his legacy to be at Ohio State.

“People are going to say I never won The Game, and I understand. People are going to say I never won a Big Ten Championship, and I understand. So, I mean, when it comes to that, I just have to eat it, man. It’s life. Nothing’s ever been easy for me. I don’t expect it to get easy.”

Stroud added: “I think I said earlier this week that I want to be known as the best. I don’t think that I’ll have that respect from Buckeye nation anymore. … I wish I could have did more. I wish I could have won these games. But no one can question my heart.”

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