<!–>
–>
The college football offseason is not only a great time to look ahead, but it’s also a great time to do some reflection. In the latest episode of my podcast, I did a little reflection thanks to a mailbag question. A fan named Roy L. asked me which player had the best performance in a game that I’ve called.
Honestly, that’s such a difficult question to answer. I can’t pick just one because there have been so many incredible performances. So, I’m going to share my top five individual performances I’ve ever called instead. Throughout this week, I’ll go one by one through my top five, in descending order.
I have a pair of honorable mentions that I want to give shout-outs to. Kyler Murray in the 2018 Red River Showdown was phenomenal. Texas won that game, but the former Oklahoma quarterback had a run down the sideline in that game that’s still probably the singular best play I’ve ever seen.
The other honorable mention I had was Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett’s comeback performance against Penn State in 2017. If you remember, Saquon Barkley took the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but Barrett was incredible in that game. I just couldn’t find a spot for him on that list.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was a pair of other Buckeyes who got the list going. Here’s the full list to this point:
5. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. & Edge JT Tuimoloau @ Penn State (2022)
Now, at No. 4, is a performance Ohio State fans want to forget.
Understanding the context of this game and its implications is crucial. Michigan had lost its last eight games to Ohio State and even though the Wolverines had some good teams during that stretch, the Big House typically had nervous energy for “The Game.” That was just the energy from what had transpired in the rivalry in the few years leading up to the 2021 matchup.
Ohio State was so good that year, too. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud was on fire, and he was throwing to arguably the greatest wide receiver room in the history of the sport. Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Chris Olave were leading that group at the time, and they’d all become first-round draft picks over the next two years.
Yet, Michigan fans in Ann Arbor that day never exuded the nervous energy they had in past years because of Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson gave the Michigan sideline belief. He gave that entire stadium belief. He also gave the state of Michigan the belief that the Wolverines could finally end their losing streak to their top rival.
Hutchinson was phenomenal. He recorded three sacks and 15 pressures that day. His 15 pressures were the most by a Big Ten player in the last 10 years – and he did it in the biggest game against the best team when he had to. Hutchinson needed to be great to stop that Ohio State offense.
Aidan Hutchinson helped lead a Michigan pass rush that was relentless in its win over Ohio State in 2021. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images) <!–>
–>
Going back to how dynamic Ohio State’s offense was that year, I remember there were games we called when the Buckeyes would score an avalanche of points like you’d see in college basketball. All of a sudden, they would be up multiple scores and a comeback would be impossible.
On that day, though, Ohio State couldn’t go on that same scoring avalanche against Michigan. Stroud was still sensational, throwing for 394 yards. But Hutchinson was too dominant, particularly on third downs, as Ohio State’s scoring drives in the second half took too long for it to make a comeback.
Michigan wound up winning that game, 42-27. Jim Harbaugh finally got the Ohio State monkey off his back and clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. A week later, Michigan demolished Iowa to win the Big Ten title and clinch a College Football Playoff berth for the first time in program history.
That game also helped send Hutchinson to New York as a Heisman finalist, finishing second that year to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. He was also named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player and won the Lott Trophy that year, too.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
recommended
Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Tostão dá razão para Filipe Luís em polêmica com Pedro no Flamengo: “O futebol não pode tolerar”
Filipe Luís durante jogo do Flamengo no Brasileirão (Créditos: Wagner Meier/Getty Images)Um dos assuntos mais comentados na mídia esportiva nos últimos dias tem sido a “treta” envolvendo Filipe Luís e Pedro no Flamengo, e o lendário Tostão não deixou o tema passar batido em sua coluna na Folha de S. Paulo, publicada nesta terça-feira (15). No entendimento do comentarista, o treinador rubro-negro agiu acertadamente, citando que o camisa 9 tem se comportado mal já há algum tempo, precisava de uma “basta”. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADENo comentário feito, Tostão definiu que Pedro não pensou coletivamente com atitudes tomadas nos bastidores, e necessita rever seus conceitos para retomar o bom futebol. Embora tenha emitido uma nota oficial, o camisa 9 rubro-negro deixou explícito que não gostou da forma com que o treinador tratou o caso publicamente.“Parabéns ao jovem treinador Filipe Luís pelas críticas claras, […]
Torcedores do Vasco pedem demissão de Fernando Diniz e sugerem novo técnico: “Tenta o Vojvoda logo”
Diniz no comando do Vasco - Ricardo Moreira/Getty ImagesA lua de mel entre torcedores do Vasco e Fernando Diniz parece ter chegado ao fim. Depois de perder o clássico para o Botafogo no último sábado, pelo Brasileirão, o time carioca, desta vez, foi massacrado pelo Independiente del Valle na primeira partida das oitavas de final da Sul-Americana. Não fosse o goleiro Léo Jardim, que no fim defendeu ainda um pênalti, o placar seria ainda maior. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADENas redes sociais, o lateral-esquerdo Piton, expulso com 11 minutos de jogo, foi tido como um dos responsáveis pela derrota acachapante do Gigante da Colina. Além do técnico, que não tem mais 100% de apoio da torcida, tem ainda a sombra de Juan Pablo Vojvoda, que nesta semana foi demitido do comando do Fortaleza e está livre no mercado.A derrota elástica deixa o Vasco […]
Kyrgios activates protected ranking to enter US Open main draw
Nick Kyrgios has activated his protected ranking to enter the main draw of the US Open from August 24 to September 7 - live on Sky Sports Tennis.After more than two years on the sidelines with knee and wrist problems, Kyrgios returned at the start of this season but was forced to abandon plans to play doubles at the French Open after suffering another knee injury. The 30-year-old was then forced to skip Wimbledon for a third successive year after another injury setback. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights of Kyrgios against Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences […]
Fantasy football: 5 bounce-back candidates for 2025
Jordan Love will look to get back closer to his first-year starter production: After impressing in his first starting season, Love was unable to build on that momentum, but there’s hope that he can push for a better result in 2025. Jaylen Waddle and the Miami offense as a whole look to bounce back: Waddle was playing at a WR1 rate in 2023, but as the offense struggled in 2024, so did his production as he hopes to reignite that high-end receiving potential this year. Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more! Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes Injuries and inefficiencies are the plagues of the fantasy football world, but for those fantasy managers who are willing to forgive and forget, there are several […]
Überraschende Wende – Sancho-Deal mit Top-Klub wohl geplatzt!
Das Transfer-Wirrwarr um Ex-BVB-Star Jadon Sancho (25) nimmt einfach kein Ende!Ein sicher geglaubter Deal scheint im letzten Augenblick jetzt doch noch zu platzen. Wie „Sky Italia“ berichtet, soll sich Juventus Turin überraschenderweise gegen eine Verpflichtung des Engländers entschieden haben. Die „Alte Dame“ galt bis zuletzt als wahrscheinlichster Abnehmer für den Flügelspieler. Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Italienische Medien berichteten in den letzten Tagen bereits von einer Einigung zwischen Juventus Turin und Manchester United. Doch nun scheinen die Italiener abzuspringen.Der Grund dafür: Juve soll eine Verpflichtung von Francisco Conceição (22) bevorzugen. Der portugiesische Nationalspieler war in der vergangenen Saison vom FC Porto an die Italiener ausgeliehen – und wusste zu überzeugen! In 40 Einsätzen für Juventus kam Conceição auf 7 Tore und 6 Vorlagen, die Verantwortlichen sollen von den Leistungen der Leihgabe mehr als beeindruckt gewesen sein. Aus diesem Grund möchten die Italiener den […]
Sunderland exploring move to sign Xhaka
Sunderland are interested in signing Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen; the 32-year-old has three years left on his current deal; Sunderland face competition from Saudi Arabia for the ex-Arsenal midfielder; Xhaka has 137 caps for Switzerland and won the Bundesliga title with Leverkusen
Related
Tostão dá razão para Filipe Luís em polêmica com Pedro no Flamengo: “O futebol não pode tolerar”
Filipe Luís durante jogo do Flamengo no Brasileirão (Créditos: Wagner Meier/Getty Images)Um dos assuntos mais comentados na mídia esportiva nos últimos dias tem sido a “treta” envolvendo Filipe Luís e Pedro no Flamengo, e o lendário Tostão não deixou o tema passar batido em sua coluna na Folha de S. Paulo, publicada nesta terça-feira (15). No entendimento do comentarista, o treinador rubro-negro agiu acertadamente, citando que o camisa 9 tem se comportado mal já há algum tempo, precisava de uma “basta”. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADENo comentário feito, Tostão definiu que Pedro não pensou coletivamente com atitudes tomadas nos bastidores, e necessita rever seus conceitos para retomar o bom futebol. Embora tenha emitido uma nota oficial, o camisa 9 rubro-negro deixou explícito que não gostou da forma com que o treinador tratou o caso publicamente.“Parabéns ao jovem treinador Filipe Luís pelas críticas claras, […]
Torcedores do Vasco pedem demissão de Fernando Diniz e sugerem novo técnico: “Tenta o Vojvoda logo”
Diniz no comando do Vasco - Ricardo Moreira/Getty ImagesA lua de mel entre torcedores do Vasco e Fernando Diniz parece ter chegado ao fim. Depois de perder o clássico para o Botafogo no último sábado, pelo Brasileirão, o time carioca, desta vez, foi massacrado pelo Independiente del Valle na primeira partida das oitavas de final da Sul-Americana. Não fosse o goleiro Léo Jardim, que no fim defendeu ainda um pênalti, o placar seria ainda maior. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADENas redes sociais, o lateral-esquerdo Piton, expulso com 11 minutos de jogo, foi tido como um dos responsáveis pela derrota acachapante do Gigante da Colina. Além do técnico, que não tem mais 100% de apoio da torcida, tem ainda a sombra de Juan Pablo Vojvoda, que nesta semana foi demitido do comando do Fortaleza e está livre no mercado.A derrota elástica deixa o Vasco […]
Kyrgios activates protected ranking to enter US Open main draw
Nick Kyrgios has activated his protected ranking to enter the main draw of the US Open from August 24 to September 7 - live on Sky Sports Tennis.After more than two years on the sidelines with knee and wrist problems, Kyrgios returned at the start of this season but was forced to abandon plans to play doubles at the French Open after suffering another knee injury. The 30-year-old was then forced to skip Wimbledon for a third successive year after another injury setback. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights of Kyrgios against Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences […]
Fantasy football: 5 bounce-back candidates for 2025
Jordan Love will look to get back closer to his first-year starter production: After impressing in his first starting season, Love was unable to build on that momentum, but there’s hope that he can push for a better result in 2025. Jaylen Waddle and the Miami offense as a whole look to bounce back: Waddle was playing at a WR1 rate in 2023, but as the offense struggled in 2024, so did his production as he hopes to reignite that high-end receiving potential this year. Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more! Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes Injuries and inefficiencies are the plagues of the fantasy football world, but for those fantasy managers who are willing to forgive and forget, there are several […]
Überraschende Wende – Sancho-Deal mit Top-Klub wohl geplatzt!
Das Transfer-Wirrwarr um Ex-BVB-Star Jadon Sancho (25) nimmt einfach kein Ende!Ein sicher geglaubter Deal scheint im letzten Augenblick jetzt doch noch zu platzen. Wie „Sky Italia“ berichtet, soll sich Juventus Turin überraschenderweise gegen eine Verpflichtung des Engländers entschieden haben. Die „Alte Dame“ galt bis zuletzt als wahrscheinlichster Abnehmer für den Flügelspieler. Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Italienische Medien berichteten in den letzten Tagen bereits von einer Einigung zwischen Juventus Turin und Manchester United. Doch nun scheinen die Italiener abzuspringen.Der Grund dafür: Juve soll eine Verpflichtung von Francisco Conceição (22) bevorzugen. Der portugiesische Nationalspieler war in der vergangenen Saison vom FC Porto an die Italiener ausgeliehen – und wusste zu überzeugen! In 40 Einsätzen für Juventus kam Conceição auf 7 Tore und 6 Vorlagen, die Verantwortlichen sollen von den Leistungen der Leihgabe mehr als beeindruckt gewesen sein. Aus diesem Grund möchten die Italiener den […]
Sunderland exploring move to sign Xhaka
Sunderland are interested in signing Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen; the 32-year-old has three years left on his current deal; Sunderland face competition from Saudi Arabia for the ex-Arsenal midfielder; Xhaka has 137 caps for Switzerland and won the Bundesliga title with Leverkusen
Be the first to leave a comment