Ohio State lost in heartbreaking fashion, and it was not a great way to ring in the new year for Buckeye fans.
Georgia beat Ohio State, 42-41, in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday. The game was a thriller that was a solid follow-up to TCU’s victory over Michigan in the first semifinal match at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
It was a back-and-forth duel between Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett and Buckeyes QB C.J. Stroud. The game went down to the wire, and Noah Ruggles had a chance to deliver the game-winner and send Ohio State to the national title game. But the kicker missed from 50 yards with three seconds to go.
It’s a bitter memory for Ruggles, but for those who live on the east coast of the United States, it came at remarkable timing.
The game extended to midnight, which meant everyone on the east coast was counting down to 2023. And yes, Ruggles’ missed kick happened right as the clock struck midnight. Journalist Timothy Burke compiled a multi-cam view of the feed from Times Square, the All-22 of the Ohio State-Georgia game, along with ESPN footage and radio calls from both schools.
It’s an amazing sight to see simultaneous events happening at the same time, and an announcer even acknowledged the clock hit midnight after Ruggles’ missed field goal.
Again, it’s hard not to feel sympathetic for the gut-wrenching feeling the Ohio State kicker had in the moment and likely will feel for a long time, but there at least was one small bright side of being part of a collective moment with millions of people.
