The humbling loss to Michigan raised plenty of doubts about the Ohio State football team. Those criticisms were addressed Saturday with a 42-17 whipping of Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The criticism for Ohio State’s coaching staff about the offensive game plan against Michigan reached fever pitch in the three weeks since the Buckeyes’ embarrassing loss. Ohio State’s coaches got the message.

Three weeks after a stunning loss to archrival Michigan, Ohio State returned to Ohio Stadium, the scene of one of the worst defeats in the Ryan Day era, and earned one of the best victories since Day became the Buckeyes’ head coach before the 2019 season.