NEW ORLEANS -- Redemption is the only thing that comes to mind when thinking about Chris Olave’s motivation for the Ohio State football season.
He’d been living with the events that ultimately capped the Buckeyes’ 29-23 loss to Clemson in 2019′s College Football Playoff. That moment where he broke off a route leading to Justin Fields’ second interception is what made Friday’s 49-28 win so fulfilling.
“I feel great,” Olave said. “Coming off of last year, it was tough for me trying to train all year just to be in this position. We finally got here and just being able to beat these guys and have fun with my teammates, most importantly. I’m just blessed and proud to be here.”
Olave sat down on a Zoom call to speak with largely the same media who were present 370 days earlier in Glendale, Arizona. A year ago, he sat at his locker with tears in his eyes. The pain in his eyes was obvious. This time — even though a computer screen — you could see the joy, having finally exorcised his demons.
If Olave and Fields carried some responsibility for the Buckeyes’ 2019 demise, they wore extra glory early Saturday morning. Olave finished with six catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
“That game didn’t sit well with him the way he came off that field,” head coach Ryan Day said of his receiver. “How many times did he have to watch that play? He and Justin watched that play over and over. … It made him sick. They’re such great competitors that they were hungry. They wanted to come back and win.”
The first connection was a simple 11-yard slant pass for Fields’ first pass of the game, then another 11-yard pass to open the second quarter. The third should’ve probably been a 54-yard touchdown pass had Fields not overthrown him (one of only six Fields incompletions on 28 throws). Then came a nine-yard catch before Fields was forced out of a game after taking a hit from linebacker James Skalski.
That hit could have ended Fields’ night, just as the targeting did Skalski’s. But Fields has proved time and time again how tough of a quarterback he is. So instead, he took one play off, regrouped, then return to the game. Immediately found his favorite target for a nine-yard touchdown, 28-14 OSU.
“That’s Justin,” Olave said. “We all know that’s Justin. He’s tough, and we all can rely on him in situations like that. I know he took a huge hit. I heard it from where I was. He got up, I went to go check on him, and he said he’s not coming out of the game.”
The next three targets resulted in an incompletion, a 36-yard gain and an interception off a deflected throw that revived that old bad memory. But this time, it wasn’t a deadly blow. Clemson would create points out of the turnover, but the Buckeyes still lead comfortably.
Then their most explosive combination provided the proper punctuation to a dominant night. Fields followed up a series of impressive runs by freshman Miyan Williams by finding his favorite target streaking down the middle of the field. Olave tracked down the deep throw, and with the same joy he showed postgame, he gleefully high stepped his way into the end zone for six more points, 42-21 OSU.
“It means a lot,” Olave said. “I just thank God first of all. I’m glad my family got to be here. It’s been a tough year but, we just had to fight through adversity. Lucky I came out in the end and had a huge game today. I’m just blessed. I love my teammates, and I love my coaches. All glory to God.”
A positive coronavirus test had knocked him out of the Big Ten Championship game. His absence was clearly felt as Fields had his worst game as a Buckeye and Garrett Wilson struggled under extra defensive attention. It took the Big Ten lowering the required time off after a positive test from 21 to 17 days to make Olave’s return possible. Then he had to prove he was ready to play.
“He practiced but didn’t really practice fully,” Day said of Olave’s return to practice. “It was a little dicey going into the week, but he started to get his legs back underneath him towards the end of the week. Then come out and plays the way he does in a big spot.”
Olave has caught 102 passes for 1,697 yards and 22 touchdowns as a Buckeye. His list of memorable moments has grown long since his introduction to the world in the 2018 Michigan game. But this one was different. It’s special because of the year-long guilt.
But 2019 is now dismissed. From now on, fans will sing a different tune about Olave, which is precisely why he never let himself forget about those seven seconds. It made this moment that much sweeter.
“One of the more clutch players as a receiver in the history of Ohio State football, when you think back on it,” Day said. “What a player he is.”
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