GLENDALE, Ariz. – Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave watched Ohio State’s season of promise end from the worst possible position. He’d slipped to the ground in the end zone, pirouetting the wrong way and careering to his derrière. Olave craned his neck to witness a ball released as a potential game-winning touchdown nestle softly into the hands of a Clemson defender.
Olave had already scored one fourth-quarter touchdown to give the Buckeyes a lead in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson. He got the same matchup, but had mistakenly thought that Fields had begun to scramble, which prompted him to break off his post route.