Ohio State RB Trey Sermon's monster Big Ten title game helped keep Buckeyes' playoff hopes alive

Ohio State senior running back Trey Sermon deserves an enormous amount of credit for the No. 4 Buckeyes winning their fourth consecutive Big Ten championship game on Saturday against No. 14 Northwestern.

The transfer from Oklahoma had a monster day, and, in large part thanks to him, Ohio State’s College Football Playoff hopes are still alive after the 22-10 victory in Indianapolis.

The Buckeyes struggled through the first half with the Wildcats’ defense largely containing them and keeping them out of sync. They didn’t score a touchdown in the first 30 minutes and trailed Northwestern, 10-6, at the break. Plus, it didn’t help that they were without 22 players, including star wide receiver Chris Olave.

Usually reliable quarterback Justin Fields didn’t have a great game — he was 12-for-27 for 114 yards and two interceptions — and he appeared to be having some trouble with his thumb or wrist and had it taped. With Ohio State’s passing game not nearly as efficient as usual, it turned to Sermon, who provided a massive spark for the offense, particularly in the second half.

Sermon carried the Buckeyes’ offense through to the win — literally — finishing with 331 rushing yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns. He was responsible for 65.3 percent of Ohio State’s total yards against Northwestern, and it was the most prolific game of his career by 125 yards.

Sermon had more yards by himself than Northwestern did as a team (329 yards), and obviously, he was named the Big Ten championship game’s MVP. And he broke some records on the way.

He needed more 314 rushing yards to break Ohio State’s single-game record held by Eddie George, and he reached that mark in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. He also broke the record for most rushing yards in the Big Ten title game, which previously belonged for former Buckeye Ezekiel Elliott.

Sermon had some unbelievable plays, including a 33-yard run late in the third quarter on a touchdown drive that gave the Buckeyes their first lead since it was 3-0 early in the first quarter. Oh, and he was the one who ran it in for a nine-yard touchdown.

But perhaps his most influential moment was leading Ohio State to a three-yard touchdown run near the end of the fourth quarter. On that nine-play drive alone, Sermon had the ball on seven of them and ran for a whopping 64 yards and into the end zone.

He helped give the Buckeyes a 22-10 lead and some breathing room late in the game.

But you don’t rack up more than 300 yards on the ground without several jaw-dropping moments, so here’s a look at some of Sermon’s highlights.

If Ohio State remains among the top-4 teams and makes the College Football Playoff — a scenario that seems likely at this point — the Buckeyes owe Sermon a big, fat thank you.