2014 proved to be the zenith of Urban Meyer’s tenure at Ohio State. An early-season loss to Virginia Tech and a rash of quarterback injuries looked like they’d doom the Buckeyes, but instead, they reached the College Football Playoff in dramatic fashion, winning the national championship with statement victories over Alabama and Oregon.
Joshua Perry and Evan Spencer were both veterans on that national title team. Perry started 14 of 15 games as a junior, leading the team with 124 tackles, and adding three sacks. He’d go on to be a fourth-round pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2016, playing three years in the NFL.
Spencer was a role player in the wide receiving corps, catching 15 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns in 2014. He did have a big moment in the semifinal game against Alabama, hitting position mate Michael Thomas on a 13-yard double reverse touchdown pass at the end of the first half, which brought the Buckeyes within a point of the Crimson Tide. They’d go on to win 42-35. Spencer, a 2015 sixth-round pick, had brief tenures with Washington and Tampa Bay before stepping away from the game at 23.
Perry and Spencer are joining the ever-expanding world of sports podcasts, on a series in which they’ll share the inside story of that 2014 Buckeyes team. The show, titled Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares is set to begin on August 25.
Excited to announce that I’ve teamed up with @E_Spencer6 to share the story of OSU FB’s tumultuous 2014 season. Go behind-the-scenes with us when GLORY DAYS: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES Podcast drops August 25 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Google Podcasts. https://t.co/C3KmcXJmC7
— Joshua E Perry (@RIP_JEP) August 19, 2021
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Before the 2014 Ohio State season began, the team lost star quarterback Braxton Miller to a shoulder injury weeks before the season. That vaulted J.T. Barrett into the starting job.
After a solid, if not overwhelming, win over Navy to open the year, the Buckeyes had a major setback in Week 2, losing to Virginia Tech 35-21. Most wrote the team out of the picture for the first-ever College Football Playoff with that loss. The Buckeyes fell to 22 in the AP poll and 18 in the Coaches Poll with the loss, but began to climb, rattling off wins over Kent State, Cincinnati, Maryland, Rutgers, and Penn State. They entered the CFP poll at No. 16, still well out of the hunt, but after a big win at No. 7 Michigan State, they jumped up to No. 8.
Ohio State picked up wins against Minnesota, Indiana, and Michigan, but lost Barrett to injury in that final game. Third-stringer Cardale Jones stepped in against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship. With the Buckeyes at No. 5 behind Baylor and TCU, they needed a statement win, and got it, blasting the Badgers 59-0, and vaulting the Buckeyes into that No. 4 spot.
Hearing Perry and Spencer dive deep into that dramatic season should be a pretty fun experience for all Ohio State fans.
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