ROCKING ROCKY TOP

Volunteers fans occupied a surprisingly large number of seats at the Horseshoe, but it was the Buckeyes who exerted complete control on the field

- PAT FORDE

Running Wild Ohio State's offensive onslaught against Tennessee included two touchdown dashes from Henderson.

IN THE summer of 1863, smack in the middle of the Civil War, John Hunt Morgan led a Confederate raiding party of about 2,500 soldiers out of Tennessee. The unit traveled through Kentucky, across the Ohio River into enemy territory in the Midwest and, eventually, into Ohio. Morgan’s Raid pushed well into the state before the soldiers were subdued and captured, but the brazen invasion spread panic through the Union for several weeks.

On a see-your-breath December Saturday in the heartland, there was a peaceful reenactment of Morgan's Raid. It, too, was ultimately unsuccessful for the folks from Tennessee, but unsettling at times to those who were being invaded.

Tennesseans streamed north, crossed the Ohio River and descended in shocking numbers upon the Midwest stronghold of Ohio Stadium. An estimated 40% of the crowd of 102,819 in the Horseshoe, home of the mighty Buckeyes, was dressed in Volunteers orange for their College Football Playoff first-round game. The much-discussed “Tennessee takeover” of the ticket market was real.

Shaking the Blues Two TDs from Smith (below) and 1½ sacks from Jack Sawyer (opposite] helped fans put the Michigan loss behind them.

One of the legendary home field advantages in college football was sabotaged by apparent local apathy—or anger at another loss to Michigan—and a burst of Southern enthusiasm. Ohio State is widely considered to have the biggest fan base in America, and nearly half the usual home crowd had gone missing. It was a stunning scene that played out in increments over the hours before kickoff.