Thank goodness for Christmas. The holy, happy holiday should provide a brief relief for Big Orange Country.

Go ahead, sing carols. Hang stockings beside the fireplace with care. Santa wouldn’t dare stuff in lumps of coal after what you’ve been through, not after what happened on Saturday night in cool Columbus.

Ohio State slammed the door on Tennessee football 2024. The romp was worse than the 42-17 score. Several other numbers were stunning. The Buckeyes made 473 yards of total offense seem easy and their crusty fans added insult to the hurt. They chanted “SEC, SEC, SEC” and snickered about supposed superiority. They called it a myth.

Somebody in authority couldn’t resist the temptation and sprinkled in a little salt at the end. The sound system gave us “Rocky Top” and Buckeye fans sang along. They need to keep their day jobs.

This was a good Tennessee team. Ten victories made a good season. The Vols were never at the championship level but I thought they belonged in the playoff.

Thousands and thousands of optimistic Vol travelers, an incredible turnout, endured a lot of bad things in the big Horseshoe. The home team showed no hangover from the awful end-of-November loss to Michigan. It was defiant in support of the embattled coach. Ryan Day rallied. Ohio State had a master plan, almost opposite what misfired three weeks ago.

This ending was so different – no brawl, no pepper spray, no profane insults, no threats to chase the coach out of town.

“We have a lot of pride in who we are,” said Day.

The Buckeyes assaulted Tennessee with three touchdowns in the first quarter. They won both sides of the line of scrimmage. The game was virtually over before the Vols earned a first down.

Well, Tennessee did win the second quarter. It closed to within 11 points. It had the ball to start the second half but did nothing with it. Ohio State removed all doubt with two quick scores.

Tennessee’s best horse, Dylan Sampson, couldn’t run. He had a leg problem. He settled for six yards. Squirrel White and several others went out with injuries. Mismatches marred the pass defense. The Vol secondary simply couldn’t cover one-on-one. The difference in team speed was obvious on the perimeter.

For some reason, defensive coordinator Tim Banks didn’t send safety support to the corners. Will Howard hit the Vols with 24 completions in 29 attempts for 311 yards. Freshman Jeremiah Smith made six catches for 103 and two TDs. He was exhibit A of open house. Tight ends and running backs caught a lot of passes. Linebackers were sometimes in the area.

There must be lessons available in the video rerun. There was one in real time. Nico fought, oh how he fought. He was ineffective as a passer but he ran 20 times as if the whole Tennessee world was counting on him. It was. Iamaleava’s cracked helmet may become a collector’s trophy. That he got up and walked away from the hit was cause for applause.

“That kid is going to lay it on the line and compete with everything that he’s got,” said Josh Heupel. “He did that tonight.”

Nico scored both touchdowns, one for real, one as a consolation prize against reserves. The quarterback’s courage is fuel for the future. That the Vols didn’t quit was the best part of the playoff failure.

Heupel didn’t offer even a hint of an excuse.

“We just didn’t play well enough, didn’t coach well enough.”

Several former Vols, knowledgeable but not caustic critics, pointed fingers at the coaching staff.

Marlon Walls, defensive tackle, 2009-2013, former coach, may have had the most definitive summation. On the Sports Source, he said “Coaches did not set up the players for success.”

Others said three weeks to prepare but there was nothing new on offense or defense … Ohio State simple motion and misdirections caused confusion …Vol weaknesses were exposed … somebody recalled one play James Pearce made (he had three tackles) … Tennessee’s highly regarded defensive front didn’t make much impact … official stats said quarterback Howard was twice hurried … Nico was sacked four times … biggest play for the Vol attack was Payton Lewis’ 26-yard run against fourth-quarter substitutes.

I’m saying the Vols may not have been ready for prime time (if not why not?) but even if they were, there was no instant fix for the difference in talent. That Tennessee had the lowest offensive output of the season and gave up the most yards was not as simple as injuries or execution errors or one face-mask penalty.

Heupel said he was disappointed for Tennessee fans.

“Disappointed for our team, too, and everything that we have put into it since last January, that we didn’t coach and play better in this one … there wasn’t a phase where we operated the way we needed to early in the game … and we just didn’t function well enough at the beginning of the third quarter, either.

“Just didn’t do what you have to on the road in a game against a really good football team. Disappointed on all those accords.”

Happy New Year? Maybe not, just yet, but it is going to be busy.

“We’ve got to find some guys that are going to step up and make plays, and we will,” said Heupel. “We’ve got to continue to grow. We’ll start again, start retooling, rebuilding and grow as a football team.”

Changes? Don’t expect too much. Three defensive coaches need new contracts. There are at least 17 seniors. There is no obvious replacement for center Cooper Mays.

The need is glaring for improved wideouts and offensive tackles. Assuming Sampson goes pro, it would be smart to bring in a spare running back.

Nico experience gained could lead to a return to tempo. Maybe you noticed the old trademark quietly went away.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com