What’s the saying…behind every successful man is a great woman? In the case of Ohio State running back Trey Sermon, that woman is his mother.
“She’s been very important. I’ve just seen all the things that she’s been through, how she was able to just persevere, still continue to work hard for our family. I feel like that just helped me throughout my career because I’ve faced a ton of challenges, a bunch of adversity. But I know that, again, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, so I just have to keep working hard, and I know everything will pay off.
Sermon is hoping that payoff comes this Monday, January 11th, when he and his teammates play the most important game of their careers: the College Football Playoff National Championship in Miami when the Buckeyes (7-0) will face the Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0). Alabama recently defeated Notre Dame 31-14 in the Rose Bowl and Ohio State thrashed Clemson 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl semifinal to advance to the final game.
Sermon was a standout in the Sugar Bowl having, statistically speaking, the second-best game of his career. He rushed for 193 yards and a touchdown in 31 carries and added four catches for 61 yards. Prior to the Sugar Bowl, he set a school record for 331 rushing yards against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship.
“The last two games, he’s been excellent. He’s been a difference-maker,” Ryan Day, head coach of Ohio State says. “Whether it’s in the pass game, whether it’s in protection, and obviously running the football, he’s been special.”
But things haven’t always been easy for the talented running back. Sermon arrived at Oklahoma as a 4-star prospect in the class of 2017 per 247Sports. He made a splash early in his career when he ran for 62 yards and caught a Baker Mayfield thrown touchdown pass during his second game. He earned the honor of the Big 12’s Offensive Freshman of the Year that season. Sermon had an even bigger sophomore year playing with Kyler Murray, but things took a downhill turn in his junior year when he tore his LCL, ending his season.
“It kind of took some time (to recover),” said Sermon. “I started my rehab and like getting off crutches and everything…just gaining confidence back in my knee and knowing that I’m still explosive coming in and out of my cuts.”
But with Sermon out of the game, teammate Kennedy Brooks took over the backfield which essentially left Sermon without a roster spot when he returned. He was forced to make the hard decision to transfer from Oklahoma to Ohio State for more playing time. But even with the transfer, Sermon still struggled at the beginning of the season for the Buckeyes.
“I think he was kind of finding his way” Coach Day said.
Sermon got through the adversity, and now that he has played in seven games for the Buckeye’s he claims he has gotten “extremely comfortable over time.”
When asked about his huge performances back-to-back for the Buckeyes and if he was feeling any added pressure to perform in a grand way for the Championship game, he responded, “No, I actually don’t. I’m confident in my ability and I know that I prepare well for each game. There’s no pressure. I just know I just have to go out there and execute, do my job to the best of my ability, and, I know that I’m going to be fine”
And whether or not Sermon scores big or Ohio State wins or loses the championship game this Monday, his mother will be his biggest fan.
