The No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes were able to defeat Big Ten rival Penn State on Saturday, with much of their success a direct result of Buckeyes defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau’s unreal performance.
It was an unreal day for the sophomore defensive lineman, who recorded two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, two sacks, and a defensive touchdown.
What a SNAG by J.T. Tuimoloau for @OhioStateFB 💪 pic.twitter.com/4IFp4ZEuR4
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 29, 2022
J.T. TUIMOLOAU PICK SIX 😤
THIS GUY IS UNREAL 🔥@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/sMn0dh5MpJ
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 29, 2022
J.T. Tuimoloau DOES IT AGAIN
Have yourself a game 🔥🔥🔥@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/Wbp6XGByjf
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 29, 2022
The college football world has not seen a day as impressive as the one J.T. Tuimoloau had on Saturday in quite some time.
Tuimoloau is the first player this century to ever record this stat line in a single game, according to Stathead via The Athletic’s Jason Starrett.
FBS players this century with 2 INT, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the same game:
J.T. Tuimoloau today vs. Penn State
(Per @Stathead
— Jason Starrett (@starrettjason) October 29, 2022
Many took to social media to express just how impressed they were by the Ohio State star on Saturday.
Ohio State LB J.T. Tuimoloau today: 2 interceptions (this pick-6 included), a batted pass that led to another pick, two sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and six tackles. STAR.
(🎥: @CFBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/xlrUdchbRa
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 29, 2022
J.T. Tuimoloau has had
a sack
a stripped fumble
a tipped pass for an INT
an INT
Good Lord.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) October 29, 2022
It's not CJ Stroud's Heisman moment, it's J.T. Tuimoloau's
— Richard🇬🇾Johnson (human) (@RJ_cfb) October 29, 2022
Feels like a good time to bring this back. OSU defensive line coach Larry Johnson said he screamed so loud when Tuimoloau committed to Ohio State his wife came to check on him to make sure he was alright. He's more than alright with J.T. being a Buckeye https://t.co/V8mdim2tMU
— Justin Holbrock (@JustinHolbrock) October 29, 2022
#NFL GMs watching J.T. Tuimoloau today pic.twitter.com/zfYw2pyBWp
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) October 29, 2022
Good to see the country is now tuned in to what we've known in the Seattle area for years; J.T. Tuimoloau is the truth. Too bad he didn't feel for @UW_Football the way they felt about him. @Dawgman247
— Chris Fetters (@Chris_Fetters) October 29, 2022
It was a much-needed win for Ohio State as they pursue a potential Big Ten championship, and it likely would not have been possible with Tuimoloau.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day had some extremely high praise for his star defensive lineman following the game, saying that he hasn’t seen anything like Tuimoloau’s performance.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that before,” said Day via Griffin Strom of Eleven Warriors. “This was kind of his coming-out party today.”
Ryan Day On J.T. Tuimoloau: "I don't know if I've ever seen anything like that before. … This was kind of his coming-out party today."
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 29, 2022
If Tuimoloau wasn’t on the radar of NFL general managers before, he certainly will be now following his domination of Penn State.
Ohio State will need him to replicate this success in future matchups, especially for a potential showdown of undefeated teams in Week 13 against the Michigan Wolverines.
[Fox College Football on Twitter]
