Ohio had a lamentable week in sports

Josh Richert

Oh Me-o, Oh My-o, Oh Cleveland, Ohio. It was rough watching the Browns be eliminated by the Kansas City Chiefs during the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, just six days after the Ohio State Buckeyes were dismantled by the Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship Game.

Cleveland upset the Pittsburgh

Steelers a week earlier and had its opportunities against Kansas City. However, the Browns are, well, the Browns. It’s been a long time since they were serious contenders, long before the original franchise packed up and moved to Baltimore.

This Browns team seemed on the brink of shedding that top coat of underachieving. Cleveland had a chance in the first half to pull within one score of the defending Super Bowl champions, but one play – one yard – changed the Browns’ fortunes.

Fifth-year wide receiver Rashard Higgins caught a pass from Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield and dove to the goal line with the ball out-stretched in front of him. Chiefs DB Daniel Sorenson laid a hit on Higgins to knock the ball free, and it would up going out of the end zone for a touchback.

Kansas City drove for a field goal and a 19-3 halftime lead. Even that didn’t seem like it was going to be enough as KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes – the reigning Super Bowl MVP – was injured and had to leave the game with a concussion in the third quarter.

Chad Henne took over for Mahomes and was able to navigate the Chiefs to a 22-17 win over the Browns, who went on a 14-3 run in the second half. Henne, some may recall, was the Michigan Wolverine QB whom former Texas High QB Ryan Mallett replaced after Henne was injured during his senior year.

Mallett only stayed in Ann Arbor for the one year after Lloyd Carr retired and Mallett wasn’t the prototypical signal-caller for incoming head coach Rich Rodriguez’s offensive schemes. Mallett transferred to Arkansas and played for the Hogs until he left Fayetteville for the NFL.

Henne threw for 66 yards and an interception in his time against the Browns. Ironically, Henne never beat Ohio State in four years at Michigan. That was not the case for Mac Jones, Alabama’s QB.

Jones completed 36-of-45 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns during the Tide’s 52-24 thrashing of the Buckeyes Monday in Miami.

That started what turned out to be a very bad week for football fans in the Buckeye State.