Justin Hilliard, Trey Sermon, Zack Hoover Earn BuckeyesNow Players of the Game Honors

It's hard to decide which night sleep was more restless - Friday night before the Buckeyes took the field in a Big Ten Championship Game with lots of uncertainty and rumors all week about some players that weren't available, or Saturday night going into Sunday morning awaiting official word on if Ohio State would get one of the coveted College Football Playoff bids.

While we wait to see what Ohio State's fate is, here are our Players of the Game from the Big Ten Championship.

Offense - Trey Sermon, Running Back

Trey Sermon entered yesterday's championship game in the same role he's occupied all season - a very steady second-punch to Master Teague. Sermon came to Ohio State with 2,000 career rushing yards at Oklahoma, but he had yet to have the kind of game in which Buckeye fans could see his full potential.

So with the Buckeyes offense struggling to move the ball against Northwestern through the air, Ryan Day eventually turned to a steady dose of Sermon. Teague left Saturday's game with an unspecified injury and only carried the ball twice. All of a sudden Sermon got hot. After running seven times for 60 yards before halftime, Sermon ignited the Buckeye comeback with a ridiculous 271 yards in the second half with a pair of touchdowns.

At the end of the afternoon, it added up to an all-time single-game Buckeye record. He also finished the day with a Big Ten championship game rushing-record 331 yards on 29 carries. Sermon broke Eddie George's single-game program record of 314 yards, which the Heisman Trophy winner set back in 1995. George congratulated Sermon after the game.

Defense - Justin Hilliard, Linebacker

Justin Hilliard had a monster game for the Buckeyes on Saturday filling in for linebacker Baron Browning, who was one of 22 unavailable players on Saturday.

Hilliard picked off Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey on the first drive of the second half. The interception occurred near the front left pylon as he took a touchdown away from the Wildcats. In addition to the INT, Hilliard also racked up a team-high nine tackles, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

Hilliard is a special player and a guy who is beloved by his teammates. If it feels like he's been in a Buckeye uniform forever, that's because he has been. Hilliard was a 5-star linebacker from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati where he played his final season in 2014. He's the oldest player on the team this year.

He's in his sixth year as a member of the Buckeyes, but he didn't earn his first varsity letter until 2017. Hilliard played only three games at the beginning of 2016 over his first two years because of two separate biceps injuries. Hilliard also had an Achilles injury cut his spring practice short in 2019, but he recovered in time to played in 12 games (including three starts at the end of the year).

A wild and crazy journey that culminates in a fourth straight league title and a huge individual performance that helped lift the Buckeyes to victory.

Special Teams - Zack Hoover, Punter

Most teams don't have a second punter they feel they can really count on.

But Zack Hoover isn't most punters. And when Ohio State found themselves in a pinch this week, Hoover was phenomenal.

With starter Drue Chrisman out because of CoVID-19, the Buckeye-native Hoover stepped in and averaged just under 40 yards on his three punts. Two of them were downed inside the 20 as he helped Ohio State control field position in a low scoring game.

👀 Zach Hoover looking like @PatMcAfeeShow in Indy #ForTheBrand pic.twitter.com/DP9s0mnRQa
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 19, 2020

Hilliard and Hoover were among the guys that drew some serious praise from Ryan Day postgame on Saturday.

Hoover, by the way, was a 2-time All-Ohio punter at Toledo Central Catholic. He began his college career at Iowa State, but transferred to Ohio State after redshirting as a freshman for the Cyclones.

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Eddie George Congratulates Trey Sermon on Breaking Ohio State Rushing Record

Big Ten Championship Ohio State Postgame Press Conference Highlights

Trey Sermon's Record-Breaking Day Lifts Buckeyes to Fourth Straight Big Ten Title

Game Observations: Ohio State Defense vs. Northwestern

Justin Fields Injures Thumb Against Northwestern

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