Ohio State at Oregon was one of the best games of the regular season. It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth, one-point game. The Rose Bowl, however, was the opposite.
The Buckeyes continued their post-Michigan onslaught and blitzkrieged Oregon, 41-21 on the 111th Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes got out to a quick lead and scored the game’s first 34 points before Oregon managed to break the shutout. On all phases, Ohio State was able to overwhelm everything the Ducks wanted to do. Despite the drama from the first matchup and the weeks leading up to this, it was never in doubt.
Ohio State Overwhelms Oregon, Heads to Cotton Bowl
Continued Offensive Onslaught
In round one, the offense was not the issue. Ohio State amassed 467 offensive yards and 31 points back on October 12. In the Rose Bowl, the Buckeyes exploded for 500 yards and 41 points. This was the second game in a row (and second all year) that Oregon allowed at least 500 yards of offense. It was the first time since that ugly loss to Georgia to kick off 2022 that it allowed 40 points.
Will Howard had yet another incredible game. He finished the game with 319 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers. His second touchdown of the day was a dime to Emeka Egbuka for a 42-yard touchdown. Howard was on fire and did not have a single “Will, what are you doing??” play that Ohio State has been accustomed to.
The star of the show, and Rose Bowl Offensive MVP, was Jeremiah Smith. The true freshman is proving that he is a generational player with another seven-catch, 187-yard, two-touchdown performance. He took the third play from scrimmage 45 yards for a touchdown on a short pass that was Ja’Marr Chase-esque.
On the ground, the Buckeyes found just as much success as it did last time. However, the difference was how explosive the Buckeyes were. TreVeyon Henderson broke a 66-yard touchdown run en route to a 94-yard, two-touchdown game. Quinshon Judkins logged 17 carries on the day for 85 yards as well.
The makeshift offensive line did a great job of reducing the impact of that Oregon defensive line. It was just the third time Ohio State went for 500 yards and the first against a Power 4 opponent.
Learning Lessons
In the first matchup, we made the joke that the Ohio State defensive line gave Dillon Gabriel so much time in the pocket that he could have knit a few sweaters. In this one, it was the complete opposite. The front four terrorized Gabriel from the jump. Despite appearing to be held, Jack Sawyer and Jaylahn Tuimoloau reminded everyone why they were five-star recruits all those years ago.
Sawyer impacted just about every drop-back from Gabriel and managed to break free for a pair of sacks. Additionally, he was able to break up three passes. Tuimoloau added a pair of sacks of his own with another tackle for loss. Defensive MVP Cody Simon continued his breakout senior season with another double-digit tackle day. He finished with 11 tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, and a pass breakup.
In the October matchup, the Buckeyes managed two tackles for loss and no sacks. In this game, it amassed 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
The Buckeyes had a much better game plan in this one. If the defensive ends did not immediately win their matchups, they were able to keep their eyes up and often contained Gabriel rather than allow him to scramble around. That was the biggest difference. If Sawyer and Tuimoloau had pinned their ears back and blindly rushed the quarterback as they did in October, Gabriel would have had significantly more success.
As a result, Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun were put in advantageous situations and not left out to dry.
All in all, Oregon managed to put together just three drives of over seven plays. In those three drives, the Ducks scored touchdowns. In those other seven drives, Ohio State forced five three-and-outs. Oregon finished with 276 total offensive yards, the program’s lowest offensive output since the 2021 Pac-12 Championship loss. In those three scoring drives, the Ducks amassed 201 yards. Those seven other drives totaled just 75 yards.
Job’s Not Done
In the four-team College Football Playoff, two wins meant the team was National Champions. As the eighth seed, the Buckeyes are halfway there.
With wins over Tennessee and Oregon, the Buckeyes have now won the right to face Texas in the Cotton Bowl on January 10. The Buckeyes come into every year with three goals. After failing to win the Big Ten and beat Michigan, only winning the national title is left. Since 2021, Ryan Day is 0-11 in those goals.
Now, five teams remain with the chance to be crowned the first 12-team CFP champion. On the other side of the bracket, Penn State awaits the winner of the Sugar Bowl after it was pushed back.
With the win, Ohio State moves to 10-7 all-time in the Rose Bowl and 10-2 against Oregon. Now, Ohio State is set to play in its fourth Cotton Bowl (fifth if you count the 2015 CFP National Championship). The Buckeyes are 2-1 but that one loss was last year’s ugly meltdown against Missouri. The CFP Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl will be the fourth time Ohio State has faced Texas. The Buckeyes are 1-2 after splitting a home-and-home series in 2005 and 2006 while dropping the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.
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