ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith was hoping this year’s Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon would be an instant classic. Instead, it’s been a beatdown.
Ohio State jumped out to a 34-0 lead over Oregon this afternoon. Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has torched the Ducks so far, hauling in five passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns. TreVeyon Henderson may have thrown the knockout punch with his 66-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
After the Buckeyes extended their lead to 31 points, Stephen A. Smith hopped on social media to offer his blunt thoughts about the Ducks.
Smith expected Oregon’s defense to struggle against Ohio State’s high-flying offense. What he didn’t expect was for Dillon Gabriel and the offense to go ice-cold when it mattered most.
“We shouldn’t be but so surprised at @oregonfootball lack of defense. But where is the offense? The Ducks can’t seem to do a damn thing vs @OhioStateFB,” Smith wrote on X. “What a disappointment. At least give us a competitive game. Damn. Oregon can’t even punt right today.”
It’s hard to argue against Smith here. Coming into the Rose Bowl, Oregon was averaging 37.9 points per game. Today it’s been a struggle for the offense to simply get a fresh set of downs.
Oregon went three-and-out on offense four times in the first half. That’s a recipe for disaster when your defense can’t get a single stop.
It’s highly unlikely Oregon shocks the world and wins this game in the second half, but hopefully Dan Lanning’s squad can make things competitive.
All Ohio State has to do is avoid an epic second-half collapse in order to clinch a spot in the semifinals. Assuming the current result holds up, the Buckeyes will take on the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The second half of the Rose Bowl will be televised on ESPN.
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