The Buckeyes dominated the Ducks in the Rose Bowl.
We weren’t too far removed from Ohio State’s puzzling loss to Michigan, but the Buckeyes’ dominant victory over Tennessee showed everyone what this team could be when they’re playing their best football. The big question heading into the Rose Bowl was whether or not they would be able to maintain that level of play against the No. 1 team in the country — one that they had already lost to earlier this season.
The answer to that question was emphatic, as Ohio State built up an astonishing 34-0 lead over Oregon and coasted to a 41-21 victory to end the Ducks’ undefeated season. Ryan Day deserved a lot of the criticism following the loss to the Wolverines, but now deserves a ton of praise for getting this team back on the right path, as the Buckeyes are now only two wins away from a national title.
Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from Ohio State’s victory over Oregon.
The Good
Jeremiah Smith/Will Howard
“Good” isn’t nearly strong enough an adjective to describe Jeremiah Smith and what he has done for Ohio State in these first two College Football Playoff games. The freshman’s 103 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Tennessee was only an appetizer for his performance against Oregon, completely dismantling the Ducks’ defense to the tune of seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith wouldn’t be able to get the ball in his hands without a good quarterback, and Will Howard himself has been spectacular in these two postseason games as well. After having one of his best games of the year against Oregon in the regular season — one that ended with an infamous slide as time expired — he matched it with another big showing at the Rose Bowl, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns without a single turnover.
The two were instrumental in Ohio State’s success in Pasadena. Smith, especially, was completely un-guardable the entire game, and was a go-to guy whenever the Buckeyes needed to pick up yards in a pinch — or when they wanted an easy 40-yard touchdown. The five-star phenom was Howard’s favorite target, but he also helped open things up for other guys like Emeka Egbuka, who had a great game in his own right with five catches for 72 yards and a score.
Fast Starts
There was so much talk during the regular season about Ohio State getting off to slow starts. On far too many occasions the Buckeyes allowed their opponents to dictate the flow of the game, playing a slower tempo and letting less talented teams drain the clock and limit their offensive possessions. That script has completely flipped in the postseason, as Ryan Day and Chip Kelly have come out as the aggressor with huge success.
In both of Ohio State’s College Football Playoff matchups, the Buckeyes’ offense put up an avalanche of points immediately out of the gate, putting their opponents behind the eight ball and on their heels the rest of the way. Against Tennessee, it was a 21-0 lead in Columbus with still 3:27 to play in the first quarter. Then, against Oregon, the Buckeyes piled up a 31-0 lead early in the second quarter, expanding that lead as far as 34-0 before the Ducks even got on the scoreboard.
Defense
There was a clear turning point in the season for Ohio State’s defense after that October loss to Oregon. Following another defeat that saw the Buckeyes fail to get pressure on the opposing quarterback, Larry Johnson was finally forced to cede his control of the defensive line, and the reigns of the entire defensive unit as one cohesive group were handed over to Jim Knowles for really the first time in his Ohio State tenure.
The change has led to drastic improvement, and we’ve since seen a complete overhaul of the Silver Bullets and what they are capable of.
In that first meeting with the Ducks, the Buckeyes recorded zero sacks and only two tackles for loss. On Wednesday night, Ohio State EIGHT sacks and 13 (!!) tackles for loss. It was a huge game for many of the seniors on this team, including Jack Sawyer, Cody Simon and J.T. Tuimoloau, all of whom were credited with two sacks apiece. Simon was named the defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl with a game-high 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and a PBU on top of his pair of sacks.
Overall, it was an incredibly impressive display from a defense that allowed 32 points and almost 500 yards of offense to the same Oregon team back in October. This time, the Ducks finished with 276 total yards, including -23 (yes, negative 23) yards rushing.
Jayden Fielding
While it was overshadowed by the rest of Ohio State’s incredible performances on offense and defense, Jayden Fielding deserves a shoutout for his contributions. It has been a rough go for the Buckeyes’ kicker, with a very poor showing in the Michigan game and then a missed 56-yarder against Tennessee that wasn’t remotely close.
Fielding nailed both of his field goals against Oregon on Wednesday night, including a 46-yarder to start the second quarter that tied his career-long. It had to feel good for the junior to see a few go through the uprights, and it could prove valuable for Fielding to have found a little confidence as Ohio State continues its College Football Playoff run.
The Bad
Middle Eight
Ohio State was in control from the opening kickoff, but they had a bit of a lapse in focus in the ‘middle eight’ of the game. The middle eight spans from the last four minutes of the first half to the first four minutes of the second half. Coaches will always tell you that winning this stretch of a game goes a long way towards winning the game itself, but that isn’t always the case when you find yourself in a 34-point hole.
That being said, Oregon definitely won the middle eight of the Rose Bowl. The Ducks executed a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive as time expired in the second quarter, culminating in a Dillon Gabriel touchdown pass to Traeshon Holden and a two-point conversion to make it 34-8. Oregon then scored on its opening possession of the third quarter — an 11-play, 75-yard drive — to cut the deficit to 34-15. Suddenly, it was three-score game with basically still two full quarters left to play.
Ohio State didn’t do itself any favors with a quick three-and-out to follow, but the Buckeyes’ defense was able to stand strong and force a punt on the Ducks’ ensuing possession after back-to-back sacks by Sawyer and Simon. TreVeyon Henderson scored one of his two touchdowns on Ohio State’s next drive, and from there order had been restored, but things felt a little shaky for a bit there with Oregon creeping back into it.
Third-and-Long
Speaking of that third quarter touchdown drive for Oregon, it was only possible after Ohio State’s defense failed to get off the field facing a third-and-22. After Noah Whittington ran for no gain on first down, Gabriel was sacked by Sawer on second down to set up the third-and-forever. The Ducks’ QB was able to escape the pocket and find Justius Lowe along the sideline for a 21-yard gain to lead to a fourth-and-1, which Gabriel picked up on a short keeper.
It was one of a few long third downs the Buckeyes failed to stop, including a 3rd-and-16 play that netted 44 yards on Oregon’s first touchdown drive. In fact, all three of the Ducks’ scoring drives included long third down conversions, with Gabriel finding Holden again for a 27-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-13 in the fourth quarter.
It’s tough to complain much about anything Ohio State’s defense did on Wednesday, but you can’t allow great offenses like Oregon’s — and next, Texas — to stay on the field after pushing them backwards on first and second town.
The Ugly
Officiating (again)
It feels silly to complain about officiating after a 20-point victory over the No. 1 team in the country, but the crew in Pasadena was just flat out awful. There wasn’t one specific call that changed the outcome of the game, but Ohio State’s defenders were being held egregiously throughout the contest without a single flag being thrown. Conversely, the Buckeyes’ offensive line was flagged for holding on a play that looked to be a clean pancake block.
This is nothing new for Ohio State, as it has not seen an opponent called for holding since the first quarter against Marshall back on Sept. 21. The Buckeyes went through the entirety of Big Ten play — and now two CFP games — without even so much as a single penalty called on the opposing offensive line for holding. Some of the worst examples on Wednesday night were against Jack Sawyer, who has not seen an offensive lineman called for holding against him since September of 2021 (that is a REAL stat, not hyperbole).
Ohio State’s defense still managed to rack up eight sacks despite being hugged and held all night, but it’s at the point where it’s no longer just a statical anomaly. Im not quite sure what the Buckeyes are doing so as to not draw holding penalties, but it’s become a frustrating trend that could eventually prove costly if not rectified.