This time, Ohio State left no doubt.
The No. 8 seed Buckeyes (12-2), with their 32-31 October loss to No. 1 seed Oregon (13-1) lingering in the back of their minds, rose to the occasion and bludgeoned the previously undefeated Oregon Ducks 41-21 at the Rose Bowl Wednesday. With the win, Ohio State avenged their regular-season loss and advanced to a College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 5 seed Texas.
Ohio State freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith set the tone for the Buckeyes on the third play of the game. On second-and-10, he took a pass in the backfield off a motion, cut up field, made the Ducks’ safeties miss as they dove at his ankles and walked into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown.
Two possessions later, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard stood tall in the pocket and threw a 42-yard dart just out of reach of Oregon’s Brandon Johnson and into the hands of receiver Emeka Egbuka for Ohio State’s second touchdown. Both early scoring drives spanned one minute.
Howard finished the game 17-of-26 passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns, building on his 311-yard, two-touchdown performance in the first-round CFP win over Tennessee.
The Ohio State defense matched the offense’s intensity, smothering Oregon’s run game and holding the Ducks to -26 rushing yards, their fewest in 16 years. The Buckeyes also earned 13 tackles for a loss. The pass rush that Dillon Gabriel was able to expertly elude during their first matchup hounded the Ducks quarterback with eight sacks.
The proverbial nail in the coffin came at the 11:13 mark of the second quarter. Oregon, facing fourth-and-three from its 48-yard line while trailing 17-0, went for it. The pocket collapsed around Gabriel, who tried to find Terrance Ferguson running across the field, only for his pass to be broken up by Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon.
Two plays later, Howard connected with Smith again, this time for a 43-yard bomb to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 24-0.
Simon won Rose Bowl defensive MVP honors.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass in the first quarter against Oregon at the Rose Bowl.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Smith ended up with 187 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions, setting a new school record for single-game receiving yards by a freshman (previously set by Cris Carter in the 1985 Rose Bowl) and earning Rose Bowl offensive MVP honors. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season, making him the 12th Buckeye receiver in program history — and the first freshman — to accomplish the feat.
With the game in hand, the Buckeyes got the run game going as the duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly also got a boost from the win. Day notched his third CFP victory of his career and fifth win against a top-five team amid criticism he struggles to win big games. After Kelly was roasted for his play calling during a loss to rival Michigan, his Buckeyes were ready to overpower the Oregon defense.
Ohio State will face Texas at the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 9 for a spot in the CFP national title game.
