PASADENA, California – With a 1-4 record against rival Michigan and no Big Ten title since 2020, Ohio State coach Ryan Day has faced a lot of pressure this season from his own fan base. It’s safe to say he’s silenced those critics so far in the College Football Playoff.
Two weeks after beating Tennessee 42-17 in the first round, the Buckeyes dominated top-ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. Ohio State will face Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 for a spot in the national championship.
“In this game there are ups and downs along the way,” Day said after the game. “When things are going well, you have to hug the guys you love the most, and when things aren’t going well, you have to hug them even tighter. You just hold on and keep rocking.”
The Buckeyes took on the Ducks from the first drive of the game, finding the end zone in just three plays. After Ohio State quarterback Will Howard hit Gee Scott Jr. with a 30-yard pass, he connected with star receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 45-yard score.
The Buckeyes didn’t look back from there. They would go on to score the next 27 points (touchdown receptions for Smith and Emeka Egbuka and a 66-yard run down the right sideline by TreVeyon Henderson) for a commanding 34-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Oregon fans, accustomed to seeing one of the highest-scoring offenses in college football, were stunned.
The Ducks finally got on the board on the final play of the first half, a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dillon Gabriel to Traeshon Holden. Oregon got the 2-point conversion and scored on the first drive of the second half to cut the lead to 19 points, but it ultimately proved too much to overcome.
Gabriel threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, but struggled early, particularly on third down. Oregon had 19 third-down opportunities and converted only eight.
“You plan to create explosives, be really good at situational football and move the chains that way,” Gabriel said. “We just didn’t do that on the third down. They had a great plan, but if you don’t make the third down, you can’t move forward.”
Howard finished with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns for the Buckeyes. Smith, just a freshman but considered arguably the best receiver in the country, had seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He was named Offensive MVP.
Day was asked after the game about Smith’s impact as a freshman.
“He’s earned the respect of his teammates not because of his ability. You see the ability, but for me it’s the work ethic every day,” Day said. “He comes in, he’s serious, he doesn’t say much. But when he does, people listen. His maturity (physical, emotional and mental) has allowed him to play like that.”
While Ohio State easily won its matchup on Wednesday, its next opponent, Texas, had anything but a cakewalk against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The Sun Devils trailed 24-8 entering the fourth quarter, but scored 16 straight points to send the game into overtime.
After scoring drives for both teams in the extra period, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers sent his team to the Cotton Bowl with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm.
The Sugar Bowl, initially scheduled for Wednesday night between Notre Dame and Georgia, was postponed to Thursday after a man drove a pickup truck into New Year’s Day revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The FBI is investigating the incident, in which 15 people were killed and more than 30 injured, as an act of terrorism.
