5 takeaways from Ohio State’s dominant Rose Bowl win over Oregon

Ohio State’s 41-21 victory Wednesday night in the Rose Bowl earned them not only revenge but a trip to Dallas to play Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.

That will be a College Football Playoff semifinal, but first here are five things to know about No. 8 seed Ohio State’s quarterfinal triumph over No. 1 Oregon:

1. Ohio State could barely have started any better.

The Buckeyes punted once in the first half, but anyone who forgot about that can be forgiven because there were so many other signature plays they were hard to keep track of.

Jeremiah Smith caught a 45-yard touchdown pass one minute into the game, and Emeka Egbuka hauled one in from 42 yards seven minutes later.

By the end of the first half, Smith had another explosive touchdown (43 yards), and TreVeyon Henderson added another on the ground and Jayden Fielding kicked two field goals as the Buckeyes built a 34-0 led before Oregon scored a touchdown just before halftime.

2. Jeremiah Smith couldn’t be stopped.

The freshman from Florida was the No. 1-rated recruit of the class of 2024 for a reason, and he has been proving it regularly since late August.

This was his best performance yet, though, as Ohio State worked hard to get him the ball early and often, and he took advantage.

“He had a look in his eye that he wanted to make an impact as a freshman,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “I think his teammates would tell you the same thing. And he’s earned the respect of the teammates, not because of his ability. You guys see his ability, but to me it’s the work ethic every day. He comes in, he’s serious. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but when he does, people listen.”

Smith was named the offensive most valuable player of the game and finished with seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

3. The Buckeyes seemed to out-scheme the Ducks on both sides of the ball.

Day said more than once to credit the Jimmys and the Joes, but there is little doubt Ohio State got the better of the Xs and the Os.

On the first play, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly drew up a fake screen pass to clear room for tight end Gee Scott Jr. to get open for a 30-yard gain, and Ohio State never looked back.

They schemed Smith open in the flat for the first touchdown of the game, then quarterback Will Howard found him wide open again for a long touchdown in the second quarter after Smith lined up in the slot and ran a pattern to the opposite corner without anyone picking him up.

The running game also benefited from a continued emphasis on gap plays, including a counter that sprung Henderson for a backbreaking 66-yard touchdown run when the Ducks were already wobbly.

“I think sometimes in this game coaches get too much attention,” Day said. “This is about these guys right here. A lot of good plays out there, but they’ve got to make it work. And I thought they really put it on the field and we came out aggressive.”

The defense yielded several explosive pass plays to Oregon in the first matchup, a surprising outcome because the Ducks had not gone deep much before that game.

This time, Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles seemed resolute in making sure that would not happen, and quarterback Dillon Gabriel rarely was able to find anyone open when he dropped back to pass.

He also got no support from his running game, which ended up netting minus-26 yards.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

4. The pass rush wasn’t antiquated.

That was the word legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban used to describe the scheme Knowles used for rushing the passer in the first matchup.

Specifically, Saban took issue with the Buckeyes’ typically just lining up and trying to win one-on-one matchups with superior talent.

Since that game, Knowles has mixed up coverages in the secondary and used more blitzes and stunts up front, both strategies that paid off handsomely in Pasadena as Ohio State ended up with eight sacks.

“One of the biggest things we changed was our attitude and mentality,” said senior linebacker Cody Simon, who had a game-high 11 tackles, including three for loss and two sacks and was named the defensive MVP. “There were plays in the game we weren’t aligned or ready to go. With an offense like that for Oregon, they thrive on that stuff. For us, it was just that mentality we had to change. We went through a lot of tough conversations after that game and a lot of changes we had to make, but I think we’re better for it now.”

After gaining 496 yards against Ohio State in the first matchup, Oregon had only 276 in the Rose Bowl.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

5. Will Howard got his redemption.

The quarterback for Ohio State was nearly perfect against the Ducks the first time, but he failed to get on the ground in time for the Buckeyes to call timeout and attempt a game-winning field goal.

He admitted — to no one’s surprise — this week that ending didn’t sit well with him, and he took advantage of his second chance by making it rain on the Oregon secondary early and often.

“Will does a great job in practice just trusting us, just throwing the ball out there,” Smith said. “We tell him, ‘Just throw it out there. We’ll make a play for you.’ It don’t matter if it’s a bad ball or not, we’ll make our quarterback look good, but Will playing with that confidence that he has, just being a leader out there, I feed off his energy. He’s just great guy. I love Will to death. And I would do anything for him.”

Howard ended up 17-for-26 passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns while Gabriel was 29 for 41 for 299 yards and two touchdowns.

NEXT GAME

Cotton Bowl

Friday, Jan. 10

Ohio State vs. Texas, 7:30 p.m., ESPN