PASADENA, Calif. — Ohio State got its revenge for one of its two regular-season losses, and it’s now headed to the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The eighth-seeded Buckeyes came out with a fast start and never looked back to take down No. 1 Oregon in dominant fashion with a 41-21 victory in the Rose Bowl.
Wednesday’s matchup was billed as the top quarterfinal matchup in the playoff, as many expected it to be a back-and-forth affair with the picturesque backdrop of the California sunset bouncing off the San Gabriel mountains.
Instead, when most of the country finally got the game on their screens after the Peach Bowl went to overtime, the Buckeyes already established control and it was an Ohio State showcase for much of the first half that became too much for even one of the best teams in the country to overcome.
The first play of the game foreshadowed how the night would go, with Will Howard connecting with Gee Scott Jr. for a 30-yard gain. Two plays later, star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith bolted past the Oregon defense for a 45-yard score to give the Buckeyes a lead they’d never relinquish.
Ohio State advances to the playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl against No. 5 Texas, which defeated Arizona State earlier Wednesday.
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Smith was show in “The Granddaddy of Them All,” who has looked like anything but someone playing their first season of college football. He constantly made highlight-worthy catches past Oregon defenders. Smith already had a career-high 161 receiving yards at halftime, and he finished the night with a 187 receiving yards on seven catches and two touchdowns. His second score, a 43-yard reception that put Ohio State ahead 24-0, effectively put the game officially out of reach early in the second quarter.
The blowout win was in contrast to the regular-season meeting between the teams won by Oregon 32-31 when Ohio State ran out of time in field-goal range.
Big plays were what drove Ohio State to such a commanding lead in just the first half, with all four touchdowns going at least 42 yards. There was the opening 45-yard score, a 42-yard catch by Emeka Egbuka, the 43-yard one from Smith and TreVeyon Henderson breaking free for a 66-yard run.
While the Ohio State offense continued to find big play after big play, Oregon struggled to generate any momentum and couldn’t handle the speed or toughness of the Buckeyes. It went three-and-out on its first two possessions of the game and failed to score on the first five possessions of the night. Oregon didn’t get on the scoreboard until the final play of the first half, when it was already down by 34-points.
To Oregon’s credit, the Ducks didn’t fold completely. They scored on their final drive of the second quarter and opened the second half with a touchdown to cut their deficit to 19. But after Oregon forced a three-and-out, the Buckeyes regained control and another Henderson touchdown to push the lead back to 26 points to start the fourth quarter.
The 41 points by Ohio State is the most allowed by the Ducks this season, and the most it’s allowed since Dan Lanning’s debut game in 2022 when it lost to Georgia 49-3. Oregon’s first loss of the season also ensure there will be no undefeated national champion after Georgia and Michigan were perfect the past two seasons.
The win by the Buckeyes means all three quarterfinal winners in the College Football Playoff were teams that played a first-round game. Georgia and Notre Dame will play Thursday in the final quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.
