By Patrick Weider
After losing to Michigan on November 30th, Ohio State’s season seemed like a lost cause, but they have now rebounded to beat Tennessee 42-17 in the 1st round playoffs at home and beat Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State raced to a 34-0 lead and never looked back against Oregon. Below are the reasons why Ohio State avenged and took care of Oregon.
Jeremiah Smith Show
Just like the Tennessee game, Ohio State targeted Jeremiah Smith early and often to take a commanding lead. On the 3rd play of the game, Ohio State brought Smith in motion and hit him in the flat for a 45-yard touchdown. For the game, Smith caught 7 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the Rose Bowl offensive MVP for his performance. Smith is the best wide receiver in the country, and he continues to show it each week. The craziest part is he is only a freshman.
Oregon better figure out who Jeremiah Smith is or they will be in the Guinness book of world records https://t.co/ZWd2T5D37h
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) January 1, 2025
The Buckeye Defense Came to Play
Again, Deja Vu to the Tennessee game. Ohio State dominated the Oregon offense early as they were held to 276 and 21 points for the game, and they went scoreless for most of the 1st half until they scored a late touchdown with time expiring. The most staggering part was Oregon rushed for a total of minus 23 yards on the night, as Ohio State shut down the rushing attack of Oregon and sacked Dillon Gabriel eight times. In the 1st game against Oregon, Ohio State sacked Gabriel zero times, a remarkable improvement for the Buckeyes.
Cody Simon came to play at the linebacker position. He was the Rose Bowl defensive MVP with eight tackles and two sacks and was all over the field for the Buckeyes. Jack Sawyer had another stellar performance with two tackles, two sacks and two passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles did a great job of mixing in coverages and blitz packages to slow down the explosive Ducks offense.
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Will Howard’s Come Back Performance
Will Howard was mocked, ridiculed, and laughed at for running with no time left in the Oregon game earlier this year to cost them a chance at a game-winning field goal. Then against Michigan, he struggled badly throwing two costly interceptions. Howard bounced back in a big way to get the win for Ohio State today. He was 17 of 26 for 319 yards and three touchdowns—a truly dominant performance by Howard.
Will Howard could not have placed this throw to Emega Egbuka any better
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 1, 2025
Offensive Line continues to shine
The Ohio State offensive line looked like a bad offensive line against Michigan and for the 2nd game in a row, they were dominant. They were able to keep Howard clean all night as he never got sacked in the game. They also opened plenty of holes for TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Henderson rushed for 94 yards on eight carries and 2 touchdowns. Judkins rushed for 85 yards on 17 carries. Both showcased how talented they are as runners behind a previously much-maligned offense line.
Ryan Day Legacy Game
Again, after losing to Michigan people thought Ryan Day should get fired and all he has done since is dominate Tennessee and Oregon. This game showed how this team loves to play together and how much they respect Coach Day. The 4th and 5th year starters on this Ohio State team came back for a goal to win a National Championship and they are now two wins away from achieving that goal. Ryan Day deserves credit for keeping them together during a rough week against Michigan and now they are playing great football.
