PASADENA, Calif. — Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long touchdown passes during Ohio State’s sensational 34-point first half, and the No. 6 Buckeyes roared into the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 41-21 victory over No. 1 Oregon in the 111th Rose Bowl Game on Wednesday night.
Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Egbuka also caught a long touchdown pass, and TreVeyon Henderson made a 66-yard touchdown run in a redemptive Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed), whose big-game execution sometimes hasn’t matched their formidable talent this season.
“You can see the potential of where we’re at, when we play in all three phases the way we did,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.
After painful regular-season losses to Oregon and Michigan, Ohio State has seized the second chances created by the first 12-team CFP. Facing the tournament’s No. 1 seed in the Granddaddy of Them All, the Buckeyes scored on six of their first seven drives to take a 34-0 lead late in the second quarter on the nation’s only remaining unbeaten team – and Henderson’s second TD run late in the third essentially put it away.
Ohio State is headed to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 to face No. 4 Texas for a berth in the national title game. The Longhorns barely advanced earlier Wednesday, holding off Arizona State 39-31 in a double-overtime Peach Bowl. The Buckeyes opened as five-point favorites against Texas and also emerged as consensus favorites to win the national championship at +120, according to ESPN BET.
“I’m proud of the resilience of these guys,” Day said. “Still got a lot of football ahead of us.”
Dillon Gabriel passed for 299 yards and hit receiver Traeshon Holden for two touchdowns for the Ducks (13-1, CFP No. 1 seed), whose dreams of their first national title were flattened on the famed Rose Bowl turf. Oregon’s 14-game winning streak also ended.
Eleven days after routing Tennessee to open the playoff, Ohio State dominated this rematch of these Big Ten teams’ regular-season thriller, won 32-31 by the Ducks in Eugene on Oct. 12. The Ohio State defense that couldn’t sack Gabriel in the teams’ first meeting dropped the Heisman Trophy finalist eight times in the rematch.
Smith, the Buckeyes’ standout freshman playmaker, had a remarkable bowl debut with seven receptions for 187 yards — including five catches for 161 yards in the first half alone — hauling in scoring passes of 45 and 43 yards.
Ohio State turned the CFP’s most anticipated quarterfinal matchup into a long celebration at the Rose Bowl, which has hosted several thrilling, close games in recent Januaries. This one pitted two powerhouse programs widely considered to have the top two teams left in the inaugural 12-team playoff, but the Buckeyes scored early and often at the Rose Bowl.
The Big Ten champion Ducks couldn’t make any offensive headway until they trailed by 34 points, failing to create any of the big plays that carried the Ducks to victory in Eugene.
After the usual pregame pageantry in 70-degree sunshine at the venerable stadium in Arroyo Seco, Ohio State needed just three plays and 49 seconds to strike first. Howard threw a short play-action screen pass to Smith, who motored through Oregon’s secondary for a 45-yard score.
On the Buckeyes’ third drive, Howard feathered a long pass over three Ducks to the sprinting Egbuka for a 42-yard touchdown. Howard finished the first quarter with a career-best 212 passing yards, surpassing his 160 yards during Ohio State’s hot start against Tennessee.
Early in the second quarter, Smith got so open near the Ducks’ goal line that he had two seconds to settle under Howard’s long throw like an outfielder with a fly ball, scoring a 42-yard touchdown untouched.
When Henderson broke a 66-yard touchdown run down the Oregon sideline for a 31-0 lead, both sides of the Rose Bowl stands rippled with disbelief.
Oregon finally got moving on its final drive before halftime. Gabriel found Holden for a 5-yard TD pass as time expired, and the Ducks added a two-point conversion to salvage something from their horrific half.
The Ducks drove for Noah Whittington’s 2-yard TD run to open the second half, scoring the first touchdown allowed in the third quarter all season by Ohio State. Oregon even forced a punt moments later to stir faint hope in its fans, but the Ohio State defense pushed the Ducks backward for a punt before Howard’s group methodically drove for Henderson’s second TD.
Takeaways
Ohio State: The full force of the Buckeyes’ talent has been on display for the past two weeks after it fell short against Oregon and Michigan in the regular season. The 12-team playoff opened the chance for redemption. This group is seizing it, and it’s awfully fun to watch.
Oregon: Having 3½ weeks off with their first-round bye proved to be dangerous for the Ducks. This disconcerting flop doesn’t completely ruin a breakthrough Big Ten debut, but the season will always loom as a missed opportunity in Oregon history.
Up next
Ohio State: The Cotton Bowl will be a preview of both teams’ 2025 season opener, because Texas visits Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30.
Oregon: The Ducks’ 2025 season opener is at home against Montana State, which faces North Dakota State in the FCS title game Monday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.