CNN
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The No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes delivered a statement win at the Rose Bowl, dismantling No. 1 seed Oregon 41-21 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Wednesday in Pasadena, California.
With the win, the Buckeyes advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal, where they will face No. 5 seed Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Friday, January 10, for a national title game berth.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith spearheaded the Buckeyes’ offense as they jumped out to a 34-0 lead in the first half.
Howard passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns before halftime, while Smith hauled in five catches for 161 yards and two scores as the Buckeyes dominated the undefeated Ducks.
Oregon showed signs of life in the final seconds of the first half, with Dillon Gabriel leading a touchdown drive capped by a successful two-point conversion to make it 34-8 at the break. The Ducks added another touchdown early in the third quarter, narrowing the gap and sparking a glimmer of hope for Oregon’s faithful.
But Ohio State’s defense proved too much, regrouping to limit the Ducks’ offense. Gabriel, a Heisman Trophy finalist, struggled under the Buckeyes’ relentless pressure, enduring eight sacks in the game – nearly matching the 13 sacks the Ducks gave up coming into the Rose Bowl.
“We came out and played angry and I think it showed,” Howard said after the game. “We jumped out to an early lead and it was hard for them to come back.”
Howard continued, “We knew they were going to come back and do something, they’re too good of a team to not score any points. We knew they were going to mount some sort of a comeback. It wasn’t going to be perfect so we just had to weather the storm and make sure that we won the game when it counted.”
Earlier this season, Ohio State was outdueled by Oregon as the Big Ten rivals battled in a 32-31 classic back in October. Down by one, with the Buckeyes driving late in the fourth quarter, Howard questionably scrambled for a 12-yard gain, sliding as time expired, sealing the loss for the then No. 2 ranked Buckeyes.
“It’s unbelievable,” Howard said about getting redemption against Oregon. “A younger me would be in awe and I just got to take it all in and enjoy this with my boys and we got two more [games], so we’re not done yet.”
Howard finished the game with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns in the game known as the “Granddaddy of Them All.”
Meanwhile, Smith was named the offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl after dazzling with seven receptions and 187 yards, including two touchdown receptions of 45 and 43 yards.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning complimented Ohio State, noting that his Ducks team struggled Wednesday.
“They clicked tonight and we didn’t. And I didn’t get our team prepared. And that’s a great team. When you play a great team like Ohio State, you can’t not be clicking on all cylinders. And they were. They were clicking on all cylinders.
“We really didn’t have the ability to stop them, and we didn’t have the ability to get something going for us on offense. And we haven’t faced a lot of moments like this all year. It’s an unbelievable team. Coach Day and his staff have done an unbelievable job there,” Lanning said after the loss.