Here are 5 things we learned from the Ohio State Buckeyes' 41-21 win over Oregon

Here are 5 things we learned from the Ohio State Buckeyes’ 41-21 win over Oregon

Posted by Admin January 2, 2025 Football

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PASADENA, Calif. — Here are five things we learned from No. 8 Ohio State’s 41-21 win over No. 1 Oregon in their College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Wednesday.

For Ohio State, momentum is real

Two days before the Rose Bowl, it was Buckeyes coach Ryan Day who acknowledged momentum as a potential factor.

He pointed to wild-card playoff teams in the NFL who get hot after prevailing in the opening round, kick-starting a postseason run.

Day turned out prophetic.

As the Buckeyes opened with an onslaught, finishing with points on six of their first seven drives, the barrage in the first half seemed to be a carryover from their rout of Tennessee less than two weeks ago.

Ohio State was off for only 10 days between games, while Oregon experienced a layoff twice as long. The Ducks had been off for 24 days following the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 7.

It’s clear the Buckeyes are peaking at the right time, emerging as the juggernaut they were forecast to be during the offseason. In two playoff games, they have outscored opponents 83-38.

As they move on to the semifinals, they look like the hottest team in the field.

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is driving a title push

If Smith ever hit a freshman wall this season, he smashed through it.

Smith was again the focal point of Ohio State’s scoring surge, catching two touchdown passes in his second straight playoff game.

Quarterback Will Howard targeted Smith 10 times. He caught seven passes for 187 yards and two scores.

Smith stressed the Ducks in a variety of ways. His touchdown on the opening series came when he got the ball while running a crossing route behind the line of scrimmage and took off for a 45-yard touchdown, showing a burst of speed after the catch.

He later used his size to leap over two defenders for a 29-yard catch on their next possession.

“He’s special,” offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “I’ve said it from the beginning, I’ve not seen anybody like him. That combination of size and speed, the ability to track the football, the ability to go up and get the football, he’s maybe a once-in-a-lifetime guy.”

He could carry the Buckeyes to a title if he continues this stretch of dominance.

Improvement on Ohio State defense was not an illusion

When the Buckeyes lost at Oregon on Oct. 12, it was a low point for a defense that allowed a season-high 32 points.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel torched them, navigating the pocket with ease and throwing deep bombs to Tez Johnson and Even Stewart.

The setback prompted the Buckeyes to make adjustments on defense to improve the pass rush and limit big plays.

During the second half of the season, their defensive starters had not allowed more than a touchdown.

The rematch with the Ducks revealed the changes had fixed their issues.

Ohio State swarmed Gabriel, sacking him eight times and allowing him to connect on only two passes longer than 25 yards. Gabriel had completed six passes of at least 25 yards, including touchdowns of 48 and 69 yards to Johnson and Stewart, in their first meeting.

Jordan James, who ran for 115 yards and a touchdown previously against the Buckeyes, had only 14 rushing yards on seven carries before he left with an injury in the second quarter.

The Ducks were held to minus-23 rushing yards on 28 carries.

“It’s always a test,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, “and to go against somebody you didn’t play well, it’s a good feeling.”

Jayden Fielding snapped his slump at the right time for Ohio State

There are limitations with Jayden Fielding, who has handled the kicking for the Buckeyes for the past two seasons.

Having never made a 50-yard field goal, he has not been known for his leg.

But he has been accurate and made 25 of his first 30 attempts with the Buckeyes until the loss to Michigan in November that saw him miss two within 40 yards.

That made his two successful tries from 46 and 36 yards against the Ducks valuable, providing some confidence as the Buckeyes move deeper into the postseason.

It stands to reason that a semifinal against Texas on Jan. 10 or a potential final against Georgia, Notre Dame or Penn State could be tight.

A semifinal loss to the Bulldogs two seasons ago came down to a 50-yard field goal attempt by Noah Ruggles.

Ohio State might need to rely on Fielding. It couldn’t afford for him to go into the tank.

Pasadena is friendly territory for Ohio State

During a stretch in the 1970s, the Buckeyes saw four potential national championship-winning seasons collapse in the Rose Bowl.

They were in position to win it all during the 1970, 1974, 1975 and 1979 seasons until losses on New Year’s Day cost them.

Before a win over Arizona State in the 1997 Rose Bowl, they had dropped four in a row and six of seven in the “Granddaddy of Them All.”

The San Gabriel Mountains did not always look so picturesque to those visiting from Ohio.

But the triumph over Arizona State from 28 years ago remains a turning point. The Buckeyes have won five consecutive games in Pasadena, their longest streak in the history of the historic bowl game.

Two of those five wins have come in Day’s tenure, including a thrilling win over Utah three years ago.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.