The Ohio State Buckeyes they weren’t going to let a newcomer to the Big 10 conference steal all the attention this season.
With a convincing victory of 41-21 over first place Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, the Buckeyes advance to the CFP semifinals.
Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long touchdown passes during Ohio State’s sensational 34-point first half. Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Egbuka also caught a long TD pass and TreVeyon Henderson had a 66-yard touchdown run in a redemptive Rose Bowl for Buckeyes (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed), whose execution in big games has at times not matched their prodigious talent this season.
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Tight End Ohio State Buckeyes Gee Scott Jr. jumps for a first down during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Ohio State took advantage of the second opportunity created by the first 12-team CFP, emphatically knocking off the tournament’s top seed. The Buckeyes scored in six of their first seven games and took a 34-0 lead late in the second quarter over the nation’s only remaining undefeated team in the Granddaddy of Them All.
Ohio State heads to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 to face No. 4 Texas for a spot in the national title game. The Longhorns barely came through earlier Wednesday, holding off Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime in the Peach Bowl.
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Ohio State Buckeyes runningback TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for 299 yards and hit Traeshon Holden for two touchdowns for the Ducks (13-1, CFP No. 1 seed), whose dreams of their first national title were dashed on the famed Rose Bowl turf. It also ended Oregon’s 14-game winning streak.
Eleven days after a playoff-opening loss to Tennessee, Ohio State dominated the rematch of the regular-season thriller between these Big Ten teams, which the Ducks won 32-31 on Oct. 12 in Eugene.
Smith, the Buckeyes’ standout quarterback, had an outstanding bowl debut with seven receptions for 187 yards — including five catches for 161 yards in the first half alone, hauling in passes for scores of 45 and 43 yards.
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Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) catches a pass in front of Oregon Ducks running back Dillon Gabriel (8) during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
For Oregon, a sensational opening season in the Big 10 will end with a loss. It also marks the end of Gabriel’s six-year college career.
Gabriel was one of the best defenders this season. He was named a first-team All-American, the Big 10 MVP and the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. He also led the Big 10 in both passing yards, with 3,558, and completions, with 297, this year.
The quarterback began his career at the University of Central Florida, where he played for three years before heading to Norman to play for Sooners in Oklahoma. In December, with one more year left, Gabriel decided to head to the Pacific Northwest to play with the Oregon Ducks.
Gabriel will now turn his attention to the NFL draft, where he is projected to be a potential second-division running back.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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