1 of 5 | Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith celebrates after a 43-yard touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter of the Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal, Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif. Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI |
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Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Ohio State's offense exploded in an impeccable College Football Playoff performance while demolishing Oregon and achieving redemption in the Rose Bowl, but coach Ryan Day says the Buckeyes are "far from done."
The Buckeyes led by 34 points in the first half of the 41-21 blowout Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif. Freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith, who logged 166 yards and two scores through the first two quarters, carried the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal triumph.
"We're at a place where you can hear a lot of noise, but they didn't do that," Day told reporters. "And I'm very, very proud of our staff. I'm very, very proud of our players. But we're far from done."
The eighth-seeded Buckeyes (12-2) will now take on No. 5 Texas (13-2) in the Cotton Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal, on Jan. 10 in Arlington, Texas. The winner will advance to the national title game Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard threw a shot pass to Smith on the third play of Wednesday's Rose Bowl and the rout was on. Smith caught the feed behind the line of scrimmage before ripping through the Ducks defense for a 45-yard touchdown.
"Will does a great job in practice just trusting us, just throwing the ball out there," Smith said of Howard. "We tell him, just throw it out there. We'll make a play for you. It don't matter if it's a bad ball or not, we'll make our quarterback look good.
"But Will playing with that confidence that he has, just being a leader out there, I feed off his energy. He's just great guy. I love Will to death. And I would do anything for him."
Fellow Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka scored a 42-yard touchdown later in the quarter. Smith caught a 42-yard pass for another score early in the second. The Buckeyes got a 66-yard touchdown run from running back TreVeyon Henderson less than two minutes later and led 34-8 at halftime.
The Ducks scored twice in the second half, but could not come close to filling their massive deficit. Henderson padded the Buckeyes lead with an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Smith totaled 187 yards on seven catches, including his touchdown grabs. Ebuka caught five passes for 72 yards and a score. Howard completed 17 of 26 passes for 319 yards and three scores. The Buckeyes out-gained the Ducks 500 to 276 in total yards.
Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 29 of 41 passes for 299 yards and two scores. Ducks wide receiver Traeshon Holden caught seven passes for 117 yards and two scores.
Wednesday's win helped the Buckeyes achieve redemption against the same Ducks they lost to Oct. 12 in Eugene, Ore. A Nov. 30 setback at the hands of rival Michigan also contributed to their end-of-season stumble. Day told reporters that it was hard for him to say that those struggles were beneficial for the Buckeyes, but they learned from their mistakes.
"I know that you're a sum of your experiences," Day said. "And this team has had great wins this season. It's had some tough losses. And we have learned from those.
"And you've got to grow and you've got to build and you've got to make sure you're focusing on your strengths and making sure that you understand what your weaknesses are. And I think that's a big part of it."
If the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns, they will meet No. 6 Penn State (13-2) or the winner of the Sugar Bowl in the national title game. No. 2 Georgia (11-2) will face No. 7 Notre Dame (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl at 4 p.m. EST Thursday in New Orleans. The winner of that meeting will face Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Buckeyes will face the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. EST Jan. 10 at AT&T Stadium.
Oregon Ducks linebacker Jeffrey Bassa (2) reaches for Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka on his short run during the second quarter of the College Football Playoffs quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., on January 1, 2025. Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI |
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