How did Ohio State dominate Oregon? Final thoughts on a masterful Rose Bowl

Ohio State avenged its October loss to No. 1 Oregon, winning 41-21 on Wednesday in a game that didn’t even seem that close after the Buckeyes jumped out to a 34-0 lead.

So how dominant was Ohio State? Here’s what stood out to me upon rewatching the Rose Bowl before turning attention forward to next Friday’s College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl against Texas.

Ohio State defensive line is playing at an unreal level

I’m not sure what Larry Johnson said to his position group before the Playoff began, but he needs to keep that message going for as long as he continues to coach. Ohio State’s defensive line played on a different level against Tennessee in the first round, tallying four sacks and six tackles for loss. Then it raised its game even more against Oregon to a place I wasn’t sure was possible.

Oregon’s offensive line came into Saturday’s game on an impressive run. The Ducks had given up no more than two sacks in a game to a Big Ten team this season and 13 total sacks in 13 games. The Ducks’ O-line dominated Ohio State in October, as the Buckeyes had zero sacks.

In the Playoff? Ohio State had eight sacks, the most Oregon has allowed since at least 2005, according to Stathead. The Buckeyes also had 24 pressures, the most allowed by Oregon this season.

It was one of the best games I’ve seen from JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. They had two sacks each and did it without Ohio State blitzing a ton. The Buckeyes sent extra pressure on just 7.5 percent of dropbacks, according to TruMedia, because they didn’t want Dillon Gabriel to scramble around the backfield all game.

Despite limited blitzing, Ohio State generated a pressure rate of 45.3 percent. Tuimoloau and Sawyer played a fantastic game, and Kenyatta Jackson and Eddrick Houston both made an impact too. Houston had four pressures and Jackson had three, and they flashed even more on film.

Ohio State’s run defense was the best we’ve seen all season, holding Oregon to 33 sack-adjusted rushing yards. (Include sacks, and Oregon rushed for minus-23 yards.) Oregon averaged just 0.15 yards Oregon before contact, per TruMedia. Defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton are playing at an elite level. Both had three tackles and one tackle for a loss in the game, though that doesn’t represent their level of impact. And if they didn’t make the play, Cody Simon was there to clear it all out. The Rose Bowl defensive MVP had 11 tackles, two sacks and three TFLs.

How Ohio State knocked Gabriel off his game

Perhaps the most important part of Ohio State’s defense is the safeties.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles schemed up a heck of a game against Oregon, and he put Lathan Ransom, Caleb Downs and Jordan Hancock in positions to play off each other and make plays in the run game. When Ohio State can play coverage while also letting Downs and Ransom use their instincts in the run game, it’s hard to beat.

It can be hard to see the small details of coverage on the TV broadcast, but there was so much Knowles was doing to confuse Gabriel, who often had no clue what he was looking at. It seemed like Ohio State knew what Oregon was doing before offensive coordinator Will Stein could get his group lined up.

One play jumps out to me from early in the second quarter when Oregon faced a fourth-and-3 and put Tez Johnson on a motion streak with two crossers. Davison Igbinosun played the streak perfectly, careful not to give up a release and deep ball, and the linebackers and safeties sat on the crossers so well that Gabriel had to throw into coverage and Simon nearly came away with an interception.

The secondary had Oregon locked up, albeit without Evan Stewart. It helped that Ohio State didn’t have to send extra bodies to get pressure, but the corners were much better on Wednesday than they were in October.

Denzel Burke was targeted one time, per PFF, and nearly came away with an interception on that throw. Igbinosun was targeted five times on 47 coverage snaps and gave up just four completions for 45 yards.

It was a strong performance by the Ohio State secondary and a great game plan by Knowles, who seems like he’s found the right balance to be successful at Ohio State. He’s the best assistant coach hire in the Day era.

Kelly continues to be in his bag

One of the most interesting things about Ohio State in this Playoff run is the switch from predictable against Michigan to aggressive against Tennessee and Oregon on offense under Chip Kelly.

Oregon and Tennessee both have talented defenses, ranking in the top 25 in yards and points allowed. Ohio State has made a point of putting its playmakers in advantageous positions and getting them the ball after being stuck in a rut against the Wolverines.

The first part of Ohio State’s success is Jeremiah Smith. The No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class has been outstanding in the Playoff, tallying 13 catches, 290 yards and four touchdowns on 16 targets. His first touchdown against Oregon was all him. Will Howard got him the ball in stride on a drag route and he took it 45 yards into the end zone.

Jeremiah Smith said ✌️

The @OhioStateFB star opened the scoring in the Rose Bowl with this 45 yard touchdown 💥#B1GFootball x #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/3nFrn3KzKt

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 2, 2025

Once Smith gets going, Kelly really starts carving teams up.

On Emeka Egbuka’s touchdown, Smith was lined up on the left side of the field by himself. The Ducks were in a two-safety shell, trying not to give up a big play. As Smith ran a sideline route, it pulled the boundary safety to the sideline and allowed Egbuka enough room to split the safeties. Howard put the ball in a great spot, knowing there aren’t many people who can keep up with Egbuka step for step.

On Smith’s second touchdown, a 42-yarder, he showed off his route-running ability on what was also a great play call by Kelly.

Obviously, he’s a physical freak. But the subtle body lean and head bob to manipulate the DB on this route is so, so good, esp for a freshman.

It’s more than just size/speed w/ Jeremiah Smith. pic.twitter.com/OgTqA8JdSe

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 2, 2025

As tight ends coach Keenan Bailey pointed out on X, it’s a great one-high safety beater with Egbuka running a comeback route on the left side of the field and Gee Scott running a dig from the right side to manipulate that defensive back too.

Ohio State’s offense is playing at an elite level right now, especially in the passing game, and Kelly is calling it to perfection. I just don’t know how teams can slow this offense down if Howard is throwing with as much confidence as he is right now. The run game has found its footing too, and the health of the tight ends has helped.

Texas’ defense can give Ohio State some trouble. The Longhorns are good up front and have a ton of talent in the secondary, led by All-American cornerback Jahdae Barron. It will be a fun matchup.

But if Howard is locked in, there’s no doubt Ohio State is the national championship favorite.

(Top photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)