Brett Ludwiczak
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Ohio State v. Oregon: 2025 game preview and prediction
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The Buckeyes and Ducks square off in Pasadena on Wednesday afternoon with a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinal on the line.
With their 42-17 victory over Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Ohio State secured a rematch with top seed Oregon on Wednesday in the Rose Bowl in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
The winner of the contest between the Buckeyes and the Ducks will move on to face the winner of the Peach Bowl between Texas and Arizona State, which will take place in Atlanta on Wednesday prior to the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State and Oregon met back in October in Eugene, with the Ducks winning 32-31 in one of the most thrilling games of the college football season.
The game had just about everything: Points, an ejection for spitting, eight lead changes, Dan Lanning legally cheating, and Will Howard running out of time as he put the Buckeyes into position for a potential game-winning field goal. Howard and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel combined to throw for 667 yards, four touchdowns, and neither quarterback was intercepted in the game.
The victory by the Ducks in October was their second straight over the Buckeyes after losing their first nine meetings with Ohio State. This will be the third time the schools have met in the Rose Bowl.
The Buckeyes beat the Ducks 10-7 in the 1958 Rose Bowl, followed by a 26-17 victory in 2010. In the first year of the four-team College Football Playoff, Ohio State defeated Oregon 42-20 in the title game, so it is fitting they meet in the first year of the 12-team playoff.
The Buckeyes will be playing in their 17th Rose Bowl, along with their 52nd bowl game in school history. Ohio State’s record in Pasadena is 9-7, winning their last four trips to the iconic bowl game.
The last time the Buckeyes played for the roses was on the first day of 2022, beating Utah 48-45 that not only saw C.J. Stroud toss six touchdowns, Jaxon Smith-Njigba set a school and FBS record with 347 yards receiving. Nine current Buckeyes played in the victory over Utah in Pasadena. Overall in bowl games, Ohio State has a 25-26 record, losing their last two.
This will be the fifth game of the season for Ohio State against a top 10 team, with four of those contests coming against teams ranked in the top 5 at the time. Along with all of those high-profile games, this marks the third time since 1951 where the Buckeyes have played a team twince in the same season.
In 1975, Ohio State split two meetings with UCLA, losing the 1976 Rose Bowl to the Bruins. 2019 saw the Buckeyes sweep both meetings with Wisconsin, beating the Badgers 38-7 in Columbus, followed by a 34-21 victory in the Big Ten Championship Game.
There were a lot of questions about Ohio State’s mindset heading into the Tennessee game after the 13-10 loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes answered those questions early, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter in the first Ohio State football game ever played at Ohio Stadium in December.
Following a few weeks of doubt from fans and the media, the Buckeyes showed why they are one of the favorites to win the national title since when they play like they did against the Volunteers, they are nearly impossible to beat.
Will Howard was able to put a terrible performance against Michigan behind him, only missing on five of his 29 pass attempts, throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns against the Volunteers. Through 13 games this season, Howard has amassed over 3,000 total yards and 36 touchdowns, with 29 of those scores coming through the air. Three of those 36 touchdowns came in the loss to Oregon in October.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25810943/2191002475.jpg "Tennessee v Ohio State - Playoff First Round")
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and Howard did a very smart thing against Tennessee. They fed wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Not only did Smith haul in the two touchdown passes from Howard, the fantastic freshman caught six balls for 103 yards, both high marks among receivers in the game. Smith has now reached 100 yards receiving in four games this season, one of which came against Oregon. The 1,037 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns are both most on the team among receivers.
The one statistic Smith doesn’t lead Ohio State receivers in is receptions. Emeka Egbuka currently holds the top spot, catching 65 passes to Smith’s 63 receptions. After finishing with 81 yards receiving on his five catches against Tennessee, Egbuka continues to move up the school’s all-time receiving ranks. The senior has 189 catches in his career, three shy of passing David Boston for second place at Ohio State, and 13 from knocking K.J. Hill out of the top spot.
Egbuka is 31 yards from moving into the top 5 when it comes to receiving yardage, as Chris Olave currently occupies that spot with 2,711 career receiving yards. Both Egbuka and Smith caught at least nine passes for 90 yards, each scoring a touchdown in the first meeting with Oregon this season.
The Buckeye offense was able to be so successful in their first round game because of the resurgence of their running game. Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins found the end zone twice, combining to rush for 114 yards. Henderson now is fifth in school history with 3,576 rushing yards, passing Tim Spencer.
Together, Henderson and Judkins have rushed for 1,670 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. All the Ohio State running backs will likely be playing with an extra gear on Wednesday since running backs coach Carlos Locklyn spent two years on Dan Lanning’s staff at Oregon before accepting the same position on Ryan Day’s staff in the offseason.
Locklyn joins offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as current Buckeye coaches who have spent time coaching in Eugene, with Kelly holding the head coaching job with the Ducks from 2009 to 2012.
In the first meeting in Eugene, Oregon’s speedy offense got the better of Ohio State’s defense, as the Ducks rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense. Since the disappointing performance the Buckeyes have been especially stingy, allowing just seven touchdowns, which all have come on the ground.
Jim Knowles’ defense ranks first in the country in scoring defense, yards per game allowed, and passing yards per game allowed. In the victory over Tennessee, Ohio State gave up 256 yards of total offense.
There has been a common theme in Ohio State’s two losses this season. Against Oregon and Michigan, the Buckeyes weren’t able to register a sack. By comparison, in the last game against Tennessee, Ohio State sacked Nico Iamaleava four times. When the Buckeyes are able to make the opposing quarterback uncomfortable they often end up winning.
Leading the charge for the Ohio State defense against Tennessee were defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. Tuimoloau had two sacks in the victory, raising his team-leading total on the season to eight sacks. The senior from Seattle also has 14 tackles for loss this season.
Sawyer continued the strong second half to his final season in the scarlet and gray with 1.5 sacks against the Volunteers, and now the Pickerington product has six sacks this year. Defensive tackle Ty Hamilton also stuck his nose in some plays against Tennessee, finishing with four tackles and half a sack, lining up next to Tyleik Williams on the interior of the defensive line.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25810944/2190632533.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 21 CFP First-Round - Tennessee at Ohio State")
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Cody Simon continued to make sure his final season as a Buckeye is a memorable one, recording 12 tackles in his final home game at Ohio Stadium. With his output against Tennessee, Simon is now the team’s leading tackler this season, entering the Rose Bowl with 86 tackles.
The linebacker has also been a source of pressure, especially in the second half of the season, recording five sacks. Just behind Simon in the tackling totals is fellow linebacker Sonny Styles, who has 81 stops after he was credited with five tackles against the Volunteers.
Ohio State’s secondary has been tough to crack since the Oregon game, where they gave up 341 yards passing and two touchdowns to Dillon Gabriel. Since the loss to the Ducks, the Buckeyes have not given up a passing touchdown. Opponents are averaging 141.2 yards passing per game against Ohio State, which is the lowest mark in the country.
Quarterbacking the secondary is All-American safety Caleb Downs. The Alabama transfer is third on the team with 69 tackles this year after recording seven stops in the win over Tennessee. Lining up next to Downs is Lathan Ransom. The senior not only has 62 tackles, he has forced three fumbles this season.
The cornerbacks really struggled in the first game against Oregon, especially Denzel Burke. Both Burke and Davison Igbinosun have intercepted two passes this season. Igbinosun will have to be on his best behavior against the Ducks since the former Ole Miss cornerback has had issues with pass interference penalties throughout the year.
Jordan Hancock has done a great job patrolling the nickelback spot, intercepting a pass and breaking up six passes this season. Despite going up against one of the nation’s top receiving corps, the Ohio State secondary has the talent to slow them down.
Oregon is the only undefeated FBS team left, with their 14-game winning streak being the longest active streak in the country. To secure their spot as the top seed in the playoff, the Ducks beat Penn State 45-37 in the Big Ten Championship Game, winning the conference in their first season as a member.
Dillon Gabriel threw four touchdown passes in a game the Ducks never trailed in. Oregon is the only team in the country ranked in the top 15 in scoring offense, total offense, scoring defense, and total defense.
This marks the first CFP appearance for the Ducks since the 2014 season, where they lost to Ohio State in the title game after beating Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon will be playing in their ninth Rose Bowl, posting a 4-4 record in their previous eight appearances. Their last trip to Pasadena on New Year’s Day was for the 2020 Rose Bowl, where they beat Wisconsin 28-27, extending their winning streak in the annual classic to three. Last year Oregon played in the Fiesta Bowl, demolishing Liberty 45-6 in Bo Nix’s final collegiate game.
In their first meeting this season with Ohio State, the Ducks won on a 19-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington with 1:47 left. Dan Lanning took a lot of heat for intentionally taking a penalty to bleed more time off the clock. Lanning has been nearly flawless since coming to Eugene from Georgia to replace Mario Cristobal. Lanning enters Wednesday’s game with a 35-5 record in his three seasons as head coach of the Ducks.
Running the Oregon offense is Dillon Gabriel, who finished third in the voting for this year’s Heisman Trophy. The former UCF and Oklahoma quarterback is one of the most prolific passers in college football history, tossing 153 touchdown passes, which is two shy of tying Case Keenum for most touchdown passes by an FBS quarterback in a career. Gabriel has accounted for 187 total touchdowns since his college career began in 2019. Wednesday will mark Gabriel’s 63rd start at quarterback, which will be the most in history for an FBS quarterback.
Lining up with Gabriel in the offensive backfield is Jordan James. The running back has been a workhorse, rushing for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns through 13 games. In the first game with Ohio State this year, James carried the football 23 times, rolling up 115 yards and a touchdown.
After taking over for Bucky Irving, who is now playing in the NFL, James secured his first 1,000-yard rushing season, and the 29th in school history. With 19 more yards on the ground, James will move into the top 10 in school history for rushing yards in a season, passing Travis Dye’s total from 2021.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25810946/2183068377.jpg "Oregon v Michigan")
Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Headlining Oregon’s receiving corps is Tez Johnson, who has 78 catches this year, putting him eight shy of tying his single-season school record total from last year. What makes Johnson’s output this season even more impressive is he missed two games after leaving the Michigan game with an injury.
Last time out Johnson caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown against Penn State. The Troy transfer made life miserable for Denzel Burke and the rest of the Buckeye defensive backs in Eugene, catching seven passes, with the biggest being a 48-yard touchdown with 1:17 left in the first half.
Another threat at wide receiver for the Ducks is Evan Stewart, who joined Oregon from the transfer portal in the offseason after starting his college career at Texas A&M. Stewart also had seven catches in the first matchup with the Buckeyes, but he had nearly double the yardage as Johnson, finishing with 149 yards and a touchdown. Stewart’s efforts against Ohio State were much needed after Alabama transfer receiver Traeshon Holden was ejected for spitting on cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
Along with all the weapons on offense already mentioned, Oregon has a pair of tight ends that are tough to slow down. Terrance Ferguson is the school’s all-time leader among tight ends with 129 career receptions and 16 touchdown catches. Ferguson hauled in four passes for 62 yards in the showdown with Ohio State in Eugene.
Following the win over the Buckeyes, Ferguson missed two games due to injury, which allowed Kenyon Sadiq to emerge as a threat. Penn State lost track of Sadiq in a couple critical moments in Indianapolis, as the tight end caught his first two touchdowns of the season.
In the trenches for the Oregon defense are a pair of dynamic defensive ends. Matayo Uiagalelei made himself known in the first meeting with Ohio State, making two stops behind the line of scrimmage, with one of them being a sack. Uiagalelei enters this game with a team-high 10.5 sacks this year.
While Uiagalelei lines up at a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker spot, at the other defensive end position is Jordan Burch, who didn’t play in the October game between these two schools. Despite only playing in nine games this year, the South Carolina native has 8.5 sacks, which is tied with defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, who started his career at Michigan State before entering the transfer portal. Jamaree Caldwell teams with Harmon on the interior of the line, with both players starting all 13 games this year for the Ducks.
Leading Oregon in tackles this year is Bryce Boettcher, who was also a baseball standout for the Ducks this year. The linebacker has 87 tackles and eight tackles for loss this year. Boettcher was drafted in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.
Along with Boettcher, Teitum Tuioti has been a key linebacker for Oregon this year. Tuioti provides a little more quarterback pressure than Boettcher, notching 5.5 sacks. The third starter at linebacker for Oregon is the Defensive MVP of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl, Jeffrey Bassa.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25810948/2181035439.jpg "Illinois v Oregon")
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images
The star of the Oregon secondary is cornerback Jabbar Muhammad. The transfer from Washington doesn’t have an interception this season, but he has been tough to complete passes against, breaking up 11 passes this season. Starting at the other cornerback spot is Nikko Reed, who picked off a pass in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Oregon safeties are a couple of transfers, with Kobe Savage coming to Eugene from Kansas State, while Tysheem Johnson started his college career at Ole Miss. Duke transfer Brandon Johnson will line up at the STAR position in the secondary. Tysheem Johnson leads the team with three interceptions, and sits behind Boettcher with 64 tackles, while Savage has 61 stops this year.
What a way to kick off 2025! The rematch between the Buckeyes and Ducks is the most anticipated quarterfinal matchup after seeing what these two teams are capable of when they met back in October. Obviously falling just short of beating Oregon at their place has Buckeye Nation salivating for another shot at the Ducks.
For a while it was looking like the rematch would happen in the Big Ten Championship Game, but the unimaginative offensive game plan of Ohio State against Michigan dashed those plans.
The Buckeyes have renewed confidence after their beatdown of Tennessee before Christmas. Despite Ryan Day continuing to be under a microscope, it feels like all the pressure is on Oregon heading into the Rose Bowl. The Ducks are undefeated, have the nation’s longest active win streak, and are seeking their first national title.
After finishing as a bridesmaid twice since 2010, if there was ever a year for the Ducks to win it all, this would be the year. Instead, they are taking on a team that is just as talented as they are, who already pushed them to the limit once this year.
It seems obvious Ohio State players aired their grievances to the coaching staff following the Michigan game. It’s no coincidence that after so many slow starts this season, the Buckeyes came out hot against Tennessee, burying the Volunteers before they even had a chance to get into the game.
While Oregon has a more explosive offense than Tennessee, Ohio State has already got an up close and personal look at Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks. Even though mistakes were made by Ohio State in Eugene, Jim Knowles’ defense has been playing at a different level since the loss to the Ducks.
The Ohio State senior class still has business to take care of. Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, and the rest of the seniors don’t want their Buckeye careers to end with nothing to show for it. So far the seniors don’t have a win against Michigan, no Big Ten titles, and no national championships to their credit.
Even though a win on Wednesday over Oregon doesn’t earn the Buckeyes the trophy they are focused on, it gets them one step closer to a national title, which they will be the favorite to win after winning the rematch with the Ducks in another tight classic.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
The Buckeyes and Ducks square off in Pasadena on Wednesday afternoon with a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinal on the line.
With their 42-17 victory over Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Ohio State secured a rematch with top seed Oregon on Wednesday in the Rose Bowl in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
The winner of the contest between the Buckeyes and the Ducks will move on to face the winner of the Peach Bowl between Texas and Arizona State, which will take place in Atlanta on Wednesday prior to the Rose Bowl.
History with Oregon
Ohio State and Oregon met back in October in Eugene, with the Ducks winning 32-31 in one of the most thrilling games of the college football season.
The game had just about everything: Points, an ejection for spitting, eight lead changes, Dan Lanning legally cheating, and Will Howard running out of time as he put the Buckeyes into position for a potential game-winning field goal. Howard and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel combined to throw for 667 yards, four touchdowns, and neither quarterback was intercepted in the game.
The victory by the Ducks in October was their second straight over the Buckeyes after losing their first nine meetings with Ohio State. This will be the third time the schools have met in the Rose Bowl.
The Buckeyes beat the Ducks 10-7 in the 1958 Rose Bowl, followed by a 26-17 victory in 2010. In the first year of the four-team College Football Playoff, Ohio State defeated Oregon 42-20 in the title game, so it is fitting they meet in the first year of the 12-team playoff.
Ohio State’s bowl history
The Buckeyes will be playing in their 17th Rose Bowl, along with their 52nd bowl game in school history. Ohio State’s record in Pasadena is 9-7, winning their last four trips to the iconic bowl game.
The last time the Buckeyes played for the roses was on the first day of 2022, beating Utah 48-45 that not only saw C.J. Stroud toss six touchdowns, Jaxon Smith-Njigba set a school and FBS record with 347 yards receiving. Nine current Buckeyes played in the victory over Utah in Pasadena. Overall in bowl games, Ohio State has a 25-26 record, losing their last two.
This will be the fifth game of the season for Ohio State against a top 10 team, with four of those contests coming against teams ranked in the top 5 at the time. Along with all of those high-profile games, this marks the third time since 1951 where the Buckeyes have played a team twince in the same season.
In 1975, Ohio State split two meetings with UCLA, losing the 1976 Rose Bowl to the Bruins. 2019 saw the Buckeyes sweep both meetings with Wisconsin, beating the Badgers 38-7 in Columbus, followed by a 34-21 victory in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Buckeye offense returned to form
There were a lot of questions about Ohio State’s mindset heading into the Tennessee game after the 13-10 loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes answered those questions early, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter in the first Ohio State football game ever played at Ohio Stadium in December.
Following a few weeks of doubt from fans and the media, the Buckeyes showed why they are one of the favorites to win the national title since when they play like they did against the Volunteers, they are nearly impossible to beat.
Will Howard was able to put a terrible performance against Michigan behind him, only missing on five of his 29 pass attempts, throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns against the Volunteers. Through 13 games this season, Howard has amassed over 3,000 total yards and 36 touchdowns, with 29 of those scores coming through the air. Three of those 36 touchdowns came in the loss to Oregon in October.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and Howard did a very smart thing against Tennessee. They fed wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Not only did Smith haul in the two touchdown passes from Howard, the fantastic freshman caught six balls for 103 yards, both high marks among receivers in the game. Smith has now reached 100 yards receiving in four games this season, one of which came against Oregon. The 1,037 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns are both most on the team among receivers.
The one statistic Smith doesn’t lead Ohio State receivers in is receptions. Emeka Egbuka currently holds the top spot, catching 65 passes to Smith’s 63 receptions. After finishing with 81 yards receiving on his five catches against Tennessee, Egbuka continues to move up the school’s all-time receiving ranks. The senior has 189 catches in his career, three shy of passing David Boston for second place at Ohio State, and 13 from knocking K.J. Hill out of the top spot.
Egbuka is 31 yards from moving into the top 5 when it comes to receiving yardage, as Chris Olave currently occupies that spot with 2,711 career receiving yards. Both Egbuka and Smith caught at least nine passes for 90 yards, each scoring a touchdown in the first meeting with Oregon this season.
The Buckeye offense was able to be so successful in their first round game because of the resurgence of their running game. Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins found the end zone twice, combining to rush for 114 yards. Henderson now is fifth in school history with 3,576 rushing yards, passing Tim Spencer.
Together, Henderson and Judkins have rushed for 1,670 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. All the Ohio State running backs will likely be playing with an extra gear on Wednesday since running backs coach Carlos Locklyn spent two years on Dan Lanning’s staff at Oregon before accepting the same position on Ryan Day’s staff in the offseason.
Locklyn joins offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as current Buckeye coaches who have spent time coaching in Eugene, with Kelly holding the head coaching job with the Ducks from 2009 to 2012.
The defense is working to right a big wrong
In the first meeting in Eugene, Oregon’s speedy offense got the better of Ohio State’s defense, as the Ducks rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense. Since the disappointing performance the Buckeyes have been especially stingy, allowing just seven touchdowns, which all have come on the ground.
Jim Knowles’ defense ranks first in the country in scoring defense, yards per game allowed, and passing yards per game allowed. In the victory over Tennessee, Ohio State gave up 256 yards of total offense.
There has been a common theme in Ohio State’s two losses this season. Against Oregon and Michigan, the Buckeyes weren’t able to register a sack. By comparison, in the last game against Tennessee, Ohio State sacked Nico Iamaleava four times. When the Buckeyes are able to make the opposing quarterback uncomfortable they often end up winning.
Leading the charge for the Ohio State defense against Tennessee were defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. Tuimoloau had two sacks in the victory, raising his team-leading total on the season to eight sacks. The senior from Seattle also has 14 tackles for loss this season.
Sawyer continued the strong second half to his final season in the scarlet and gray with 1.5 sacks against the Volunteers, and now the Pickerington product has six sacks this year. Defensive tackle Ty Hamilton also stuck his nose in some plays against Tennessee, finishing with four tackles and half a sack, lining up next to Tyleik Williams on the interior of the defensive line.
Cody Simon continued to make sure his final season as a Buckeye is a memorable one, recording 12 tackles in his final home game at Ohio Stadium. With his output against Tennessee, Simon is now the team’s leading tackler this season, entering the Rose Bowl with 86 tackles.
The linebacker has also been a source of pressure, especially in the second half of the season, recording five sacks. Just behind Simon in the tackling totals is fellow linebacker Sonny Styles, who has 81 stops after he was credited with five tackles against the Volunteers.
Ohio State’s secondary has been tough to crack since the Oregon game, where they gave up 341 yards passing and two touchdowns to Dillon Gabriel. Since the loss to the Ducks, the Buckeyes have not given up a passing touchdown. Opponents are averaging 141.2 yards passing per game against Ohio State, which is the lowest mark in the country.
Quarterbacking the secondary is All-American safety Caleb Downs. The Alabama transfer is third on the team with 69 tackles this year after recording seven stops in the win over Tennessee. Lining up next to Downs is Lathan Ransom. The senior not only has 62 tackles, he has forced three fumbles this season.
The cornerbacks really struggled in the first game against Oregon, especially Denzel Burke. Both Burke and Davison Igbinosun have intercepted two passes this season. Igbinosun will have to be on his best behavior against the Ducks since the former Ole Miss cornerback has had issues with pass interference penalties throughout the year.
Jordan Hancock has done a great job patrolling the nickelback spot, intercepting a pass and breaking up six passes this season. Despite going up against one of the nation’s top receiving corps, the Ohio State secondary has the talent to slow them down.
Oregon’s season up to now and bowl history
Oregon is the only undefeated FBS team left, with their 14-game winning streak being the longest active streak in the country. To secure their spot as the top seed in the playoff, the Ducks beat Penn State 45-37 in the Big Ten Championship Game, winning the conference in their first season as a member.
Dillon Gabriel threw four touchdown passes in a game the Ducks never trailed in. Oregon is the only team in the country ranked in the top 15 in scoring offense, total offense, scoring defense, and total defense.
This marks the first CFP appearance for the Ducks since the 2014 season, where they lost to Ohio State in the title game after beating Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon will be playing in their ninth Rose Bowl, posting a 4-4 record in their previous eight appearances. Their last trip to Pasadena on New Year’s Day was for the 2020 Rose Bowl, where they beat Wisconsin 28-27, extending their winning streak in the annual classic to three. Last year Oregon played in the Fiesta Bowl, demolishing Liberty 45-6 in Bo Nix’s final collegiate game.
In their first meeting this season with Ohio State, the Ducks won on a 19-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington with 1:47 left. Dan Lanning took a lot of heat for intentionally taking a penalty to bleed more time off the clock. Lanning has been nearly flawless since coming to Eugene from Georgia to replace Mario Cristobal. Lanning enters Wednesday’s game with a 35-5 record in his three seasons as head coach of the Ducks.
Quack attack
Running the Oregon offense is Dillon Gabriel, who finished third in the voting for this year’s Heisman Trophy. The former UCF and Oklahoma quarterback is one of the most prolific passers in college football history, tossing 153 touchdown passes, which is two shy of tying Case Keenum for most touchdown passes by an FBS quarterback in a career. Gabriel has accounted for 187 total touchdowns since his college career began in 2019. Wednesday will mark Gabriel’s 63rd start at quarterback, which will be the most in history for an FBS quarterback.
Lining up with Gabriel in the offensive backfield is Jordan James. The running back has been a workhorse, rushing for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns through 13 games. In the first game with Ohio State this year, James carried the football 23 times, rolling up 115 yards and a touchdown.
After taking over for Bucky Irving, who is now playing in the NFL, James secured his first 1,000-yard rushing season, and the 29th in school history. With 19 more yards on the ground, James will move into the top 10 in school history for rushing yards in a season, passing Travis Dye’s total from 2021.
Headlining Oregon’s receiving corps is Tez Johnson, who has 78 catches this year, putting him eight shy of tying his single-season school record total from last year. What makes Johnson’s output this season even more impressive is he missed two games after leaving the Michigan game with an injury.
Last time out Johnson caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown against Penn State. The Troy transfer made life miserable for Denzel Burke and the rest of the Buckeye defensive backs in Eugene, catching seven passes, with the biggest being a 48-yard touchdown with 1:17 left in the first half.
Another threat at wide receiver for the Ducks is Evan Stewart, who joined Oregon from the transfer portal in the offseason after starting his college career at Texas A&M. Stewart also had seven catches in the first matchup with the Buckeyes, but he had nearly double the yardage as Johnson, finishing with 149 yards and a touchdown. Stewart’s efforts against Ohio State were much needed after Alabama transfer receiver Traeshon Holden was ejected for spitting on cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
Along with all the weapons on offense already mentioned, Oregon has a pair of tight ends that are tough to slow down. Terrance Ferguson is the school’s all-time leader among tight ends with 129 career receptions and 16 touchdown catches. Ferguson hauled in four passes for 62 yards in the showdown with Ohio State in Eugene.
Following the win over the Buckeyes, Ferguson missed two games due to injury, which allowed Kenyon Sadiq to emerge as a threat. Penn State lost track of Sadiq in a couple critical moments in Indianapolis, as the tight end caught his first two touchdowns of the season.
The Ducks on defense
In the trenches for the Oregon defense are a pair of dynamic defensive ends. Matayo Uiagalelei made himself known in the first meeting with Ohio State, making two stops behind the line of scrimmage, with one of them being a sack. Uiagalelei enters this game with a team-high 10.5 sacks this year.
While Uiagalelei lines up at a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker spot, at the other defensive end position is Jordan Burch, who didn’t play in the October game between these two schools. Despite only playing in nine games this year, the South Carolina native has 8.5 sacks, which is tied with defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, who started his career at Michigan State before entering the transfer portal. Jamaree Caldwell teams with Harmon on the interior of the line, with both players starting all 13 games this year for the Ducks.
Leading Oregon in tackles this year is Bryce Boettcher, who was also a baseball standout for the Ducks this year. The linebacker has 87 tackles and eight tackles for loss this year. Boettcher was drafted in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.
Along with Boettcher, Teitum Tuioti has been a key linebacker for Oregon this year. Tuioti provides a little more quarterback pressure than Boettcher, notching 5.5 sacks. The third starter at linebacker for Oregon is the Defensive MVP of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl, Jeffrey Bassa.
The star of the Oregon secondary is cornerback Jabbar Muhammad. The transfer from Washington doesn’t have an interception this season, but he has been tough to complete passes against, breaking up 11 passes this season. Starting at the other cornerback spot is Nikko Reed, who picked off a pass in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Oregon safeties are a couple of transfers, with Kobe Savage coming to Eugene from Kansas State, while Tysheem Johnson started his college career at Ole Miss. Duke transfer Brandon Johnson will line up at the STAR position in the secondary. Tysheem Johnson leads the team with three interceptions, and sits behind Boettcher with 64 tackles, while Savage has 61 stops this year.
Prediction
What a way to kick off 2025! The rematch between the Buckeyes and Ducks is the most anticipated quarterfinal matchup after seeing what these two teams are capable of when they met back in October. Obviously falling just short of beating Oregon at their place has Buckeye Nation salivating for another shot at the Ducks.
For a while it was looking like the rematch would happen in the Big Ten Championship Game, but the unimaginative offensive game plan of Ohio State against Michigan dashed those plans.
The Buckeyes have renewed confidence after their beatdown of Tennessee before Christmas. Despite Ryan Day continuing to be under a microscope, it feels like all the pressure is on Oregon heading into the Rose Bowl. The Ducks are undefeated, have the nation’s longest active win streak, and are seeking their first national title.
After finishing as a bridesmaid twice since 2010, if there was ever a year for the Ducks to win it all, this would be the year. Instead, they are taking on a team that is just as talented as they are, who already pushed them to the limit once this year.
It seems obvious Ohio State players aired their grievances to the coaching staff following the Michigan game. It’s no coincidence that after so many slow starts this season, the Buckeyes came out hot against Tennessee, burying the Volunteers before they even had a chance to get into the game.
While Oregon has a more explosive offense than Tennessee, Ohio State has already got an up close and personal look at Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks. Even though mistakes were made by Ohio State in Eugene, Jim Knowles’ defense has been playing at a different level since the loss to the Ducks.
The Ohio State senior class still has business to take care of. Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, and the rest of the seniors don’t want their Buckeye careers to end with nothing to show for it. So far the seniors don’t have a win against Michigan, no Big Ten titles, and no national championships to their credit.
Even though a win on Wednesday over Oregon doesn’t earn the Buckeyes the trophy they are focused on, it gets them one step closer to a national title, which they will be the favorite to win after winning the rematch with the Ducks in another tight classic.
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 31, Oregon 27
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