Ohio State gets its second shot at Oregon this afternoon.
#1 Oregon
Ducks
A trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals is on the line as the Buckeyes face the Ducks in the 111th edition of the Rose Bowl, which doubles as one of this year’s CFP quarterfinals. To continue its quest for a national championship, Ohio State will need to take down the No. 1 seed in the CFP bracket, a team that already beat Ohio State once in a 32-31 result in Eugene during the regular season.
The Buckeyes are entering the game with confidence and favored to win after playing their best football of the season in a 42-17 first-round CFP win over Tennessee, but they’ll need to play at least as well to take down the Ducks, making every question surrounding Ohio State more pressing and heightening the need for the Buckeyes’ best players to play at their best.
With that in mind, we break down the biggest questions entering the Buckeyes’ rematch with the Ducks, highlight our top players to watch and make some predictions for what we’ll see in Pasadena this afternoon in our Rose Bowl edition of Last Call.
Questions
How effective will Ohio State’s run game be?
The last time Ohio State and Oregon faced off, the Buckeyes ran the ball 33 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Their 4.27 yards per attempt looks good on the box score. However, it should be noted that a 53-yard carry from TreVeyon Henderson inflates that number. Without it, the Buckeyes averaged 2.75 yards per attempt. Now on the fourth iteration of its offensive line, Ohio State needs a stellar performance from Donovan Jackson, Luke Montgomery, Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman, Tegra Tshabola and Josh Fryar on the line of scrimmage for Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to have success in the Rose Bowl.
– Chase Brown
Can Ohio State rush the passer this time?
The stat sticks out like a sore thumb. Ohio State racked up zero sacks against the Ducks in their October matchup. That needs to change in a big way if they want to limit Dillon Gabriel and Oregon’s offense. It’ll be a tough task against an offensive line that’s protected Gabriel well all season, but it’s essential to victory.
– Garrick Hodge
Will the Buckeyes limit Oregon’s explosive plays?
Explosive plays, or “X plays” as Ryan Day says, were key to Oregon’s success against Ohio State’s defense on Oct. 12. The Ducks collected eight plays of 25 yards or more, six of those being pass plays.
The Buckeyes have otherwise been great at limiting explosives this year, a major reason why they’re the No. 1 scoring and total defense in the country. But the Ducks are also the best offense they’ve faced, with an arsenal of weapons in wide receivers Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart and Traeshon Holden alongside tight end Terrance Ferguson and running back Jordan James.
– Andy Anders
Can the Buckeyes’ passing game take over?
While the first three questions focus on what Ohio State needs to do better than the last time it played Oregon, the Buckeyes also need their strength from the first matchup to continue to be their strength in the Rose Bowl.
Sliding too late on the final play of the game aside, Will Howard was excellent in Ohio State’s first game against Oregon, completing 28 of 35 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Even in a game loaded with stars on both sides, Ohio State’s receiving corps might be the best unit on the field, so the Buckeyes need all of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate to make their presence felt. Just as it was against Tennessee, Ohio State needs to be aggressive attacking through the air and using its playmakers to its advantage, and it needs Howard to be at his best just as he was in October.
– Dan Hope
Players to Watch
Denzel Burke
An obvious player to watch, but all eyes will be on Burke as he tries to rectify his worst career game from October. Burke has played well since then, and has long been waiting for this moment of redemption. You’d expect the Ducks to test him early and often, and how he responds could dictate the pace of this contest.
– Garrick Hodge
TreVeyon Henderson
I listed Henderson as my player to watch for Ohio State in the preview of the game and I’m sticking with that pick here. He proved explosive with two 20-yard-plus touchdown runs against Tennessee and had 10 carries for 87 yards the last time the Bucks met the Ducks. Oregon is only 55th nationally in yards allowed per carry, so there will be gains available on the ground if the Buckeyes’ offensive line can pave the way.
– Andy Anders
Will Howard
Howard had one of his best performances of the regular season against Oregon, completing 28 of 35 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. For the Buckeyes to knock off the Ducks in the rematch, he will need to be as good or better. Good news: Howard is coming off another stellar effort in Ohio State’s win over Tennessee, connecting on 24 of 29 pass attempts for 311 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. If he carries momentum over the first round to the quarterfinals, Howard and the Buckeyes will be hard to stop in the Rose Bowl.
– Chase Brown
Jeremiah Smith
In a game of this magnitude, we‘d be remiss not to mention Smith. In a game loaded with stars, the Ohio State freshman receiver might already be the biggest star of them all. As the 2025 calendar year begins, Smith can establish himself as the new face of college football with a standout performance against the Ducks. He already had one in October, catching nine passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in Eugene, and I expect more of the same from No. 4 coming off of a 103-yard, two-touchdown performance in his CFP debut.
Predictions
Will Howard throws for 300 yards again
Ohio State is going to come out with an aggressive game plan similar to what worked against Tennessee, and that will open opportunities for Howard to record his third 300-yard game of the season. The first came against the Ducks, the last against the Volunteers. There’s some extra motivation for Howard too after he slid down a second late in Autzen Stadium in October at the end of the game.
– Andy Anders
Ohio State holds Gabriel to fewer than 300 yards passing
Dillon Gabriel has been the only opposing quarterback to cross the 300-yard threshold against the Buckeyes this season, as OSU’s pass defense has been outstanding otherwise. With tape from last time and adjustments to the scheme made by Knowles, I predict Ohio State will do a better job of limiting him this time around.
– Garrick Hodge
Ohio State scores at least one touchdown of 40+ yards
In an interview with ESPN, Jeremiah Smith warned Oregon not to run man coverage against Ohio State because if it does, the Buckeyes will take a deep shot. More often than not, I think the Ducks will take Smith’s advice, but there will be opportunities here and there, and Ohio State must take advantage. I think it will, which means we could see one or more touchdowns of 40+ yards for Ohio State in Pasadena.
– Chase Brown
Denzel Burke allows fewer than 40 yards in coverage
One bad game has led to Burke’s senior season being defined as a down year even though Burke has played well in the rest of Ohio State’s games, allowing no more than four catches for 36 yards and zero touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ other 12 contests, per Pro Football Focus. For Burke to rewrite the narrative of his final season as a Buckeye, he needs to have a dominant outing against the team that torched him for 162 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season; I think he delivers.
– Dan Hope
