Rose Bowl Notebook: Jayden Fielding Bounces Back, Cody Simon Has Another Dominant Game, Ohio State’s Offensive and Defensive Lines Step Up

By Dan Hope and Andy Anders on January 2, 2025 at 6:36 pm
Jayden Fielding
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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One of the biggest questions going into the Rose Bowl was whether Ohio State would be able to rely on Jayden Fielding. The Ohio State kicker had missed three of his last four field goal attempts entering the Rose Bowl, but he delivered when called upon in Pasadena.

Fielding made both of his field goal attempts in the Rose Bowl, including a 46-yard field goal that tied his longest kick of the season. Fielding also made a 36-yard field goal later in the second quarter, capping a 34-0 start for the Buckeyes in their 41-21 win over the Ducks.

Ohio State passed up the possibility of Fielding kicking a longer field goal on its second possession of the game when it opted to punt from the 36-yard line rather than sending Fielding out to attempt a 53-yard kick. But Fielding’s success on the two kicks he was trusted with could give the Buckeyes more confidence calling on him when needed as their CFP run continues, and it will serve as a confidence boost for Fielding himself.

“It's always nice to believe in yourself and have these guys believe in you, but when you can put it out there for the whole world to see, it's really a good feeling,” Fielding told Eleven Warriors after the game.

Fielding had said at Monday’s Rose Bowl media day that the belief of his coaches and teammates helped him maintain his confidence entering the game, and he felt that support on Wednesday as Ryan Day was one of the first to congratulate him after he made his first kick.

“It’s one hell of a way to start a game, I'll say that,” Fielding said of that field goal. “So yeah, it was a great feeling. The celebration I had with Coach Day, it was just icing on the cake.”

Simon continues to shine

Cody Simon has emerged as one of the nation’s premier linebackers through the back half of Ohio State’s season, but his outing in the Rose Bowl may have been the best of his career yet.

Simon piled up a game-high 11 tackles, tied his career high with three tackles for loss and added two sacks, flying all across the field to earn the Rose Bowl’s Defensive MVP award in the Buckeyes’ 20-point win. That performance came fresh off a career-high 12 tackles in the first round of the College Football Playoff against Tennessee. 

“Cody is, you know, future President of the United States,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said to a laugh from the media. “He's an unbelievable human being and a great team leader. So when you see guys like that shine and put them in position to make plays, it's a really good feeling.”

Simon’s involvement in pass defense extended beyond his two sacks. He swatted away a 4th-and-3 pass from Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel intended for tight end Terrance Ferguson in the second quarter, setting up the Ohio State offense for a 43-yard touchdown connection between Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith two plays later to make it 24-0 Buckeyes.

After yielding 499 yards on 7.6 yards per play against Oregon on Oct. 12 – both by far the highest marks allowed by the Silver Bullets this season – Simon and the Buckeyes’ ball-stoppers grounded the Ducks’ offense to the tune of just 276 yards and 3.9 yards per play in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Previously, Oregon had never gained fewer than 352 yards or five yards per play in a contest this season.

“That was obviously one of our letdown games for our defense,” Simon said. “One of the biggest thing we changed was our attitude and mentality. There were plays in the game we weren't aligned or ready to go. With an offense like that for Oregon, they thrive on that stuff. For us, it was just that mentality we had to change. We went through a lot of tough conversations after that game and a lot of changes we had to make, but I think we're better for it now.”

In 13 games this season, Simon is now up to 97 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven PBUs, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. It’s the most sacks by an Ohio State linebacker in a season since Darron Lee’s 7.5 in 2014.

Defensive front smothers run game, gets eight sacks

You, dear reader, sitting on your couch or procrastinating from work – unless you’re Dillon Gabriel – had more rushing yards than Oregon on Wednesday.

The Bucks held the Ducks to -23 yards on the ground. Sacks are included in that number because that’s how college football keeps its record books, and Ohio State racked up eight of them for a loss of 56 yards. But even excluding those sacks, Oregon’s rushing numbers would still be a hilariously meager 33 yards on 20 carries, just 1.7 yards per attempt. Even those sack-adjusted rushing and yard-per-carry numbers would be season-lows for Oregon.

“That's where it starts,” Knowles said of his team’s run defense. “It's always going to start there. And guys were talking about the sacks we got, and that's great, but it only got there because we stopped the run. I thought we really, really dominated the front tonight, and that led to sacks later on.”

Starting Oregon running back Jordan James collected just 14 yards on seven carries before exiting with injury. Three of his seven runs went for no gain or negative yardage. Backup running back Noah Whittington fared even worse, with six carries for three yards and just two runs that advanced his offense.

Flatly, Ohio State’s defensive front dominated the game. Defensive end Jack Sawyer continues to be Mr. November, December and January as he collected two sacks and three pass breakups, giving him five sacks in his last four games for the Buckeyes. Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was a boulder to move on the inside, finishing with three tackles and a TFL with much more block-eating impact than those stats indicate. JT Tuimoloau had two sacks of his own opposite Sawyer, making it a combined 7.5 sacks in two playoff games for the DE duo.

“I think we just created more looks for the quarterback and changed up some looks that had him hold the ball,” Knowles said. “You're not going to see a high pressure rate or anything because he's a scrambler and he's good at it and you've got to be careful. They got real speed. So I think we just changed up the looks enough to be able to give our guys a chance to rush.”

Oregon had allowed just six sacks in its last 11 games entering the CFP. Ohio State surpassed that production by two in just one contest.

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Offensive line steps up again

What was perceived to be the Buckeyes’ biggest weakness entering the College Football Playoff proved to be a strength for Ohio State yet again vs. Oregon.

Ohio State’s offensive line, which entered the CFP as an embattled unit after the Buckeyes struggled mightly to run the ball against Michigan, allowed zero sacks against the Ducks just as it did in Ohio State’s first-round game against Tennessee. The Buckeyes found plenty of success running the ball, too, gaining 181 yards on the ground on 5.8 yards per attempt.

Donovan Jackson continued to shine in his new role as Ohio State’s left tackle, allowing zero pressures against the Ducks according to Pro Football Focus. OSU’s guard rotation of Austin Siereveld, Tegra Tshabola and Luke Montgomery performed about as well as could have been expected against an Oregon defensive line that was one of the nation’s best this season, while Carson Hinzman held his own in his fourth game back manning the center position following Seth McLaughlin’s season-ending injury.

TreVeyon Henderson, who ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries, credited his success to the performance of his blockers up front.

“We can't do what we do without those guys up front, man,” Henderson told Eleven Warriors. “They work hard and they take care of business.”

With the flak Ohio State’s offensive line took after the Michigan game, and the questions that have surrounded the unit ever since Josh Simmons went down with a season-ending injury in Ohio State’s first game against Oregon, Montgomery said the Buckeyes’ offensive line felt like they had something to prove entering the CFP. And they’ve played like it so far.

“We're Ohio State. We're the best offensive line in the country. I think the last two weeks have proven that, especially with the injuries, too,” Montgomery said. “I don't know if any other team can do that, but we have, and our coaches have done an amazing job with prepping us.”

Burke allows zero catches

Denzel Burke’s second game against Oregon went far better than his first.

After allowing seven catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s regular-season loss to Oregon, per Pro Football Focus, Ohio State’s No. 1 cornerback didn’t allow a single catch in the Buckeyes’ postseason win over the Ducks. He was targeted only once on Gabriel’s 42 passing attempts, per PFF.

Evan Stewart, who led Oregon with seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown in the first matchup, didn’t play in the rematch due to a back injury. Nevertheless, Burke played far better in the Rose Bowl, making his bad game in Eugene look like even more of an anomaly than it already was.

Burke didn’t want to thump his chest too much after the game, though, since Ohio State is only halfway to its goal of winning a national championship.

“We still have a lot to prove, and we still got a lot left in the tank, and it's a matter of just staying focused and understanding that we got two more left,” Burke told Eleven Warriors.

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