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The Ohio State Buckeyes weren’t going to let a Big 10 conference newcomer steal all the attention this season.
With a resounding 41-21 victory over Oregon is the highest ranked in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, the Buckeyes are headed to the CFP semifinals.
Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long passes during Ohio State’s sensational 34-point first half. Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Egbuka also caught a long TD pass, and TreVayon Henderson had a 66-yard touchdown in the Redemption Rose Bowl for The parties (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed), whose execution in big games has at times not matched their formidable talent this season.
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Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Gee Scott Jr. takes the first snap during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Ohio State took advantage of the second chance that created the first 12-team CFP by emphatically overturning the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Buckeyes scored on six of their first seven drives and took a 34-0 lead late in the second quarter in a game for the nation’s only undefeated team in the Granddaddy of Them All.
Ohio State heads to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 to face No. 4 Texas for a spot in the national title game. Earlier on Wednesday, the Longhorns narrowly held off a 39-31 lead at Arizona State in double overtime in the Peach Bowl.
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Ohio State Buckeyes running back Treveyon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown during the first half of the college football playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Oregon quarterback Dylan Gabriel passed for 299 yards and hit Trayshawn Holden for two touchdowns for the Ducks (13-1, CFP No. 1 seed), whose dreams of their first national title were realized on the famed Rose Bowl turf. Oregon’s 14-game winning streak also ended.
Eleven days after defeating Tennessee to open the playoffs, Ohio State dominated this rematch of a regular-season thriller between these Big Ten teams that the Ducks won 32-31 in Eugene on Oct. 12.
Smith, the Buckeyes’ standout rookie playmaker, had seven receptions for 187 yards in his bowl debut — including five catches for 161 yards in the first half alone, hauling in scoring passes of 45 and 43 yards.
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Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) catches a pass in front of Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Gabriel (8) during the first half of a college football playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on January 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
For Oregon, a sensational first season in the Big 10 would end in a crushing defeat. It also marks the end of Gabriel’s six-year college career.
Gabriel has been one of the best defenders this season. He was named an All-American, Big 10 MVP and Big 10 Offensive Player in 2024. He also led the Big 10 in both passing yards and 297 passing yards that year.
The defenseman began his career at the University of Central Florida, where he played for three years before heading to Norman to play for Early in Oklahoma. In December, with one year of eligibility remaining, Gabriel decided to head to the Pacific Northwest to play with the Oregon Ducks.
Gabriel will now look to the NFL draft, where he is projected to be a second-tier quarterback.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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