gave Ohio State Buckeyes Not letting the Big 10 Conference newcomer steal all the spotlight this season.
with a resounding 41-21 victory Top rated Oregon In the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, the Buckeyes advance to the CFP semifinals.
Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long touchdown passes during Ohio State’s sensational 34-point first half. Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Igboka also caught a long TD pass, and Traveon Henderson had a 66-yard touchdown run in a redemptive Rose Bowl. Bookies (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed), whose big-game execution has at times not matched his tremendous talent this season.
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Ohio State has captured the second opportunity created by the CFP of the first 12 teams, blowing out the tournament’s No. 1 seed. The Buckeyes scored on six of their first seven drives and took a 34-0 lead late in the second quarter to become the nation’s only remaining 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 berth in the national title game. The Longhorns barely advanced early Wednesday, beating Arizona State 39-31 in a double-overtime Peach Bowl.
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Ohio State Buckeyes Treveon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Adam Kearns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network via Imagin Images)
Oregon quarterback Dylan Gabriel Passed for 299 yards and hit Treshawn Holden for two touchdowns against the Ducks (13-1, CFP No. 1 seed), whose dreams of their first national title were dashed on the famous Rose Bowl turf. Oregon’s 14-game winning streak also ended.
Eleven days after opening the playoffs to Tennessee, Ohio State dominated this rematch of a regular-season thriller between these Big Ten teams, with the Ducks winning 32-31 on October 12 in Eugene.
Smith, the Buckeyes’ standout freshman playmaker, had an impressive bowl debut with seven receptions for 187 yards — including five catches for 161 yards in the first half alone, including scoring passes of 45 and 43 yards. was obtained.
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Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) catches a pass in front of Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Adam Kearns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network via Imagin Images)
For Oregon, a thrilling opening season in the Big 10 would end in defeat. It also marks the end of Gabriel’s six-year college career.
Gabriel has been one of the best quarterbacks this season. He was named a first-team All-American in 2024, the Big 10 MVP and the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year. He led the Big 10 in both passing yards this year with 3,558, and 297 completions.
The quarterback began his career at the University of Central Florida, where he played for three years before transferring to Norman. Vol in Oklahoma. In December, with one year of eligibility remaining, Gabriel decided to head to the Pacific Northwest to play with the Oregon Ducks.
Now, Gabriel will look to the NFL draft, where he is expected to be a second-tier quarterback prospect.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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