Ohio State Exacted Revenge and Beat Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl

Ohio State Buckeyes #18 Will Howard (QB) in the shotgun is about to take the snap from his center.

Photo by Skylar Blackmon/TGSportstv1.

PASADENA, CA - The Rose Bowl Game infamously known as "The Granddaddy of Them All" provided the opportunity for redemption when the No.1 ranked Oregon Ducks faced the No. 6 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes for a second time this season. In week 7, the Ducks won a 32-21 thriller.

Ohio State called for an offensive penalty, and Oregon intentionally made an illegal substitution. The illegal substitution mandated a 15-second runoff on the game clock, which prevented the Buckeyes from attempting a potential game-winning field goal before time expired. The Buckeyes left nothing to chance in the Rose Bowl CFP Quarterfinals with 500 yards of offense in a 41-21 victory.

Ohio State came out swinging and looked like a team in rhythm. Oregon moved sluggishly and looked like a team that sat idle last week because they earned a bye as the No. 1 seed. Conversely, Ohio State trounced Tennessee 42-17 last week and looked like a well-oiled machine. Today, the Buckeyes immediately stepped on the gas, and their fast-tempo offense left the Ducks wading in the water.

The Buckeyes' first touchdown took 60 seconds. They scored on three plays with their next possession. Ohio State went into halftime leading 34-7.

Ohio State Buckeyes #4 Jeremiah Smith (WR) had seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Photo by Skylar Blackmon/TGSportstv1.

Ohio State's Freshman phenom Jerimiah Smith entered the game as the only freshman in Buckeye history to amass four consecutive games with 100 receiving yards.

Smith broke a 111-year-old Rose Bowl record with 187 receiving yards and two touchdowns and earned the Rose Bowl Offensive MVP. The Buckeyes Head Coach Ryan Day commented on Smith and said, "he had a look in his eye that he wanted to make a play…his maturity, physically, emotionally, and mentally has allowed him to play like this."

Oregon Ducks #8 Dillon Gabriel (QB) is about to attempt a pass downfield to an open receiver.

Photo by Skylar Blackmon/TGSportstv1.

This game provided the pageantry of the Rose Bowl Parade, an illustrious firework show, and the kinetic energy of enthusiastic fans. The left side of the stadium was draped in Buckeye Red, while the right side of the stadium with Oregon green.

This game was traditionally reserved for competition between the champion of the Big Ten and Pac-12 (or their predecessors). Now, both teams are fierce rivals within the Big 10 conference.

The Ducks average about 37.9 points per game while holding opponents to 17.8 points. Today, Chip Kelly was the weapon the Ducks could not overcome. Kelly previously served as Oregon's head coach from 2009-2012, putting up a 46-7 record, as he revolutionized how fast college offenses execute plays.

Kelly is now the offensive coordinator for Ohio State. In the post-game conference, Coach Day said, "I think Chip called an aggressive game and he had a big smile on his face."

Oregon faithful had some hope going into halftime because the Ducks scored a touchdown with three seconds left in the half. They continued the momentum by scoring a touchdown with their first possession of the second half, and running back Noah Whittington punched it in from the 2-yard line.

The Ducks’ fans were now loud and back in the action with the score being 35-15. However, Ohio State flexed its muscles, dominated the line of scrimmage, and did not allow another score. The third quarter ended with a Buckeye lead of 41-15.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel enhanced his NFL draft stock. He earned an impressive quarterback rating of 148.1 on 299 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Ohio State will now advance to play No. 3 ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to the National Championship.