If any game in the quarterfinals counts as the marquee matchup it’s this one. We’re pretty sure we know what Oregon is going to do. They will score a lot of points and they will give up their fair share as well. So far on this undefeated season to date, the Ducks have managed to put up more than they have allowed although they have had a couple of close calls.
One of those close calls was in the first game between these quarterfinal opponents as Oregan escaped with a one point home win in an exciting back and forth affair. What we don’t know is which Buckeyes team will show up. Will it be the one that struggled against Nebraska and lost at Michigan or the one that clobbered Indiana and Tennessee? The first day of the new year will give us our answer.
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal: Rose Bowl – Ohio State vs. Oregon
Ohio State Buckeyes
Quarterback Will Howard transferred in to Columbus from Kansas State and was expected to be an upgrade over Kyle McCord who left for Syracuse. He was not the upgrade he was expected to be although he was solid for most of the season. In fact Howard’s passing stats fell well short of McCord’s this season.
The Buckeyes were supposed to have the top ranked running back duo this year after Quinshon Judkins transferred from Ole Miss to team up with Treveyon Henderson. Between the two of them they rushed for over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. Those are great numbers for one top level back but not for two.
The leader of the receiving group was standout freshman Jeremiah Smith who gained over 1,000 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. A solid number two receiver was Emeka Egbuka who scored nine times and had over 800 receiving yards.
On defense the Bucks are led by stud defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer who combined for 14 sacks between the two of them. Linebacker Cody Simon was also a game wrecker at times with his 5.5 sacks. The secondary was tough to throw on most games but only managed nine interceptions on the year. They will need to be at their best against the Ducks in this quarterfinal game.
Oregon Ducks
Offensively the Ducks were led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel who transferred in after a great season at Oklahoma last year. Gabriel threw for over 3,500 yards with 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also had a knack for finding the end zone on the ground with seven scores with albeit limited rushing yards.
Jordan James was the unquestioned lead back with 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns. No other back had even half as many carries.
While no receiver on the team approached 1,000 yards, Tre Johnson and Evan Stewart led the way with Johnson scoring the most touchdowns for the Ducks.
On defense the Ducks were good in most games although they did give up over 30 points in all three of their biggest games against Boise State, Ohio State and Penn State in the BIG championship game.
Defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei was the star on defense with his 10.5 sacks while the other starting defensive end Jordan Burch had 8.5 of his own. Linebacker Teitum Tuioti also chipped in with 5.5 sacks. Putting pressure on Howard will likely be one of the biggest keys to the game.
The Oregan secondary was respectable but not much more. They had just 12 interceptions for the season with Tysheem Johnson leading the team with three.
The Matchup
Oregon won the first game in Eugene 32-31 in a game that was back and forth all game long. The Ducks have the better quarterback and more balance on offense. The Buckeyes have the stingier defense.
Howard doesn’t necessarily have to win this game but he can’t be responsible for losing it by turning the ball over. He will need to play better than he did against Michigan although some of his performance can be attributed to questionable play calling by playing into the strength of the Michigan defense which was in the trenches.
Oregon had two close escapes this season with their three point win over Boise State and the one point win earlier over the Buckeyes. Both of those games were played in Eugene. This one is not.
We’re predicting that the Buckeyes get their revenge in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks will score but the Ohio State defense will make them earn it and will get one more stop than the Oregon defense in what should be another great game.\
Prediction
Ohio State 34 Oregon 30
Assuming that Texas dispatches Arizona State, which they should, the Texas v Ohio State or Oregon shapes up as a classic. We’re already looking forward to it either way.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
