Coach Ryan Day Proud as Ohio State Overwhelms Oregon, Set Sights on Playoff

Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes holds up The Leishman Trophy after defeating the Oregon Ducks 41-21 in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2025. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Ohio State buzz-sawed through Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, and Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day sent a not-so-subtle message to the rest of the College Football Playoff field.

“I’m very, very proud of our players, but we’re far from done,” Day told reporters after a commanding 41–21 quarterfinal rout of the No. 1-seeded Ducks.

Eighth-seeded Ohio State (12–2) decimated the once-unbeaten Ducks (13–1) from the beginning with a 14–0 first quarter that led to a 34–0 lead in the second quarter. Oregon never pulled closer than 19 points after a 2-yard touchdown run by junior running back Noah Whittington in the third quarter, but the Buckeyes slammed the door on the Ducks by forcing two punts on drives that lasted no more than four plays.

“Obviously I think that’s a team I think has the ability to go win it all,” Ducks head coach Dan Lanning acknowledged to reporters afterward. “Proud of our guys, certainly proud of this season, and disappointed in the night.”

Ohio State sacked Ducks senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel eight times and held an otherwise high-octane offense to 276 yards overall. The Buckeyes didn’t even need takeaways to limit a Ducks offense that was accustomed to putting up 35.9 points per game coming into the Rose Bowl.

“It’s all about execution,” Ohio State senior linebacker Cody Simon told reporters afterward. “No matter what, who’s across the ball, you have to do your job, and if you do your job, you’re going to like the result.”

Similar to Tennessee on Dec. 21, the Buckeyes dominated another game against a talented offense and quarterback. Ohio State’s offense meanwhile clicked on all cylinders, and the Buckeyes did it in both halves despite Oregon’s defensive resolve in the second half.

The Buckeyes piled on 500 yards of total offense as senior quarterback Will Howard threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Senior running back Treveyon Henderson led the running game with 94 yards and two touchdowns, including a second-half one to put the game away.

“Offensively, we knew we had to get the ball on the perimeter, take shots … and just win one-on-one matchups,” Buckeyes freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith told reporters after his 187-yard performance.

Ohio State has beaten both playoff opponents by a combined score of 83–38. A regular season-ending 13–10 loss to archrival Michigan (8–5) seems like a distant memory for the Buckeyes, but Day deflected that defeat as a cause for the inspired play by his football team at the moment.

“I know that you’re a sum of your experiences,” Day said. “This team has had great wins this season. It’s had some tough losses, and we have learned from those.”

That includes an early-season 32–31 loss to the Ducks in Eugene, Oregon, on Oct. 12. The Buckeyes get No. 5 Texas (13–2) next in the Cotton Bowl for the semifinals on Jan. 10.

“The most important thing for our team is that we get a chance to play together for another week,” Day said.