Ohio State's Defense Continues Dominant Stretch In Rose Bowl Against Oregon

After a dominant performance against the Tennessee Volunteers, the Ohio State Buckeyes' defense continued their incredible play against the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James (20) is stopped by Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock (7), Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Kourt Williams II (2) and Brown Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) during the first quarter at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Despite the rough defensive showing earlier in the season, the Ohio State Buckeyes' defense completely flipped the script in the team's 41-21 victory over the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.

The last time both team's faced off against each other was back in Week 7, and the Buckeyes defense gave up a total of 496 offensive yards in the 32-31 loss. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, while the wide receiver duo of Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart combined for a total of 14 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Heading into Wednesday's contest, one of the key points for Ohio State's defense was to pressure Gabriel in the pass rush, while the linebackers needed to stay discipline in both the pass and run game.

"With Stein's ability to expand and condense his offense through his NFL-caliber weapons, it's important for Knowles to keep his linebackers disciplined while getting the most out of his defensive line in the pass rush."

- Dylan Feltovich

And the Buckeyes did exactly that on Wednesday.

Ohio State's defense held Gabriel in check thanks to the defensive line's ability to get after the veteran quarterback. Four of the team's eight total sacks were from the likes of Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, who combined for five tackles for losses against the Ducks.

On top of the incredible pass rush from the front four, linebacker Cody Simon had a huge impact in both the pass and run game. The Defensive Player of the Game finished with 11 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks.

While the defense limited the big plays in the passing game, it was the Buckeyes' stout run defense that shined in the Rose Bowl. James finished with a season-low of 14 rushing yards on seven carries, which was a dramatic difference compared to his Week 7 performance of 115 rushing yards on 23 carries. The ability to take away Oregon's run game put pressure on Gabriel to do more in the passing game early in the contest.

Ohio State allowed -23 rush yards vs. Oregon. Since at least 2002, it’s the 4th-fewest rush yards allowed in a bowl game:

-48 (Alabama v. Mich. St., 2011)
-56 (Ga. Tech v. Tulsa, 2004)
-66 (San Diego St. v. Middle Tenn. St., 2022)@OhioStateFB | @11W #CFBPlayoff | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/BdGLl5KLNZ

— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) January 2, 2025

Now, the Buckeyes will have to go up against the Texas Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian's offense in the Cotton Bowl. Former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers has thrown for 26 touchdowns this season while averaging over 220 passing yards per game. In his last contest against the Arizona State Sun Devils, Ewers threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns.