Ohio State Buckeyes Beat Oregon Ducks in Rose Bowl, Advance In College Football Playoff Semifinals

The Oregon Ducks lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes 41-21 in the Rose Bowl. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard and the Ohio State offense jumped out to an early lead, and the Ducks were unable to muster a comeback.

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass in the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

PASADENA - The Oregon Ducks lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes 41-21 in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. The previously undefeated Ducks' season comes to an end, while Ohio State advances to the College Football Playoff Semifinals. Oregon beat Ohio State in October in Autzen Stadium, and the Buckeyes were successful in their quest for revenge.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Ohio State coach Ryan Day have led their teams to the College Football Playoff, but only Day's squad will have a chance to compete for the National Championship.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day pose with the Leishman Trophy during a Rose Bowl press conference in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fourth Quarter

End of Game

:00: Limar 3-yard carry.

:21: Ohio State punts the ball out of bounds to the Oregon 20-yard line.

4:10: Oregon punts to the Ohio State 37-yard line. Buckeyes call for a fair catch.

6:15: The Oregon defense forced an Ohio State punt, giving the Ducks offense the ball at the 25-yard line after the touchback.

10:00: TOUCHDOWN. Gabriel finds wide receiver Traeshon Holden in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion was failed. Ohio State leads 41-21.

10:15: Replay review - Gabriel scrambled for a few yards before pitching the ball to Whittington. The replay review determined that the play was an illegal forward pass by Gabriel, resulting in a five-yard penalty and loss of down.

13:43: Oregon's defense forces a punt, giving the offense the ball at midfield.

Third Quarter

0:43: Oregon's offense was forced to punt after Gabriel was sacked for the fifth time of the game. Ohio State will take over on their own 20-yard line.

2:19: Buckeyes running back Treveyon Henderson rushed for an eight-yard touchdown after a facemask penalty on Ducks defensive back Jabbar Muhammad. Ohio State increases the lead to 41-15.

5:34: The Ohio State defensed forced another punt from Oregon. Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer registered his second sack of the game. Ohio State will start on offense on the 44-yard line.

7:21: The Oregon defense forced a three-and-out. Ohio State punted the ball to the 25-yard line, and the Ducks offense will take over with 75 yards to go.

8:55: After the timeout, the Ducks scored a TOUCHDOWN. Running back Noah Whittington scored a two-yard touchdown to cut the Ohio State lead. Buckeyes lead 34-15.

8:58: TIMEOUT Oregon. The Ducks are on the two-yard line, putting together a long drive after receiving the kickoff to open the second half.

Second Quarter

0:00: Oregon Ducks TOUCHDOWN. Gabriel finds wide receiver Traeshon Holden in the end zone as time expired in the first half. The 2-point conversion was successful from Oregon. Ohio State leads 34-8.

0:02: Ohio State calls TIMEOUT. Oregon's offense is on the five-yard line with enough time for one play.

0:16: TIMEOUT Oregon. The Ducks are moving the ball with under a minute left in the first half. After the break, Oregon will have the ball at the Ohio State 22-yard line.

2:59: The Oregon defense held Ohio State to a field goal. 34-0, Buckeyes lead.

7:50: After three plays, the Oregon offense punted the ball back to Ohio State.

8:47: Ohio State TOUCHDOWN. Buckeyes running back Treveyon Henderson rushed for a 66-yard touchdown. 31-0 Buckeyes.

8:59: Oregon punted after a third-down stop by the Ohio State defense. During the drive, Ducks running back Jordan James was spotted entering the locker room.

10:28: TOUCHDOWN Ohio State. Howard finds Smith wide open in the end zone for a 43-yard score. The Buckeyes lead 24-0.

11:11: Gabriel's pass to tight end Terrance Ferguson falls incomplete. Ohio State takes over on downs.

11:13: TIMEOUT Ohio State. Before the Ducks attempt a short fourth down, the Buckeyes decided to call their first timeout of the half.

14:50: Oregon defensive back Jabbar Muhammad broke up a pass from Howard to Smith, forcing the Buckeyes to kick a field goal. The kick is good. Ohio State leads 17-0.

First Quarter

0:00: The first quarter ends with Ohio State in the lead, 14-0. The Buckeyes offense is driving, and they will start the second quarter with a third down from the Oregon 28-yard line.

3:43: Oregon picked up two first downs before punting again. Ohio State takes over at the nine-yard line.

7:31: TOUCHDOWN. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard found wide receiver Emeka Egbuka down the middle of the field for a 42-yard touchdown. Buckeyes lead 14-0.

8:36: The Buckeyes defense forced another three-and-out, forcing Oregon to punt. Ohio State's offense will start on their 47-yard line.

9:35: Ohio State punts after Oregon defensive end Jordan Burch pressured Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard and forced an incompletion on third down.

12:10: After three plays from Oregon's offense, Ross James punted the ball back to Ohio State. The Buckeyes will take over at the 22-yard line.

14:00: TOUCHDOWN. Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith scored on 45-yard touchdown reception from Ohio State quarterback Will Howard. Ohio State leads 7-0.

Oregon won the opening coin toss and elected to defer. The Buckeyes will start with ball.

Pregame

After the Ducks' narrow win over the Buckeyes, many assumed that the two teams would meet again in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis, Indiana. However, Ohio State lost its second game of the season to their bitter rivals, the Michigan Wolverines. As a result, Oregon played Penn State for the conference title, and the rematch with Ohio State is now set for Pasadena.

Shine bright.#GoDucks x @rosebowlgame pic.twitter.com/afwIO1t8Jg

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 1, 2025

Much has been made about the Buckeyes chance at revenge over Oregon. At Rose Bowl media day, Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel

"I think once you have that environment together, then naturally there's proof of concept, I guess you could say, of being able to go back to it and look at to get better on," Gabriel said. "But I think there's pros and cons for both teams. I think that's just the situation we are in now."

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The regular season meeting between the two teams was a back-and-forth contest. Ohio State's offense was driving down the field, trying to set up a game-winning field goal attempt, but Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard scrambled as time ran out, giving Oregon the win.

Before the game, Howard talked about that final play and how much he still thinks about it.

"I still have nightmares about that play. I'm thankful that we even get a chance to go out there and play these guys again. The way we lost that game, it still hurts," said Howard.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard slides as time expires and the No. 3 Oregon Ducks defeated the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 32-31 Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the higher seed, Oregon will be wearing green jerseys with exclusive Kobe cleats, white pants, and chrome helmets. The sunset over the Rose Bowl is one of the most iconic images in all of sports, and the Ducks' helmets should reflect the colorful sky later in the evening.

Ohio State will be wearing white as the lower seed. The Buckeyes are wearing special edition helmets "The Grandaddy of Them All," featuring a rose decal within the red stripe on the Ohio State helmets.

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