How Ohio State's offense shook off its demons early in Oregon rematch
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Going into a rematch Wednesday at the Rose Bowl, Will Howard remembered well how Ohio State's last game against Oregon ended: with him on his back and no time on the clock.
The Buckeyes' first loss of the season came in October, 32-31 to the Ducks. Howard completed 28 of 35 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He ran for another touchdown in that game, but it didn't matter after, on the final play, Howard scrambled to set up a field goal but didn't get down before time had expired.
"I still have nightmares about that play," Howard said this week.
In the Rose Bowl, he got the Buckeyes moving early, throwing three long touchdown passes in the first half, on the way to a 41-21 win. He completed 17 of 26 passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
That strong start after such an awful finish spoke volumes. In the first half, he connected for touchdowns with freshman Jeremiah Smith of 45 yards, senior Emeka Egbuka of 42 yards and Smith, again, of 43 yards.
The deep passing game was active for Ohio State early. Howard also had passes of 30 yards to Gee Scott Jr., 29 yards to Smith and 32 yards to Smith again. He had 269 passing yards by halftime.
But the offense was hardly one dimensional. The running game had 181 yards, highlighted by TreVeyon Henderson breaking away for a 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. And Howard even got in the action, powering ahead for 3 yards to convert a first down.
The stakes were much higher in the rematch than they were for Howard and the Buckeyes in the regular season. The win sends them to face Texas in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.
Howard, an offseason transfer from Kansas State, had thrown for over 3,000 yards entering the Rose Bowl. Like Smith, he's in his first year with the program.
Smith came in with 1,037 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns this season. In a first-round playoff game against Tennessee, he scored two touchdowns on six catches for 103 yards. And against Oregon, he had topped by the end of the first quarter, finishing with 187 yards on seven catches.
“I knew Jeremiah was going to be special from the first time I met him," Howard said earlier this season. "He’s just continued to get better and better.”
Smith committed to Ohio State in December 2022, recruited by co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, himself a former Buckeyes receiver. Smith was a five-star prospect from Miami Gardens, Florida.
"Just to being part of the biggest bowl game ever, it means a lot," Smith said of the Rose Bowl. "We’ve worked all year for this moment."