Well, there you have it. After a not-so-competitive opening weekend to the College Football Playoff, our Oregon football program is set to face the Buckeyes in the wake of the Tennessee Volunteers being completely demolished in The Shoe. Following a rocky finish to their regular season, Ohio State finally gets a chance to avenge their first loss of the year in Autzen, while the Ducks will aim to take over Pasadena and advance to play Texas in the semifinals.
Here are a few keys that’ll be some of the differencemakers in this matchup, as well as what to look for when Oregon suits up for the first time since they lit up the scoreboard in the B1G Championship against Penn State.
Brandon Johnson, Jabbar Muhammad and co. will have their hands full with some of the best wideouts in the country – Photo via Eric Becker
3: Limit Jeremiah Smith’s Impact on the Outside
It felt like this Saturday’s game against the Volunteers was what we should have seen in every big game of Ohio State’s season. Smith has been dominating on the outside from week one on, and it was pretty bizarre to see his lack of usage in the past few games (especially against that team up north).
Granted, the Buckeyes’ offensive line has been pretty banged up all year, so it’s not a huge surprise their passing game took a dip lately. Now, the Ducks will get a chance to expose that group with their defensive line back at full strength. Matayo Uiagalelei will have his running mate Jordan Burch back, who was sorely missed in their first matchup with the Buckeyes. Derrick Harmon came up with the takeaway of all takeaways last time he lined up across from the Buckeyes, and will aim to do more of the same in Pasadena.
Expect to see fast & physical football from the jump, led by Bryce Boettcher taking the Ducks’ defense sideline to sideline on every single play. While we can’t expect Emeka Egbuka and Smith to be completely locked down, we should see Jabbar Muhammad and the entire secondary limit them drastically more than the Vols did this weekend.
2: Force Turnovers Early
Getting Will Howard off his game early has to happen for Oregon to win the first half. Every opportunity the Ducks have in tackling, I expect to see peanut-punching, strip sacks, and momentum-building blitzes that limit Chip Kelly’s playcalling to a phonebooth-type matchup.
If the Ducks can make it out of the first two quarters with an interception (this time, maybe review it when it happens, too), I love their chances of taking a double-digit lead into the second half. Dontae Manning made the momentum shift in the B1G Championship game; let’s see if he can do it again in the Rose Bowl.
Tez Johnson’s got to take the top off of the Rose Bowl all game long – Photo via Eric Becker
1: Dillon Gabriel Has to Have a Near-Perfect Game Again
Gabriel played outstandingly in his first matchup with the Buckeyes, and will have to bring his best to beat them for the second time this season. This time around, I expect to see Gabriel get loose early and often on the ground, stretch the field with Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson, and lean on Jordan James to close out the fourth quarter with clock-draining, smashmouth football. Additionally, when Tez went out of the Michigan game, remember how hot Traeshon Holden got? I imagine he’ll bring some similar juice to the offense, and leave the mistakes from his last matchup with Ohio State in the past.
As they get involved, Gabriel’s ability to dish it to Holden, Tez, and Stewart will hinge on his protection stifling a red-hot Ohio State pass rush, but don’t worry: I bet Josh Conerly and co. are up to the challenge. Even if they struggle a bit early, Dillon’s decision-making, pocket composure, and mobility should keep the Ducks out of hot water. If there was ever a game to unleash his deep ball fully, this is the matchup. Expect to see Tez blazing down the sideline early and helping out in the return game as well.
Gabriel is the embodiment of FEBU this season – Photo via Eric Becker
Bottom Line: FEBU
Dan Lanning hasn’t cared about seeding, who the Ducks are playing, or what anyone outside the building thinks Oregon is capable of this entire year. He couldn’t care less that the Ducks are entering this game as a +1.5-point underdog. Lanning has been the conductor of a picture-perfect season thus far, and I expect more of the same entering the first Rose Bowl since Justin Herbert led the Ducks to a win over Wisconsin. If Oregon can advance, this matchup could be a perfect start to the last chapter of an unbelievable year for Lanning.
Anyway, enough from me, Oregon fans. What do you think the keys are to beating Ohio State in the Rose Bowl? Who’s going to come up big when it matters most? Do you see more lead changes this time around, or fewer? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.
Go Ducks!
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: Eric Becker
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Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.