The Ohio State Buckeyes weren’t about to let a newcomer to the Big 10 conference steal all the spotlight this season.
Over with a resounding 41-21 victory top-ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, the Buckeyes will advance to the CFP semifinals.
Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long touchdown passes during Ohio State’s sensational 34-point first half. Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Egbuka also caught a long TD pass and TreVeyon Henderson made a 66-yard touchdown run in a redemption Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed), whose big-game execution at times this season hasn’t matched their formidable talent.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Gee Scott Jr. records a first loss during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Ohio State took the second opportunity created by the first 12-team CFP, emphatically wiping out the tournament’s No. 1 seed. The Buckeyes scored on six of their first seven drives to take a 34-0 lead late in the second quarter over the nation’s only remaining undefeated team in the Granddaddy of Them All.
Ohio State heads to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 to face No. 4 Texas for a spot in the national title game. The Longhorns narrowly advanced earlier Wednesday, holding off Arizona State 39-31 in a double-overtime Peach Bowl.
NOTRE DAME CALLS ON FANS TO ‘Pray with us’ after apparent terror attack ahead of SUGAR BOWL
Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel passing for 299 yards and hitting Traeshon Holden for two touchdowns for the Ducks (13-1, CFP No. 1 seed), whose dreams of their first national title were dashed on the famed Rose Bowl turf. Oregon’s 14-game winning streak also ended.
Eleven days after beating Tennessee to open the Playoff, Ohio State dominated this rematch of these Big Ten teams’ regular-season thriller, won 32-31 by the Ducks on Oct. 12 in Eugene.
Smith, the Buckeyes’ standout freshman playmaker, had a remarkable bowl debut with seven receptions for 187 yards – including five catches for 161 yards in the first half alone, and hauled in scoring passes of 45 and 43 yards.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) catches a pass for Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
For Oregon, a sensational first season in the Big 10 will end in a blowout loss. It also marks the end of Gabriel’s six-year college career.
Gabriel was one of the best quarterbacks this season. He was named a first-team All-American, Big 10 MVP and Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. He also led the Big 10 this year in both passing yards, with 3,558, and completions, with 297.
The quarterback began his career at the University of Central Florida, where he played for three years before heading to Norman to play for the Coming soon to Oklahoma. In December, with one year of eligibility remaining, Gabriel decided to head to the Pacific Northwest to play for the Oregon Ducks.
Now Gabriel will look to the NFL Draft, where he is expected to be a second-string quarterback.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports reporting on Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
