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Oregon, Dan Lanning earn signature win vs. Ohio State, raising big-game pressure on Ryan Day

13 October 2024Last Update :
Oregon, Dan Lanning earn signature win vs. Ohio State, raising big-game pressure on Ryan Day

EUGENE, Ore. — No. 3 Oregon beat No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 in a back-and-forth thriller that lived up to the billing as one of the biggest games in Autzen Stadium history. There were seven lead changes, capped by Atticus Sappington making a 19-yard field goal with 1:47 left to give the Ducks a one-point advantage.

The Buckeyes (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) drove into Ducks (6-0, 3-0) territory on their final possession, but time expired when quarterback Will Howard slid after taking off scrambling on third down while attempting to get Ohio State into field goal range.

With the win, Oregon now has the best odds to make the College Football Playoff at 95 percent, according to The Athletic’s model. Ohio State has tied for the third-best odds, falling just three percentage points to 93 percent.

Dan Lanning earns biggest win yet as Ryan Day earns more questions

Two and half years into his tenure, Oregon coach Dan Lanning has the most significant victory of his career — and the talk about Ryan Day’s ability to deliver in big games for Ohio State is about to start again.

Give Lanning credit: After coming up short on the biggest stages, most notably a 0-3 record against Washington the past two seasons, he approached the Ohio State game with the same aggressive mentality. After Oregon botched the extra point on its first touchdown, the Ducks went for two on their next touchdown to try to get that point back. With Oregon running out of an unbalanced formation with half the blockers split out wide, the Buckeyes held their ground and stopped Kenyon Sadiq short of the goal line.

After a 15-yard penalty on the Buckeyes was assessed on the ensuing kickoff, Lanning dipped into the bag of tricks again. Sappington drilled an Ohio State player with a bouncing kickoff and the Ducks recovered at the Buckeyes’ 41-yard line. A couple of plays later they had first-and-goal at the 9, but receiver Traeshon Holden drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for spitting on Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun.

The Ducks had to settle for a field goal but the stolen possession was key in a back-and-forth game.

Lanning’s aggressive style has backfired in some big games, most notably a regular-season loss last year against Washington when the Ducks went 0-for-3 on fourth downs in what turned out to be a three-point game.

Against the Buckeyes, a fourth-and-inches at Oregon 48 was an obvious go situation for Lanning and the Ducks early in the third quarter, trailing 28-22. Instead of trying to muscle for a first down, a play-action pass to Terrance Ferguson netted 32 yards and set up the Ducks at the Ohio State 20.

A few plays later, Oregon faced a fourth-and-goal at the 2. This time Dillon Gabriel missed a wide-open Tez Johnson on the far side of the field — to be fair, it would have been a long throw — and his pass into the middle of the field fell incomplete.

Still, the decision looked solid when the Ducks got a third-down stop thanks to a dropped snap by Howard and forced an Ohio State punt. The Ducks scored on the ensuing possession to take a 29-28 lead.

As for Day, after losing three consecutive years to Michigan and a Playoff game to Georgia in 2022, Buckeyes fans have not wanted to hear about his .884 overall winning percentage. At times in the games in which Ohio State has fallen short, Day’s decision-making and play calling have been points of contention.

That was part of the reason he brought in former Ducks coach Chip Kelly to be his offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes offense delivered for much of Saturday night, but their loaded defense was sliced up by the Ducks and they fell short on the final drive.

The story of the season for Day is still to be written, but coming up short again in a top-five matchup will give the message boards and talk radio shows in Columbus plenty of material for the next two weeks as the Buckeyes go into an off week. — Ralph Russo

Expanded Big Ten bash delivered

The game of the year in the Big Ten, a top-five matchup of two teams considered national title contenders, delivered. And then some.

No. 2 Ohio State came to Autzen Stadium beaten but hardly tested. No. 3 Oregon got off to a wonky start in nonconference play but had been getting better every week.

The Buckeyes drew a record crowd of 60,129 to Eugene. Even longtime Oregon football followers said it was the most-anticipated home game the Ducks have ever played. The place was raucous from start to finish.

Playing without their best defensive player, Jordan Burch, because of an injury, the Ducks showed off depth and athleticism to match maybe the most talented team in their new conference, if not the country. Matayo Uiagalelei stepped up in the absence of Burch for Oregon and helped keep a potent Buckeyes offense from ever pulling away.

Ohio State’s star-studded defense was gashed repeatedly by Oregon big plays, but the Buckeyes’ stars also showed out. Freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith had nine catches for 100 yards and his weekly touchdown. Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard was 28-for-35 for 326 yards.

With the new 12-team Playoff, there is every reason to pencil in both the Buckeyes and Ducks. In fact, a rematch in the Big Ten title game feels very possible.

Penn State is also unbeaten in the Big Ten after an overtime win at USC and will host the Buckeyes in November, but Ohio State and Oregon appear to be in a different class from the Nittany Lions.

Just please don’t say the result didn’t matter. Two heavyweights threw haymakers at each other in one of the best atmospheres in college football for more than three hours Saturday night, and it was an absolute ball.

When it was over and Howard sat on the field distraught after the clock ran out, Oregon fans flooded the field as if this meant a whole lot to them and this program. — Russo

Mistakes add up in otherwise big night for Buckeyes offense

Kelly’s offense moved the ball well against Oregon — at least when it didn’t hurt itself with penalties and turnovers.

Ohio State had two chances after a stop to put some distance between itself and Oregon. Both drives ended in fumbles. The first came in the first quarter, up 7-0, when Quinshon Judkins fumbled at the line of scrimmage. Oregon recovered and scored to make the game 7-6.

In the second half, Ohio State led 28-22 after getting a goal-line stop. On third-and-3, Howard dropped a good snap from center Seth McLaughlin and had to jump on the ball. Ohio State punted and Oregon scored on the next drive, taking a 29-28 lead. Those were two big missed opportunities.

Penalties also hurt the offense. Ohio State had three penalties (two false starts and a delay of game) on its third drive of the game, which resulted in a three-and-out.

In the fourth quarter, when the Buckeyes needed points to get back in front of Oregon, they worked their way to the Oregon 19-yard line and then had a false start. That backed Ohio State up and it never recovered, resulting in a 40-yard Jayden Fielding field goal.

On the final drive, as the Buckeyes neared a potential winning kick, Smith was called for offensive pass interference, taking them out of field goal range.

For most of the night, Ohio State’s offense was great, with 467 total yards. But in top-five matchups, the smallest mistakes can change a game, especially on the road, and Ohio State learned that the hard way. — Cameron Teague Robinson

What went wrong for highly regarded Ohio State defense?

The Buckeyes came into this season with one of the most talented defenses in the country, headlined by what they believed was the nation’s best secondary.

But Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 341 yards, and it seemed like the Ducks had receivers running open all over the field. Of those 341 yards, 235 of them came on plays of 25 yards or more.

That happened for two reasons: One, there were some broken coverages by the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s All-Big Ten cornerback, Denzel Burke, struggled mightily in the game, giving up two touchdowns and two catches for a combined 117 yards. Ohio State also struggled to get pressure on Gabriel throughout the game. It had zero sacks, and when it didn’t blitz, Gabriel had all day to make decisions.

But it wasn’t just the passing game. Gabriel scored on a 27-yard touchdown run on a blown option defense by the Buckeyes.

Last year, Ohio State was one of the best teams in the country at limiting explosive plays. It ranked No. 2 in giving up just 22 passes over 20 yards. It gave up six passes over 25 yards on Saturday.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles must figure out how to balance the pressure he needs to dial up against quarterbacks of Gabriel’s caliber while also playing conservatively so as to not give up big plays. This wasn’t the defense many thought Ohio State would put on the field this season. — Teague Robinson

Gabriel capitalizes on 6th-year spotlight moment

Gabriel had already thrown for nearly 15,000 yards as a college quarterback over five years at UCF and Oklahoma before becoming a Duck. When I spent time with Gabriel in Eugene this spring, he had a very prescient quote about why he chose to join Oregon for his sixth and final year of college football, an extra year granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve always been close to that next step,” he said. “I want to win and play in those big atmospheres. I don’t like using this reference, but there’s always a bigger rush and a higher high you want to feel and you get that in the biggest games. It’s something I’m chasing.”

Against one of the best defenses in the country, Gabriel threw for 341 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns, including a 27-yard run in the fourth quarter. It was a big-time game from a big-time player who may have inserted himself back into the Heisman Trophy race. — Christopher Kamrani

(Photo: Ali Gradischer / Getty Images)

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