Jan. 1, 2025 8:23 PM PT
Right away, Oregon’s dream of an ideal season vanished.
All through the lead-up to the Rose Bowl, Oregon coach Dan Lanning emphasised preparation at each alternative. But, within the heavyweight rematch, his workforce took the punch to the mouth and by no means recovered, struggling a lopsided 41-21 loss.
“They clicked tonight, and we didn’t,” Lanning mentioned. “I didn’t get our team prepared.”
“Clicking” on offense could also be an understatement. The Buckeyes seemed unstoppable.
Ohio State’s high-powered offense scored rapidly and sometimes, racking up 34 factors by halftime. Oregon, however, struggled to maintain drives, scoring solely as soon as earlier than the half and failing to get a lot going towards Ohio State’s stifling protection.
It was a showcase of the Buckeyes’ expertise. The Geese’ expertise helped them earn the No. 1 seed as the one undefeated workforce within the nation, together with an October victory over Ohio State. However within the greatest sport of their season, “We didn’t have the ability to stop them,” Lanning mentioned.
The Geese’ problem performing on the degree they’d all season was irritating for Lanning and his workforce.
May it have been the almost monthlong break between the Huge Ten Championship and the Rose Bowl? Lanning dismissed that as an excuse, saying, “I thought our guys prepared well going in. Obviously, they had a better plan than us.”
Highlights from Ohio State’s 41-21 win over Oregon within the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
Did Ohio State’s Ryan Day outcoach Lanning, who was hailed as a grasp strategist after his workforce edged the Buckeyes 32-31 in October?
“Coach Day and his staff have done an unbelievable job,” Lanning mentioned. “We have to find ways to prepare ourselves for these moments better as a coaching staff.”
Or maybe Ohio State was merely that significantly better and proved it.
“When you play a great team like Ohio State, you can’t not be clicking on all cylinders,” Lanning mentioned.
Lanning mentioned his workforce by no means gave up because it tried to mount a comeback.
“There wasn’t a second we stepped on the field where I felt our guys were disheartened,” he mentioned.
This was very true of quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Regardless of the seemingly insurmountable deficit and eight sacks, he popped proper again up and looked for solutions.
Simply earlier than halftime, Gabriel led the Geese on a 75-yard scoring drive, capping it with a landing go. He opened the second half with one other 75-yard scoring drive.
Finally, he was outdueled by Will Howard, who ended Gabriel’s finest probability at profitable a nationwide championship.
“Dillon did an unbelievable job there at the end of the half creating a spark for our team,” Lanning mentioned. “It was this guy busting his tail.”
The clock ran out on the senior quarterback’s school profession — an unceremonious finish to a journey that took him throughout the nation to Central Florida and Oklahoma earlier than he grew to become a Heisman Trophy finalist after steering Oregon to a Huge Ten title in its first season within the convention.
Ohio State extensive receiver Jeremiah Smith factors to Oregon security Kobe Savage after scoring a landing through the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Occasions)
The Geese got here up wanting profitable their first soccer championship, fumbling their finest probability to beat that hurdle since 2015, a season that additionally ended with a loss to Ohio State within the title sport.
Will this loss function the gasoline wanted to drive them ahead, constructing on this system’s success to win that elusive title? For now, the injuries are too contemporary for Lanning and his crew.
“We’re probably not there yet,” Lanning mentioned. “There’s disappointment. … Adversity happens in life. And we’re going to get an opportunity in life to continue to attack and move forward.”
