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Ryan Day insistent Ohio State defense clamp down early in second half of Rose Bowl vs. Oregon

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•01/01/25
Ohio State HC Ryan Day
Adam Cairns | Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State opened a 34-0 lead in the first half of the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup against Oregon, then watched as the Ducks scored just before the half to cut into the deficit.

Coach Ryan Day wasn’t thrilled with the way his team finished the half, despite sporting a 34-8 lead at the break.

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“Well we’ve got to do a good job on third down,” Day told the ESPN broadcast crew at halftime. “We gave up the explosive play and then we just didn’t hold up there at the end. They get the ball to start the second half, so we’ve got to come out and do a great job in the first four to five minutes here.”

Ohio State nearly tripled Oregon’s yardage totals in the first half, piling up 390 yards of offense to 139 for the Ducks.

Quarterback Will Howard was sharp, completing 11-of-18 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns. The deep ball was working excellently, thanks in large part to star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Smith had five catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Emeka Egbuka also caught a 42-yard pass and had four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown in the opening stanza.

Still, Day pointed to the start of the second half as a key factor for Ohio State in the game.

“We’ve got to get a stop coming out of the half, turn around and score here,” Day said. “But overall up until that point I felt like we were winning the line of scrimmage and we were winning third down.”

Ohio State was averaging 8.1 yards per carry in the first half, compared to just 1.0 for Oregon.

Meanwhile, star Oregon running back Jordan James headed to the locker room with an injury in the first half. He did not return, and no update has been provided on his status.

Suffice it to say the Ducks will need him healthy if they hope to mount a comeback, even with the late score against Ohio State just before halftime.