Dan Lanning reacts to Oregon's first half performance in Rose Bowl vs Ohio State

Until the final seconds of the first half, nothing went right for Oregon during the first two quarters of the Rose Bowl vs. Ohio State.

Trailing 34-0 before Dillin Gabriel connected with Traeshon Holden in the end zone, the Ducks successfully convered a two-point attempt to put eight points on the scoreboard before the halftime break.

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After the score, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning reacted to his team’s performance in the first half.

“We’ve got a lot to continue to work on, right? But it’s great to go and get a score there that at the end of the half and build a little momentum,” Lanning said. “Hopefully we carry this after halftime.”

Explosive plays were what put the game in Ohio State’s favor early. Oregon gave up four offensive touchdowns of 40 yards or more during the first two quarters.

One of those came from on the ground from running back TreVeyon Henderson, which covered 66 yards and the only big play from the ruhsing attack. Still, the group finished with 15 carries for 121 yards at halftime.

However, the bulk of their success came from the air. Quarterback Will Howard went 11 of 18 passing for 269 yards and three touchdowns. True freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was largely unstoppable as well, catching five passes for a whopping 161 yards and two of Howard’s three touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka caught the other.

For the Ducks, Dillon Gabriel has done his best for Oregon to this point. He’s 15 of 23 passing for 126 yards and the aformentioned touchdown pass to end the first half.

Star running back Jordan James, who has over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season, appeared to be injured in the first half. As of halftime, he has seven carries for 14 yards.

While Oregon looks to mount what appears to be an improbable comeback, Texas awaits the winner of the Rose Bowl matchup in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.

The Longhorns defeated Arizona State in overtime on Wednesday, who came back from a two-score defecit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The Ducks will hope for a similar story in the second half, although with a better outcome for themselves.