Dan Lanning breaks down what Ohio State did differently from first meeting with Oregon

The Rose Bowl represented a rematch from one of the best games of the season when the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes met for a second time in less than three months. Unfortunately, for head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks, this game didn’t produce the same close finish.

Ohio State jumped out to a massive lead in the first half, with the Buckeyes offense looking nearly unstoppable at times. By halftime, it was 34-8 and the game was effectively over after the Ducks had already proven they were able to beat this Buckeyes team.

After the game, Lanning shared some of his thoughts on what went wrong for Oregon and what Ohio State did differently from their first meeting.

“I think they were able to find some shot opportunities,” Dan Lanning said. “They caught us in a couple coverages that gave them the chance to have success, and you could decide, okay, we’re going to try to pressure, and that’s still going to leave some one-on-ones. But they got us in some situational checks, some stuff that was successful.”

One player who Oregon struggled to stop in both meetings was freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. In the first game, he had nine receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Then, in the Rose Bowl, he was massive again, snagging seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Far from the only great player Ohio State has, Lanning added that beyond the Buckeyes putting his defense into difficult positions, that depth of excellent players also made its impact on the game.

“And they have great players,” Lanning said. “They have some guys out there that made plays. And you have to give those guys credit.”

Lanning would further praise the play of Smith in particular. He even went as far as to declare that the freshman receiver is already ready for NFL play.

“He’s strong,” Lanning said. “He attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve seen. I mean the guy’s NFL-ready. He’s that talented. He’s very special and Will Howard did a great job of getting the ball to him tonight. He’s tough to defend, he’s physical, he’s got all the tools. So, really talented player.”

With the loss, Oregon’s unbeaten season came to a frustrating end. Still, it was an excellent first campaign in the Big Ten, winning the conference in the process. Meanwhile, Ohio State is moving onto the Cotton Bowl and the College Football Playoff semifinal where they’ll play the Texas Longhorns.