This happens all the time in the NFL, but in college football, this is rare.
Oregon and Ohio State will meet up for the second time this season as the two teams will fight it out in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
Ohio State’s offense has been one of the more consistent offenses in the country this season. The Buckeyes had one clunker offensively, the 13-10 loss to Michigan. Other than that, quarterback Will Howard, a transfer from Kansas State, fits perfectly with the Buckeyes. He was named Third-Team All-Big Ten.
Predictably, Howard’s favorite targets, as they should be, are receivers Emeka Egbuka and true freshman Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka is one of the best receivers out there and should be a first-round NFL draft pick and Smith isn’t disappointing as a former No. 1 recruit. Smith was also a First-Team All-Big Ten selection.
Egbuka has 65 catches for 824 yards (63.3 ypg) to go with nine touchdowns. Smith has shown he’s ready for the big time as he leads Ohio State with five touchdowns with his 63 receptions and 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns. In the first matchup with the Ducks at Autzen Stadium, the two combined for 19 receptions for almost 200 yards and two scores.
“They can catch the ball and they can turn into a big play right away. It’s not necessarily always their average depth of target is way down the field,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said before the first game where Oregon pulled out a 32-31 thrilling win. “It’s their ability to catch it in space and get vertical. They block really, really well on the perimeter. And those guys have big catch radius. So you see them win on balls that you can you call 50-50 balls. A lot of times they win on contested balls, they do a really good job there.”
Although it wasn’t as evident against the Ducks defense, what makes Ohio State’s offense so good is that the opposition can’t just concentrate on the passing game. Running backs Quinshon Judkins (Third Team All Big Ten) and TreVeyon Henderson are a powerful 1-2 punch out of the backfield.
Judkins has gained 839 yards (64.5 ypg) and has scored 10 touchdowns, while Henderson is averaging seven yards a carry and has scored eight times.
Lanning says offensive coordinator Chip Kelly doesn’t get enough credit for the Buckeyes’ rushing game.
“I think he’s always done a great job of utilizing his personnel. Moving guys around and allowing them to do things that they do really, really well. He always finds unique ways to run the ball,” he said. “I think that’s one thing that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to run the ball regardless of the situation. You know, he’s at UCLA last year, the number one rushing team in our conference for many reasons, and it’s because of his ability to run the ball.”
Ohio State has a big offensive line typical of most Big Ten teams. Each of them weigh over 300 pounds, led by senior guard Donovan Jackson. He was a First-Team All-Conference lineman in 2022 and 2024.
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