My Thoughts.....Rose Bowl

           

The Ohio State Buckeyes rolled to a big lead, and then had to hold off a furious Washington rally in the fourth quarter to come away with their eighth Rose Bowl victory in their history.

The Ohio State offense utilized a good blend of run and pass in the first half.  Mike Weber found good holes to run through as the offensive line got a good push against a normally stout Husky defense.

Parris Campbell capped a solid career with 11 receptions for 71 yards and the game’s first score.  He ends his senior season with 90, which surpasses David Boston’s single-season OSU record of 85 set back in 1998, while Dwayne Haskins reached another milestone in what will probably be his final game for the Buckeyes.  His third scoring toss of the game happened to be the 50^th of the season, by far more than any other OSU quarterback and only the sixth player in college football history to reach that mark.  The Ohio State offense rolled through the first 2 ½ quarters and then took their foot off the gas, and Washington’s offense finally found some traction, but it was not enough for Washington to catch up.  

The maligned Ohio State defense played a stellar first three quarters, allowing the Huskies just a field goal, but seemed to let off in the fourth quarter, giving up three scores.  However, the Ohio State secondary had a good game for the most part, breaking up seven passes.  Brendon White played the best game of his young career, second on the team in tackles and made a pick on Washington’s two-point conversion attempt after their last score.   For his efforts, White was named the Rose Bowl Defensive Player of the Game.  Jeffrey Okudah also played well, making a couple of deflections and Jordan Fuller led the way with nine stops and was good in coverage all game long. 

The 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes finish 13-1 and send Coach Urban Meyer out a winner.