Ohio State dropped a thriller in Eugene by one point as the
last-ditch drive came up short. The
defense fell flat against Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and his receivers. Denzel Burke was repeatedly torched, and the
pass rush failed to get a sack for the first time this season. They also failed to get a turnover. Cody Simon led the way with 10 tackles, his
best performance in his career. Sonny
Styles pitched in with nine stops, and Caleb Downs continues to play well in
the secondary, with eight tackles, one of them a TFL. But, the defense, as a whole, let the team
down. Giving up chunk plays on third
down to allow Oregon to continue drives and a complete breakdown when they were
poised to force a long field goal attempt yet allowed a big run by Gabriel for
an Oregon touchdown. The alarming
tendency for penalties continues this season.
OSU drew eight penalties for 70 yards, none more costly as the offensive
pass interference called on Jeremiah Smith for pushing off an Oregon defender
on a play that would’ve put the Buckeyes in field goal range on the last drive.
There
were a few bright spots on the offensive side of the ball. Will Howard was able to complete 80 percent
of his throws for over 300 yards, Jeremiah Smith caught yet another touchdown
pass (he has now caught at least one TD pass in every game this season) and
Emeka Egbuka led the way with 10 receptions.
TreVeyon Henderson averaged 8.7 yards per carry and ripped off a 53-yard
run. Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins
had touchdowns on the ground. Despite a
fumble by Judkins that led to an Oregon touchdown, the offense played well
enough to win.
As
opposed to previous seasons, one loss does not put Ohio State’s B1G title and
playoff aspirations in peril and it is likely these two teams will find
themselves matched up in the B1G Championship game in December.
Next
week, Ohio State is idle and will have a chance to correct the defensive
deficiencies before Nebraska comes to town October 26.
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