A grade card on Ohio State’s 32-31 loss to Oregon in a No. 2 against No. 3 match-up on Saturday night:
OFFENSE: B-
OSU (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) started the game with a textbook 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with quarterback Will Howard sneaking for a 1-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
The Buckeyes were equally efficient on their first possession of the second half, a 6-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown catch by Jeremiah Smith.
They played at that level only occasionally the rest of the game offensively even though they gained 467 yards of total offense.
Howard completed 28 of 35 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball nine times.
The fifth-year senior transfer from Kansas State and his receivers carried the Buckeyes’ offense for much of the second half when OSU ran for 19 yards on 12 rushes in the last two quarters after gaining 122 yards on the ground in the first two quarters.
Quinshon Judkins had his least productive game of the season with 23 yards rushing and lost a fumble at OSU’s 28-yard line that led to Oregon’s first touchdown. TreVeyon Henderson gained 87 yards on 10 carries but 70 of those yards came on back-to-back plays of 17 yards and 53 yards in the first quarter.
Two of Ohio State’s starting offensive linemen left the game in the first half because of injuries. Right guard Tegra Tshabola returned in the second half but coach Ryan Day indicated starting left tackle Josh Simmons’ injury might make him miss the rest of the season and called that “a big hit.”
Simmons fell in a non-contact situation with 9 minutes left in the first half, grabbed his left knee and was carted off the field.
Ohio State’s last lead came on a 40-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding with 7:20 left in the game which put OSU up 31-29.
Oregon regained the lead at 32-31 on a 19-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington with 1:47 left to play.
It looked like Fielding, who is 18 of 19 on field goals of 45 yards or less in his career, might get a chance to kick a game-winner when Ohio State had a first down at Oregon’s 28-yard line with 37 seconds to play.
But OSU’s next five plays were an incomplete pass, an offensive pass interference penalty on Jeremiah Smith, two more incomplete passes and Howard running as time ran out when he couldn’t find an open receiver.
DEFENSE: B-
Oregon had 496 yards of total offense and Ohio State struggled to get defensive stops most of the game.
Ohio State’s defense had not allowed a running back to rush for 100 yards or more or a receiver to have 100 yards or more but Oregon accomplished both of those things on a night when OSU gave up too many explosive plays and too many big plays on first down.
James Jordan rushed for 115 yards on 21 carries and scored a touchdown. Evan Stewart had 7 catches for 149 yards and scored a touchdown. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 23 of 34 passing for 341 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.
OSU’s All-American cornerback Denzel Burke was burned on two deep passes.
The defensive high point of the game for OSU might have been late in the third quarter when Oregon went for it on fourth and two at the Buckeyes’ 2-yard line and Cody Simon batted down a pass to end the Ducks’ drive.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Fielding made his only field goal attempt. None of Joe McGuire’s punts or Fielding’s kickoffs were returned.
OVERALL: B-
It was another frustrating “close, but not quite” outcome for Ohio State in a big game.
