Jake Trotter covers college football for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him @Jake_Trotter.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The fourth quarter had just begun when the chants around the Horseshoe started.
“We want Oregon.”
In the tunnel underneath the Ohio State student section, Rose Bowl staffers readied red roses for the locker room celebration, as Brutus emerged from the catacomb with the first bouquet.
The Ohio State backups still had several minutes to play before Tennessee was officially put away. But the Buckeyes had already mentally moved on to their looming rematch against Oregon in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal on New Year’s Day.
With its empathic 42-17 victory over the Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Ohio State set the stage for a second showdown with the Ducks, who defeated the Buckeyes 32-31 in Eugene on Oct. 12 on the way to an undefeated regular season, Big Ten championship and the CFP’s No. 1 overall seed.
The Buckeyes had every chance to win that October game. But with Ohio State driving in the final seconds, star freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith was flagged for a controversial offensive pass interference call, pushing the Buckeyes out of field goal range. Quarterback Will Howard then inexplicably slid as time expired, ending the game at the Oregon 26-yard line.
“We’ve all been looking forward to this one and for another crack at these guys,” said Howard, who had a rose stem in his teeth as he congratulated teammates coming off the field after the victory over Tennessee. “The way that last one ended doesn’t sit right with me. It still bugs me.”
The Ohio State defense has been a different unit since that first crack at the Ducks.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns, as Ohio State’s talented defensive front failed to sack him once and generated quarterback pressures just twice. Oregon’s wide receivers also won their one-on-one matchups, most notably against cornerback Denzel Burke, resulting in a barrage of big plays. But since then, the Buckeyes have dominated the opposition. Since the Oregon game, they rank No. 1 nationally in fewest yards allowed per play (3.8), yards given up per game (234.4) and points surrendered per game (11.7).
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity because it was not a great game for us,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said of the first Oregon outing. “Quite frankly, the guys got pissed off and it led to a run for us. They used that game as motivation.”
Ohio State steamrolls Tennessee to set up Oregon rematch
Ohio State impresses in a thumping 42-17 win over Tennessee to set up a date with Oregon in the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State’s explosive offense came out motivated Saturday night after a listless performance in its regular-season finale, a 13-10 loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes also showed what they’re capable of when, as offensive coordinator Chip Kelly put it, they’re “clicking on all cylinders.”
Facing one of the SEC’s top defenses, the Buckeyes produced touchdowns on their first three drives. Tennessee couldn’t cover Smith, who scored a pair of touchdowns and had a game-high 103 receiving yards. The Vols also couldn’t tackle running back TreVeyon Henderson, who generated 134 yards of offense with two scores.
“We called this game more aggressively — there’s no question about that,” coach Ryan Day said. “But also, I think we did some things that maximized what we have in terms of our strengths and minimized our deficiencies.”
Ohio State maximized Howard and the downfield passing attack by featuring arguably college football’s top receiving duo in Smith and wideout Emeka Egbuka, who added 81 receiving yards on five receptions.
Howard responded to the challenge and his poor play against Michigan by completing 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards. His lone interception came on Ohio State’s fourth drive with the Buckeyes already up 21-0. Howard tried to zip a pass to Smith at the back of the end zone. Officials could’ve called defensive pass interference on Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter, who was draped all over Smith. Instead, Tennessee’s Will Brooks was able to corral the tipped ball for the pick before crashing out of bounds.
“I liked the call, I liked how aggressive we were,” Day said. “When you call the game aggressively, something like [that] happens. You have to be willing to live with it.”
The contrast of these past two games underscored how Ohio State’s offense is at its best when it’s aggressive. Combine that with a defense playing as well as any in college football, and it’s easy to see why Buckeyes will head to Pasadena with revenge on their mind — and a national championship run in their sights.
“Yeah, I’m excited, man,” Howard said. “We’re going to go out there and have some fun and let it rip.”
DETROIT — Tucker Gleason ran for one overtime score and threw for four more as Toledo beat Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field on Thursday.
The game surpassed the previous mark set 48 hours earlier when South Florida beat San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawai’i Bowl on Tuesday.
This is the third bowl game to go to multiple overtimes this season, already the most in a single bowl season since OT was established in 1996. Northern Illinois beat Fresno State 28-20 in double overtime in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Monday. There had never been a bowl game to go to four overtimes before this week.
This also is the first season with multiple games to go to at least six overtimes, after Georgia beat Georgia Tech 44-42 in eight overtimes last month. Toledo’s last multi-OT game was a win in double overtime against Iowa State in September 2015.
Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, ran for two overtime scores and threw for two more, but his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game. The Panthers, who started the season 7-0, became just the second team in FBS history to end a season on a losing streak of six or more games, including a bowl game.
After Gleason and Dugger traded rushing touchdowns in the first overtime, each team got a field goal in the second. Each threw two-point passes in the third overtime, and Gleason got another in the fourth to make it 44-42.
Dugger was sacked, apparently ending the game, but the Rockets were called for holding. Dugger was ruled short on a sneak attempt, sending Toledo rushing onto the field for a second time, but replay ruled he crossed the plane.
In the fifth overtime, Dugger made it 46-44 with a scoring pass to Gavin Bartholomew, but Gleason tied it with his fifth scoring pass of the game. The sixth put Toledo back in front, and Dugger was pressured into a bad throw to end the game.
The Panthers played without starting quarterback Eli Holstein (leg) and backup Nate Yarnell (transfer portal). David Lynch, a redshirt freshman walk-on, started his first game but was pulled in the third quarter after throwing two interceptions.
Dugger led the Panthers to two touchdowns and a field goal on his first three drives, turning a 20-12 deficit into a 30-20 lead.
However, Toledo got its second pick-six of the game when Darius Alexander returned Dugger’s interception 58 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it 30-27 with 7:49 left, and the Rockets kicked a tying field goal with 1:45 to play.
Toledo started quickly, driving for a Gleason touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive, but Kyle Louis blocked the extra point and returned it for Pitt’s first defensive two-point conversion since 1990.
Desmond Reid‘s 3-yard run and Ben Sauls‘ 57-yard field goal gave Pittsburgh a 12-6 lead, but Gleason’s 67-yard touchdown pass to Junior Vandeross III put the Rockets up 13-12 midway through the second quarter.
On the next play from scrimmage, Braden Awls picked off Lynch’s pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 20-12 halftime lead.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ARCADIA, Calif. — Raging Torrent won the $200,000 Malibu Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths on Thursday at Santa Anita, with Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan finishing last in the final Grade 1 stakes of the year in the United States.
Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent ran seven furlongs in 1:21.54 and paid $7.20 to win as the 5-2 favorite in the field of six on opening day of Santa Anita’s 90th winter meet.
“We really thought going into it we were the best horse,” winning trainer Doug O’Neill said. “Just watching him day in, day out, he was training out of this world.”
Mystik Dan, a nose winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby in the closest three-horse finish since 1947, was last. The 3-year-old colt raced for the first time since finishing eighth in the Belmont Stakes in June.
Stronghold , seventh in the Kentucky Derby, was second. A trio of Bob Baffert trainees were third, fourth and fifth: Imagination, Pilot Commander and Winterfell.
There was a stewards’ inquiry involving the stretch run between Imagination and Pilot Commander. The stewards ruled that Imagination did lug out and make contact with Pilot Commander, but it didn’t affect the order of finish and no changes were made.
Dettori celebrated with his trademark flying dismount in a crowded winner’s circle.
“Of course, I was afraid of Mystik Dan, but I thought the day to beat him was today,” Dettori said. “At seven-eighths, my horse was very sharp and he proved it.”
Mystik Dan was sprinting for the first time in over a year. He was the first current Kentucky Derby winner to race at Santa Anita since California Chrome in 2015. After his narrow Derby win, Mystik Dan finished second in the Preakness.
“He broke good, but it just seemed like we were always chasing,” jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said. “I think shortening up took away from him. After running a mile and a quarter, it is tough to go back to seven-eighths. The horse is fine.”
Other races – Johannes, the 1-5 favorite, rallied down the stretch to win the $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes by three-quarters of a length. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the 4-year-old colt ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46.50 and paid $2.60 to win for trainer Tim Yakteen.
– 16-1 shot J B Strikes Back won the newly renamed $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths. Ridden by Antonio Fresu, the 3-year-old gelding ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.80 and paid $34.80 to win. Trained by Doug O’Neill, J B Strikes Back is owned by Purple Rein Racing, the stable of Janie Buss. Her late father, Jerry Buss, owned the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, which are now controlled by her sister, Jeanie Buss. O’Neill’s other horse, 3-2 favorite Katonah, finished sixth.
Former Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver DeSean Jackson and Delaware State are finalizing an agreement for him to become the program’s next head coach, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Thursday.
Jackson did an on-campus interview in recent days, and the sides are expected to come together to complete the deal in the near future. According to a source, it has always been a dream of Jackson’s to coach at a historically Black college or university (HBCU). That dream could be a reality in the near future.
The 38-year-old would replace Lee Hull, who was dismissed earlier this month after two disappointing seasons, including a 1-11 showing this year.
The news was first reported by Victory Formation Media.
Jackson, who officially retired as a member of the Eagles after the 2023 season, made the Pro Bowl in three of his eight seasons with the team. He became the first player in NFL history to earn Pro Bowl honors at two positions — kick returner and wide receiver. He played 15 years overall and had stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Washington, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Las Vegas, but he is best known for the six-year run in Philadelphia at the start of his pro career.
In 95 career games with the Eagles, he ranks third all time in receiving yards (6,512), sixth in receptions (379) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (35). As a punt returner, he finished second in punt returns (132), third in punt return yards (1,296) and is tied for the team’s all-time lead in punt return touchdowns with four.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.