Ohio State is ready for its rematch with Oregon
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Jake Trotter, ESPN Senior Writer
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 emphatic 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 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.”
2:47
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.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller will miss at least one game after getting injured Saturday and is not traveling with the team to Nashville.
Coach Mike Sullivan said Miller was still being evaluated back home for an upper-body injury and would not play Sunday night against the Predators.
Miller left the Rangers’ game against Philadelphia with about eight minutes left after taking a big hit from Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler and landing awkwardly. The 32-year-old forward appeared to be favoring his right arm or shoulder while in pain on the bench and skating off to go down the tunnel for medical attention.
“You don’t want to lose any teammates,” center Mika Zibanejad said. “When you see your captain go down and you don’t see him come back, that obviously becomes [a situation] for us to step up and everyone has to do a little more when a guy like that leaves. Just hoping everything is OK.”
Miller was named captain before training camp. He has 10 goals and 12 assists in 35 games this season and is believed to be in consideration for the U.S. Olympic team, though it’s unclear whether this injury could cloud that possibility.
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Greg Wyshynski
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, out since Nov. 12 with a “freak” hand injury, will return to the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Hughes, 24, injured his hand at a team dinner in Chicago on Nov. 13, underwent surgery on his finger and was given a recovery window of eight weeks. He has been skating throughout his rehab and was recently spotting using a stick again on the ice.
He returned to Devils practice Sunday at an optional skate.
“Yeah, I’m going to play tonight. Might as well ease my way in,” Hughes joked after practice.
Both Hughes and the Devils were off to flying starts before his injury. New Jersey was 12-4-1, with the second-best points percentage (.735) in the NHL behind the Colorado Avalanche (.794) and first place in the Metropolitan Division. Hughes had 20 points in his first 17 games, including 10 goals.
The Devils struggled without their top-line center, going 8-10-0 (.444) and scoring 3.35 goals per game with Hughes to 2.28 goals per game without him. But they have remained in the playoff race in a competitive Eastern Conference, holding the final wild-card spot entering Sunday.
Hughes is one of three key players returning to the Devils’ lineup Sunday against surging Buffalo, which has won five straight games. Forward Timo Meier last played Dec. 9, having taken leave from the team for a family matter. He has 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 games. Forward Arseny Gritsyuk has missed the past four games due to injury. The rookie has 16 points in 31 games.
“To come back from the road trip and to have those guys in the building and then on the ice, it gives the [team] a boost,” coach Sheldon Keefe said Sunday. “There’s an emotional impact.”
Keefe said the challenge for his team is not to become suddenly passive because help has arrived.
“We’ve got to keep playing the way we’ve been playing and have those players enhance that,” he said. “Sometimes when you bring important people back to your group, there can be a tendency for the rest of the group to take a back seat. And that cannot happen.”
Sunday was Hughes’ first appearance since the injury and the first time he has faced questions about his brother, star defenseman Quinn Hughes, being traded to the Minnesota Wild last week.
Sources told ESPN that the Vancouver Canucks went to the Devils first in discussing trade destinations for Quinn Hughes, as his brothers Jack and Luke both play in New Jersey. Ultimately, the Canucks opted to trade Hughes to the Wild for center Marco Rossi, forward Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick.
“It happened fast,” Jack Hughes said, adding that there was a “little bit” of disappointment that the three brothers weren’t united together. “I think he’s happy in Minnesota now. They have a great team there, and they’re playing well. … We’re happy for him.”
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