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This Rose Bowl managed to be a bridge of sorts between the past and future of college football. It’s a classic matchup of two storied teams in Ohio State and Oregon, a throwback that feels familiar to fans across generations and matches the gravitas of the Granddaddy of Them All.
“We’re in a little bit of a different landscape this year because of how bowl games are set up, but the Rose Bowl has been first class in every way,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Tuesday. “…This is one we’re really thrilled to compete in.”
The Rose Bowl is now a College Football Playoff quarterfinal, one of several steps that a team needs to climb on the path to a national championship.
“It’s a different experience,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Usually when you prepare for a bowl, there’s a whole month of preparation. This is more of a routine. … It’s more like being on a road game during the week, just a longer season.”
It’s a rematch of Oregon’s first Big Ten game at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12, when the Ducks edged out the Buckeyes 32-31. Oregon will be looking to repeat its performance and remain unbeaten and in the driver’s seat as the No. 1 seed. On the other sideline, the Buckeyes want to redeem themselves following what they considered an anomaly of a defensive performance in Week 6, and reassert themselves in the championship picture.
Here are three keys to victory in the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State needs to pressure Gabriel
The Buckeyes boast the No. 1 defense in the nation in terms of yards (242.6) and points given up (11.4). Their sack percentage (10.6%) is the most of any team remaining in the playoff, but they didn’t touch Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel — not one sack or pressure — on Oct. 12.
The result was Gabriel dicing them for 341 passing yards, 200 more than their nation-leading average. Buckeyes players and coaches this week have credited the strength of Oregon’s offense while also acknowledging the need to execute better.
They know a repeat of their previous performance won’t cut it if they want to advance to the semifinals, and it starts with making Gabriel uncomfortable.
Ohio State’s defense must embody the mantra of the late Raiders owner Al Davis: The quarterback must go down, and he must go down hard.
Gabriel needs to show why he was a Heisman finalist
Even though the Heisman race was clearly a two-man competition between Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Gabriel was one of the four finalists and finished third in the voting. The reason for that was his mastery of the Oregon offense that allowed for a seamless transition after Bo Nix’s departure to the NFL.
While Gabriel’s stats weren’t eye-popping — he’s thrown for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns — his 86.7 total quarterback rating is the highest of any remaining playoff passer and second in the nation.
He’s also been elite at taking care of the ball. His six interceptions are tied for the fewest among qualified starters and he’s thrown more tan one only once, in Week 5 against Michigan State. Gabriel’s legs have helped him avoid sacks, and one of his seven rushing touchdowns came against the Buckeyes.
Gabriel’s shining moment was in the Big Ten championship game, where he completed 22 of 32 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns to cement the Ducks as the No.1 team in the conference and the country.
History is also on the line for Gabriel, who is four touchdown passes away from surpassing Cam Ward’s recent career record of 158 in Division I.
Gabriel had success against Ohio State last time and needs to make a statement to prove the Ducks still are the top team.
Ohio State must limit penalties, especially late
This isn’t so much a seasonlong issue for the Buckeyes, who rank among the 10 least-penalized teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but untimely penalties played a huge role in their October loss to Oregon.
A late defensive pass interference call on Ohio State got the Ducks down to the nine-yard-line, where they took a 32-31 lead on a field goal. On the ensuing series, a 26-yard reception by Emeka Egbuka was negated by an offensive pass interference call on Jeremiah Smith that set up third and 20 from the Oregon 38-yard-line, where the Buckeyes ran out of time after quarterback Will Howard kept the ball and slid in the open field as time expired.
Ohio State is a disciplined team but has to stay that way through the final whistle. If not, that could make the difference between the Buckeyes advancing to the semifinals at the Cotton Bowl or returning to Columbus.
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