PASADENA, Calif. (WCMH) -- After a 20-point New Year's Day victory, Ohio State can stop and smell the roses on its way to a playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.
On a stage that only the Rose Bowl can offer, No. 8 seed Ohio State got its revenge over top-seed Oregon thanks to a prolific offensive performance in the first half and a defense that consistently suffocated the Ducks.
The win marked OSU's 10th Rose Bowl victory and fifth in a row dating to 1997. It also handed Oregon its first and only loss of the season, sending the playoff's No. 1 team out of national championship contention.
Here's what we learned from Ohio State's 41-21 win.
The Rose Bowl is called the "Granddaddy of Them All" for a reason. It happens to be where college football's brightest stars shine the most. And in the shadow of Hollywood, Jeremiah Smith put on an award-winning performance.
The freshman caught touchdown passes of 45 yards and 43 yards, both in the first half, leading Ohio State with seven catches for 187 yards. His big playmaking abilities earned the Miami Gardens, Florida, native Rose Bowl MVP honors. And after already rewriting the school record books, Smith's proven to be in an elite category all on his own.
"Jeremiah is his own person. The way that he's come in from the get-go. He had a look in his eye that he wanted to make an impact as a freshman," coach Ryan Day said. "To me, it's the work ethic every day. He comes in, and he's serious. He doesn't say a whole lot. But when he does, people listen. His maturity, physically and emotionally and mentally has allowed him to play like this."
The Ohio State offense was on fire from the opening kickoff, culminating in 500 total yards, 319 of which came from the arm of quarterback Will Howard. Most of the fireworks came in the first half when the Buckeyes produced multiple long plays through the air and on the ground, using quick drives to take control of the game.
The offense was nothing but efficient. All four of Ohio State's first half drives that ended in a touchdown needed no more than three plays and lasted no longer than a minute and five seconds. Howard had seven throws that went no fewer than 15 yards. All three of his touchdowns were passes of at least 40 yards.
"We just tell him to throw the ball out there. We're going to make a play for you," Smith said. "No matter if it's a bad ball or not, we've got to make our quarterback look good. Will plays with that confidence that he has. Just being a leader out there, I feed off his energy."
After the Ohio State defense allowed Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel to throw for 341 yards in the first meeting this season, the Buckeyes did not let history repeat itself. They limited the Ducks to 276 total yards, including minus-23 on the ground.
Although Gabriel connected with Traeshon Holden for two touchdowns, the defense sacked him eight times, costing the Ducks 56 yards. Linebacker Cody Simon led with 11 total tackles, including two sacks and three for a loss.
The resilient performance showed how the Buckeyes learned from their mistakes made in that Oct. 12 meeting in Eugene.
"There were a lot of plays in that first game where we weren't even aligned. We weren't ready to go," Simon said. "We went through a lot of tough conversations after that game. A lot of changes that we had to make. And like coach Day said, it's all about execution. No matter who is across the ball, do your job. And if you do your job, you're going to like the result."
The playoff has become a redemption tour of sorts for the Buckeyes. The first-round win over Tennessee at home helped Ohio State scare away the ghosts of the Michigan loss. The Rose Bowl served up a revenge victory over Oregon. Now the Buckeyes head back to the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to Missouri in an otherwise meaningless New Year's Six game a year ago.
"You're a sum of your experiences. This team has had great wins this season. It's had some tough losses and we have learned from those," Day said.
This time around, Ohio State will face fifth-seeded Texas, who advanced from the Peach Bowl with a double overtime win over Arizona State. The winner of that game Jan. 10 advances to the national championship.
"You've got to grow and you've got to build and focus on your strengths. And making sure you understand what your weaknesses are. I think that's a big part of it," Day said. "These guys are resilient. We're in a place where you can hear a lot of noise, but they didn't do that. I'm very proud of our staff and our players, but we're far from done."
