The 11th-ranked Ducks were without potential Heisman-finalist defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux and starting linebacker Justin Flowe going into the matchup against the #3 Buckeyes. The Ducks proceeded to upset Ohio State 35-28, their first win against the Big 10 powerhouse in school history
This was the first Ohio State loss at home since 2017 against Oklahoma, who were led by someone you might have heard of...a quarterback named Baker Mayfield.
The lone turnover of the game was Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud’s interception with under three minutes left in the game. Oregon then took all but the final 20 seconds off the clock, leaving the Buckeyes two plays from their own 12 yard line.
Those two plays were an 11-yard completion where Stroud was millimeters away from being ruled in the grass for a sack, and a sack on the final play anyway. Stroud did finish 35-54 (64.8%) for 484 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Still, only 28 points scored on a defense missing the best pass rusher in all of college football? The Ducks only had two sacks and one pressure the entire game.
Martinez and I discussed the possibility of Buckeye head coach Ryan Day playing “Bully Ball” against Oregon’s defense. Well, Ohio State’s 128 total rushing yards thoroughly have me convinced that Day’s squad imposed their will all afternoon.
Just like that last statement, Ohio State’s National Championship hopes are now nothing more than a tweet waiting to be deleted. In fact, Thibodeaux tweeted:
“Go ahead and delete whatever you posted, cause I know it didn’t age well. #GoDucks”
The Duck mascot even threw shade with a simple “Uh O-H” of his own on Twitter.
Oregon shut a lot of people up today. The Ducks shut up media outlets overlooking the Pac 12. UCLA has two very impressive wins of their own to start the year. The Ducks put a statement win on their record early, so a late-season slip-up may not be as catastrophic if still in the hunt for one of the College Football Playoff seeds.
The one thing Oregon did not do is change anyone’s mind of just how porous Ohio State’s defense is. Yes, the Buckeyes did have 612 yards of offense on the Ducks, but also gave up 505, in addition to 408 against Minnesota in their opener.
I firmly believe that if Gopher tailback Mohamed Ibrahim does not go down with his season-ending leg injury in the third quarter, Minnesota would have beaten Ohio State on national television.
With #9 Iowa or #10 Iowa State dropping after the annual Cy Hawk game this weekend, combined with the Buckeyes’ loss and #5 Texas A&M needing a late touchdown to squeak past Colorado on the road, this is the kind of win that blows up the entire landscape of the national picture. The Ducks are almost assured of a top five ranking.
There was talk that Mario Cristobal needed bigger wins as head coach. The Ducks have won back-to-back Pac 12 titles and Cristobal was the conference coach of the year in 2019.
I know it’s from a kids’ movie about hockey, but I hope Cristobal tells at least one reporter before their next game “It’s not worth winning if you can’t win big.” Yes, I know that was said by the opposing coach, but Cristobal had Day on his heels most of the afternoon. The win was much bigger than the final score indicated.
From a blown-up fourth-and-one with the Buckeyes’ driving late in the first half, to Ohio State’s eight penalties on the day, Cristobal had more answers missing a star, than Day now has questions with all of his healthy.
Not one duck pun...I'm kind of proud of myself, actually.
-JC24
Author's note: We all knew exactly where we were 20 years ago today. The fact that we are still here after that fateful Tuesday in New York, Washington D.C. and southern Pennsylvania is a testament to our resolve as Americans. If you have not thanked a service member or public safety official this week, I don't know what else I can say to you right now. Never forget.