Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long touchdown passes during Ohio State’s sensational 34-point first half, and the No. 6 Buckeyes stormed to the semifinals with a 41-21 victory over No. 1 Oregon in the 111th Rose Bowl the College Football Playoff game on Wednesday night.

Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Egbuka also caught a long TD pass and TreVeyon Henderson had a 66-yard touchdown run in a cathartic Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed), whose execution sometimes who has been crucial in big games has not been able to keep up with his impressive talent this season.

Ohio State capitalized on the second chances of the CFP’s first 12 teams and emphatically ousted the tournament’s No. 1 seed. The Buckeyes scored on six of their first seven drives and took a 34-0 lead late in the second quarter over the country’s only remaining undefeated team in the Granddaddy of Them All.

Ohio State travels to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 to face No. 4 Texas for a spot in the national title game. The Longhorns barely got anywhere early Wednesday, holding off Arizona State 39-31 in a double-overtime Peach Bowl.

Dillon Gabriel passed for 299 yards and hit Traeshon Holden for two touchdowns for the Ducks (13-1, CFP No. 1 seed), whose dreams of their first national title were dashed on the famed Rose Bowl turf. Oregon’s 14-game winning streak also ended.

Eleven days after beating Tennessee to open the playoffs, Ohio State dominated this second game of these Big Ten teams’ regular-season thriller, which the Ducks won 32-31 on Oct. 12 in Eugene.

Smith, the Buckeyes’ standout freshman playmaker, had a remarkable bowl debut with seven receptions for 187 yards – including five catches for 161 yards in the first half alone, hauling in passes of 45 and 43 yards.

This was the third time the Ducks and Buckeyes met in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State defeated Oregon in 1958, 2010 and now 2025.

The two teams also met earlier this season when the Ducks held off the Buckeyes with a one-point win. Oregon became Big Ten champions with the conference in its first season.

The recent history between the Ducks and the Buckeyes has been of paramount importance since the 2010 Rose Bowl, continued in the four-team CFP’s first title game following the 2014 season, and continued through to their first meeting as Big Ten opponents at the thrilling 32: Oregon’s 31 win at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12. This game was decided by big plays by Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel as a passer and runner, as well as some clever playmaking by head coach Dan Lanning, who has since been banned. This win also helped Oregon secure the conference title, defeating Penn State 45-37 on December 7.

The Buckeyes expected their second breakthrough in Indianapolis, but were distracted by a shocking rivalry loss to Michigan. Ohio State rebounded by beating Tennessee 42-17 in a CFP first-round game on Dec. 21.

OPB staff contributed to this reporting.