The Rose Bowl is as intriguing as ever on Wednesday as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and eighth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes prepare for a colossal showdown in the CFP quarterfinals.
Ahead of the matchup, the teams went through their media availabilities. Despite the 32-31 win over the Buckeyes on Oct. 12, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is focusing on one key area of improvement in the rematch.
For Lanning, the Ducks need to convert on more of their red-zone opportunities after missing a field goal and botching a snap in the first meeting with Ohio State.
“There’s a lot of moments in those games that we could have been better. I think that’s one of the biggest things I walked away with,” Lanning said on Monday, per 247 Sports’ Jared Mack. “That’s an area we can certainly improve and be better.”
Oregon had two TDs in five red-zone trips in the October win. If the Ducks can get as many chances on Wednesday, they must find a way to take advantage, given Ohio State leads the FBS in scoring defense, allowing 11.4 points per game. Ohio State also leads the country in total defense (242.2 YPG) and pass defense (141.2 YPG).
The Buckeyes bring a dynamic two-headed punch at wide receiver with Jeremiah Smith (1,037 yards, 12 TDs) and Emeka Egbuka (824 yards, nine TDs) leading the team. QB Will Howard passed for a season-high 326 yards with two TDs in the first meeting against the Ducks but ultimately waited too long to slide and let the time run out at the end of the game.
Lanning is well aware of the challenge Ohio State (11-2) poses. Per Oregon beat reporter James Crepea, Lanning said, “It’s really hard to find weaknesses in Ohio State.”
This will be the first postseason meeting between the new Big Ten foes since they faced off in the inaugural CFP national championship in the 2014 season.
Oregon (13-0) is coming off a 45-37 win over Penn State to win the Big Ten title in its debut season. The Ducks are going to need efficient QB Dillon Gabriel (86.7 QBR), second in the nation, RB Jordan James (1,253 yards, 15 TDs) and WR Tez Johnson (866 yards, 10 TDs) to maintain their stellar play if the Ducks are going to advance in the CFP.
Lanning’s comments show that Oregon knows what it is going up against in an epic Rose Bowl showdown on Wednesday.
