The Oregon football team and Ohio State performed in the game of the year in mid October, with the Ducks coming away with a slim, one-point victory at Autzen Stadium that set the tone for the remainder of UO’s undefeated common season and Big Ten championship.
On New 12 months’s Day in Pasadena, the No. 1 Geese will look to repeat the feat in opposition to the No. 8 Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Forward of the festivities and recreation, Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke with media over Zoom on Monday concerning the Geese and the matchup.
Whereas the Geese rode October’s high 3 win over Ohio State into an undefeated common season marketing campaign and a convention title of their first season within the Huge Ten, the Buckeyes did not fairly have the identical fortune after the loss.
Although the Buckeyes picked up a few high 5 wins, they finally fell to Michigan of their common season finale and have been held out of the Huge Ten title recreation, having to play their approach into the CFP quarterfinal.
Nonetheless, Day burdened on Monday the Buckeyes are nonetheless fascinated by the small print come New 12 months’s Day.
“It is about execution, it is about our preparation,” Day stated. “It is about how we go about our conferences, how we go about our walk-throughs, how we go about our practices, in order that once we get out to Pasadena we’re executing at a excessive degree. That is what it comes right down to.
“Is it tremendous thrilling? I suppose not, however it’s what it’s. However our guys have performed this crew earlier than, so there is a reference level. I feel each groups are in other places than they have been once we performed final time. I feel we’re completely different.”
By 13 video games this season, Oregon is the one crew to attain greater than 30 factors in opposition to Ohio State. In reality, they’re the one crew to attain greater than 20 factors in opposition to the Buckeyes.
After the loss, Day and his workers stated they made changes to their schemes and personnel, to sturdy success.
However Day additionally acknowledged Monday the Geese are a unique beast from different opponents they’ve performed.
“They’ve an excellent steadiness,” Day stated of the Geese. “(Dillon) Gabriel could be very, very proficient and really correct in what he does, and he is additionally very athletic. And so they have weapons on the surface. So it is a problem. We have seen that stay and in coloration.
“So we have made changes coming off that recreation, and we labored exhausting to make it possible for we’re placing our guys in the very best place to achieve success. We’ll do this once more in opposition to these guys this week and go compete our tails off.”
Following a 42-17 beatdown of Tennessee within the first spherical of the CFP in Columbus, Day stated the Buckeyes confidence is at a season-high heading right into a Rose Bowl rematch.
“You may really feel the boldness within the locker room,” Day stated. “You can really feel the boldness yesterday as we had our crew conferences, establish the champions, watch the movie from the sport, confirmed clips of the sport with the crew after which we broke up into place conferences and watched the movie.”
Day’s Buckeyes throttled the No. 9 Volunteers in an announcement recreation in opposition to a high 10 opponent. Now, they are going to flip their eyes to the Geese in a impartial website matchup in Pasadena.
“Need to make some changes like we at all times do,” Day stated. “Points are at all times there. However there was simply an general steadiness and confidence concerning the group coming off the sport to know that we have already got a playoff win below our belt. It should give us confidence going into the sport.”
Alec Dietz covers College of Oregon soccer, volleyball, girls’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. Chances are you’ll attain him at adietz@registerguard.com and you’ll comply with him on X @AlecDietz.