The Oregon football team and Ohio State performed in the game of the year in mid October, with the Ducks coming away with a slender, 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 Yr’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 sport, Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke with media over Zoom on Monday in regards to the Geese and the matchup.
Whereas the Geese rode October’s prime 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 prime 5 wins, they in the end fell to Michigan of their common season finale and had been held out of the Huge Ten title sport, having to play their method into the CFP quarterfinal.
Nonetheless, Day harassed on Monday the Buckeyes are nonetheless eager about the main points come New Yr’s Day.
“It is about execution, it is about our preparation,” Day mentioned. “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 after we get out to Pasadena we’re executing at a excessive stage. 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 staff earlier than, so there is a reference level. I feel each groups are elsewhere than they had been after we performed final time. I feel we’re totally different.”
By means of 13 video games this season, Oregon is the one staff to attain greater than 30 factors in opposition to Ohio State. Actually, they’re the one staff to attain greater than 20 factors in opposition to the Buckeyes.
After the loss, Day and his workers mentioned they made changes to their schemes and personnel, to robust success.
However Day additionally acknowledged Monday the Geese are a unique beast from different opponents they’ve performed.
“They’ve stability,” Day mentioned of the Geese. “(Dillon) Gabriel may be very, very gifted 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 dwell and in colour.
“So we have made changes coming off that sport, and we labored arduous to guarantee that we’re placing our guys in the perfect 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 mentioned the Buckeyes confidence is at a season-high heading right into a Rose Bowl rematch.
“You’ll be able to really feel the arrogance within the locker room,” Day mentioned. “You can really feel the arrogance yesterday as we had our staff conferences, determine the champions, watch the movie from the sport, confirmed clips of the sport with the staff after which we broke up into place conferences and watched the movie.”
Day’s Buckeyes throttled the No. 9 Volunteers in a press release sport in opposition to a prime 10 opponent. Now, they are going to flip their eyes to the Geese in a impartial website matchup in Pasadena.
“Must make some changes like we at all times do,” Day mentioned. “Points are at all times there. However there was simply an general stability and confidence in regards to the group coming off the sport to know that we have already got a playoff win beneath our belt. It is going to give us confidence going into the sport.”
Alec Dietz covers College of Oregon soccer, volleyball, ladies’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. It’s possible you’ll attain him at adietz@registerguard.com and you may comply with him on X @AlecDietz.