The Oregon Ducks were entirely embarrassed in the first half of the Rose Bowl Game by the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Big Ten opponent, who quickly became a rival this season, held Oregon to just eight points in the first half while scoring 34 of their own –– three more than they scored in the entire matchup between the teams earlier this season.
As the Ducks and the Buckeyes headed to their locker rooms at halftime, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was blunt about his team having a lot to work on before the second half kicked off.
“We got a lot to continue to work on," Lanning said. "But it was great to go get a score there at the end of the half and head to the locker room with a little momentum at halftime.”
In the final few minutes, Oregon finally managed to find the end zone to cap off a quick drive down the field led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel didn't necessarily have a bad game in the first half. The veteran quarterback earned 126 yards on 15 completions. He connected with wideout Traeshon Holden for the Ducks' only touchdown of the first half and completed a pass to Justius Lowe for the two-point conversion.
Halftime in Pasadena. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/u0JtiAx1jw
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 1, 2025
However, on the other side of the field, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard completed just 11 passes for a resounding 269 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Buckeyes dominated on both sides of the ball.
Two big keys missing from Oregon's offensive lineup were wide receiver Tez Johnson and running back Jordan James, who both started the game for the Ducks but left throughout the first half due to apparent injuries.
At halftime, the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes led the No. 1 Oregon Ducks 34-8 and were seemingly storming their way to the semifinal round of the College Football Playoffs.