Oregon smashes Ohio State: Ducks score 38 unanswered points in statement victory over reeling Buckeyes

Ohio State was rolling...until a gutsy fake punt completely changed the game and powered a roaring Oregon performance.

Down 14-3 on Oregon's own 31-yard line late in the first half, Dan Lanning decided to go for it on fourth-and-9. It felt desperate in the moment but not only did it pay off for an immediate 30-yard gain but it seemed to break the Buckeyes. From that moment on, it was all Oregon.

Linebacker Teitum Tuioti found a wide-open Matayo Uiagalelei for a 30-yard gain on the fake punt. It was a beautiful play call that seemed to catch Ohio State completely off-guard. Oregon scored five plays later on a Dierre Hill Jr. rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 14-10. Oregon scored another touchdown before the end of the half, capitalizing on a Luke Fahey interception, and somehow had a 17-14 halftime lead despite losing 14-3 with less than two minutes remaining in the half.

Ohio State never had a chance after that.

Ohio State technically still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff but those hopes were essentially dashed in the loss to the Ducks. Ohio State clearly isn't the same team without quarterback Julian Sayin, a factor that the selection committee will take into account when evaluating the team.

The Buckeyes were already on the outside looking in headed into a must-win game against the Ducks. The home loss to Oregon drops OSU's odds to 35.7 percent, according to CBS Sports' forecasting model, and frankly those odds are even worse than that in reality. OSU already has three losses, will drop several spots with this most recent defeat and doesn't have a top 25 team left on the schedule to gain ground.

Ohio State has a great win over Indiana but the team that won that game doesn't resemble the one blown out at home against Oregon. Don't expect the committee to give OSU the benefit of the doubt given the way its offense and defense has struggled in recent losses.

FINAL: No. 23 Oregon 41, No. 12 Ohio State 28

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An Ohio State season that started with legitimate national title aspirations has gone up in smoke.

No. 23 Oregon (6-3) demolished No. 12 Ohio State (6-3), 41-28, in a result that may have extinguished the Buckeyes' hopes of making the College Football Playoff. It is the first time Ohio State has three or more losses by November 7th since 2011 when interim coach Luke Fickell had to step in for Jim Tressel.

What started as a 14-0 Ohio State lead completely flipped after a successful Oregon fake punt while backed up deep in its own territory. It was the most unanswered points Ohio State had given up in a game since 1999 when Wisconsin scored 39 straight on the Buckeyes.

With the offense sputtering after taking that early lead, the Ohio State defense failed to hold up against Dylan Raiola and the Ducks' passing attack. Raiola -- who has endured some low moments during his first season in Eugene -- completed 25 of his 40 passing attempts for 257 yards and two touchdowns.

Conversely, Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey looked like the freshman he is. After that hot start, Fahey struggled to get in a rhythm. He missed several throws, and his lack of connection with star wideout Jeremiah Smith was apparent.

Smith did pad his stats and his Heisman Trophy resume with a garbage time touchdown reception, but it was far too little too late.

Fourth quarter: Oregon 38, Ohio State 14

The fans have headed for the exits as Oregon runs it up on the road. The latest touchdown -- a Dylan Raiola to Brandon Smith 15-yard touchdown -- extinguished any faint hopes Buckeyes fans may have had that their team could come back in this one. The blowout is on in one of the more embarrassing losses in recent OSU history. 

In a must win game, Ohio State put up a complete dud. 

Fourth quarter: Oregon 31, Ohio State 14

As we get ready to begin the fourth quarter, Oregon is in full control of this game. The Ducks have scored the last 28 points in what has been a stunning collapse of OSU's offense and defense. The Ducks' most recent score came on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore. 

Oregon QB Dylan Raiola didn't look super impressive in the first half but has settled down nicely. He's made multiple nice throws on third downs and has the Ducks in a great position to pull off the road upset. 

Third quarter: Oregon 24, Ohio State 14

Luke Fahey had a wide open Devin McCuin but short-armed it and turned the ball over on downs on a 4th-and-2 decision from Ohio State's 42-yard line. Aggression can be your friend but if Oregon capitalizes on a short field here, Ryan Day is going to want that one back. The play call was good but Fahey just may not have the arm and accuracy to be trusted in a spot like that. 

Third quarter: Oregon 24, Ohio State 14

The boos are getting louder here inside the Shoe. After a three-and-out, very audible boos came raining down as Ohio State offensive players ran off the field for the punt team. If this result holds up, we may see a very upset Ohio State crowd as it watches the Buckeyes' playoff hopes go up in smoke. 

Third quarter: Oregon 24, Ohio State 14

It is awfully quiet here inside the Shoe. Dierre Hill added his second touchdown of the game as three Ohio State defenders failed to take him down on a 48-yard touchdown run. It is stunning how much this game has flipped over. 

Ohio State was up 14-0 and looked to be fully in control of the game. Ohio State even had a 14-3 lead with less than two minutes to go in the first half. Since then, Oregon has scored 21 points and now holds a 10-point lead.  What started as a raucous Ohio State crowd now stands in quiet disbelief. 

Halftime: Oregon 17, Ohio State 14

Oregon scored on a direct snap to Jamari Johnson to stun the Ohio State crowd and take a 17-14 halftime lead.

Ohio State had holding penalties on back-to-back plays setting up Oregon on the 2-yard line with two seconds left in the half. Lining up in a wild formation with only three traditional offensive linemen, Johnson came in motion before getting the snap and scoring the touchdown. The score helped Oregon come back from a 14-0 deficit with the Ducks also getting the ball to start the second half. 

Ohio State had started hot behind quarterback Luke Fahey and running back Bo Jackson. Jackson scored both of Ohio State's first-half touchdowns on runs of 16 and 8 yards. The second touchdown was especially impressive as he powered through three Oregon defenders to get into the endzone. 

The majority of Ohio State's first-half offensive yards came through the air, though. Fahey wasn't perfect – he underthrew what should have been a long touchdown pass to a wide open Jeremiah Smith – but he mostly looked poised and was efficient against the Ducks. He threw a beautiful pass to Smith for a 32-yard gain and seemed to see the field well in finding open receivers. And yet a poorly thrown pass late in the half led to an interception and Oregon's final touchdown drive of the half. Fahey finished the half 13 of 19 for 143 yards and an interception. 

Oregon wasn't able to get much going offensively until the end of the half. Raiola was lucky that Ohio State defensive back Jay Timmons dropped what would have been an easy pick-six. He almost threw another interception late in the half that Jaylen McClain dropped. Oregon capitalized there on a gutsy decision to fake a punt on 4th-and-9 from its own 31-yard line. Linebacker Teitum Tuioti found a wide-open Matayo Uiagalelei for a 31-yard gain. Oregon later scored its first touchdown on a 9-yard Dierre Hill Jr. touchdown run. 

After a Fahey interception with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Oregon confidently moved the ball down the field. Raiola finished the half 16 for 28 for 172 passing yards. 

Second quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 10

The gutsy fake punt paid off in a big way as Oregon cuts it to a one-score lead on a Dierre Hill 9-yard touchdown run. Hill finished the drive one play after his 20-yard catch put the Ducks' inside the 10-yard line. It took a successful fake punt and a Jaylen McClain dropped interception but the Ducks are in business on the road. 

Second quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 3

Facing a 4th-and-9 from his own 31-yard line, Dan Lanning decided to get gutsy. The Ducks opted for a fake punt and got a 30-yard gain out of it when linebacker Teitum Tuioti found a wide-open Matayo Uiagalelei for a first down. Ohio State was caught off-guard, giving the Ducks some new life and a chance to cut down Ohio State's lead before halftime. 

Second quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 3

Oregon put its first points on the scoreboard with a 33-yard Gage Hurych field goal. It was an interesting decision for Dan Lanning to not go for it on 4th-and-2 from the 15-yard line. With the way Ohio State had been moving the ball on offense and styming Oregon on defense, a field goal felt overly conservative. We'll see if it pays off for Lanning. 

First quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 0

Ohio State freshman QB Luke Fahey has looked good so far in a must-win game. Fahey is 8 for 12 for 132 yards and had a beauty of a throw to Jeremiah Smith on this drive for a 32-yard gain. Bo Jackson put the finishing touch on the drive with a 8-yard touchdown run, his second of the day, to put Ohio State up two scores. 

With an efficient offense and the way the defense is playing so far, Ohio State looks every bit like a playoff team today. 

First quarter: Ohio State 7, Oregon 0

Dylan Raiola is awfully fortunate that this game is not 14-0 Ohio State. The Oregon QB threw a lazy pass that OSU freshman DB Jay Timmons jumped and could have had a pick-six had he not dropped one that hit him right in the hands. Oregon's offense hasn't been able to manage much thus far, totaling two first downs and negative-one rushing yard with 3:36 left in the quarter. 

First quarter: Ohio State 7, Oregon 0

Bo Jackson put Ohio State on the board early on a 16-yard touchdown run. Ohio State had struggled moving the ball on the ground before Jackson broke through for the touchdown.

Luke Fahey just missed a home run throw that was underthrown to Jeremiah Smith earlier in the drive. Smith beat his defender but had to come back for the ball and dropped it. Still, it was a pretty good first drive for Fahey who was 4 for 6 for 44 yards. 

We are a couple minutes from kicking off here in Columbus. Oregon won the toss and chose to defer so we'll get to see Luke Fahey and this Ohio State offense here momentarily. 

Last weekend wasn't all bad for Fahey. The true freshman made some good throws, and he wound up with 260 yards and a touchdown, but he did miss a few plays and has plenty of room to grow.

So, how much growth do we see today?

Playing at home should help Fahey when it comes to operating the offense, but there's not doubt Oregon's defense will present a bigger challenge. than that of USC. Fahey is looking to avoid becoming the first Ohio State quarterback to lose his first home start since 2021, when C.J. Stroud lost to ... No. 12 Oregon.

The Big Ten is an absolute mess this season, so even after its abysmal start, Oregon is still alive to reach Indianapolis. That journey back to the top of the standings began last weekend with a top-25 win over a feisty Northwestern team.

Today, the Ducks can string together consecutive top-25 wins for the first time since 2018. That would go a long way toward Oregon getting some mojo back, especially if Dylan Raiola plays well.

A win today would improved Oregon's conference record to 4-2, and it would be in a logjam of two-loss teams in the league. The Ducks still need help in the form of an Indiana loss, but the Hoosiers haven't looked invincible to this point.

With Malachi Toney out for the rest of the regular season, Jeremiah Smith can re-assert himself as the Heisman Trophy favorite. Smith is going up against a talent -- although underachieving -- defense, and he's doing so on CBS, American's most-watched network.

The key for Smith will be making an impact earlier than he did last week. With freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback, Smith put up decent numbers, but much of that production came as the result of underneath throws during garbage time. Can he develop a better connection with Fahey this week?

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After landing at the No. 12 spot in the initial College Football Playoff Rankings, Ohio State needs a win over Oregon to stay in the hunt. A third regular-season loss plus the impact of no Sayin could have Ohio State on the outside looking in on the playoff field. The CBS Sports forecasting model gives OSU a 81.7% chance to make the playoff with a win on Saturday. A loss drops those odds down to 35.7%.

In a day full of marquee matchups, this one features two programs that entered the season with high expectations but have gotten derailed a bit.

One of these teams will be back on track with a win today, but which one will it be? The Ducks are coming off a badly-needed win over Northwestern last weekend, and Ohio State is licking its wounds after a road loss to USC. There's NFL talent all over the field, but only one team can prevail.

Our experts weighed in with their thoughts.

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