Buckeys Outplayed by Oregon and Ryan Day Out Coached by Dan Lanning in Must Win Game
Follow
Ohio State’s College Football Playoff aspirations took a devastating blow Saturday night as the Ducks of Oregon dismantled the Buckeyes in a must-win showdown. After building a commanding 14-0 lead in the opening quarter, the Buckeyes’ defense crumbled in the second half, surrendering 38 unanswered points to Oregon’s relentless offense.
The Ducks capitalized on a late-first-half trick play—engineered by offensive coordinator Dan Lanning—to shift momentum decisively, ultimately winning 41-28. The loss, compounded by Ohio State’s injury concerns, effectively ended their playoff hopes, leaving the program reeling from a historic collapse in front of a raucous Columbus crowd.
Oregon’s victory not only secured a critical win for their own playoff bid but also exposed vulnerabilities in the Buckeyes’ once-dominant defense, which had struggled to contain the Ducks’ creative play-calling all evening.
