The No. 12 Oregon Ducks pulled off an incredible upset against No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus, winning 35-28.
Although the Buckeyes out-gained the Ducks — 612 total yards compared with Oregon’s 505 — they were just 6-for-15 on third downs and 2-for-5 on fourth downs. Combine that with some penalties and a scattered defense and Ohio State had some major issues it couldn’t overcome.
The Ducks shredded Ohio State’s defense, as it struggled throughout the game with giant holes and players seemingly out of position in the secondary. And Oregon routinely capitalized with some monster offensive plays, building up a two-score lead for a lot of the game. In fact, the Buckeyes’ most productive defensive outing came in the fourth quarter when Ohio State forced the Ducks to go three-and-out for the first time in the game.
THERE GOES THAT MAN, @Cjverdell_ 🤯
The @oregonfootball star breaks free for his 3rd TD run of the game! pic.twitter.com/8iJrK4pa4V
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 11, 2021
🦆🔥 @oregonfootball IS NOT SLOWING DOWN! pic.twitter.com/PlNa1GZaDF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 11, 2021
It wasn’t pretty, and Ohio State’s issues on defense were a huge reason why it was playing catchup with the Ducks for most of the game — in addition to some offensive problems with young quarterback C.J. Stroud, including a late interception that all but sealed Oregon’s upset win.
PICKED OFF!@oregonfootball gets the ball back up a TD with under 3 minutes left in the game pic.twitter.com/y20H9oIAf2
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 11, 2021
After the pick with less than three minutes to go in the fourth, the Buckeyes still had a slim chance to get the ball back if they could force another quick three-and-out drive for Oregon. But Ohio State couldn’t halt the Ducks fast enough, getting the ball back with 20 seconds left and ultimately running out of time.
While a lot of college football Twitter celebrated Ohio State’s early loss this season, it also absolutely roasted Ohio State, particularly its defense, with criticism and jokes.
