Rose Bowl A Rematch Of Two Evolving Teams

The first time Ohio State and Oregon played this season, both teams seemingly gave everything they had in order to get a win. The Ducks pulled so many things out of their hat that the NCAA even had to change a rule because of it.

The eventual final from Eugene read “Oregon 32, Ohio State 31.” The Buckeyes may have fallen just one second short of victory in that game, but knowing there would be a rematch if they took care of business the rest of the way out.

That was the sixth game of the season. Since then, both teams have played seven other games each. Neither team is the same squad they were back in the middle of October, so while there may be familiarity, much of what is familiar may no longer apply.

Speaking with reporters on Monday at the Rose Bowl, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was asked if there were things this season that Oregon still hasn’t shown after 13 games.

“There’s a lot of overage that you have throughout the season that you have ready for teams, you have ready for the first game that you played against somebody, that you don’t quite get to but you practiced all year,” Day explained. “There’s also what you’ve been doing all season that you’re counting on your guys to be able to go execute in a very stressful environment. Everything’s on the table. So what the guys know well, they’ll go back to the level of their training. But there’s also going to be change-ups along the way on both sides of the ball. So just like anytime of the year, you’ve got to adapt once you see something new.”

Since that game against Ohio State, the Ducks have continued on undefeated, winning all but two of their past seven games by double digits. Those two games, however, have been recent — including the 45-37 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Championship.

As the games have gotten tougher, Oregon has had to respond. And they’ve gotten better since the first Ohio State game because of it.

“Our team’s about growth,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “We hammer that a lot in our meetings. I’d like to think there’s a lot of things we’ve improved on since that moment. I don’t know if there’s one overall arching thing that you would look at and say, ‘okay, this is where they drastically changed,’ because I don’t think that’s what it’s about. Growth comes in incremental pieces.

“But I think we’ve grown in a lot of areas. I think we’ve challenged ourselves to continue to change and adapt based on the teams that we’re playing. The amount of information that our players are able to handle, I think, is probably one of the most stark differences in our team now compared to when I first got here . There’s no such thing as information overload for our guys. If we can give them a nugget that will help them perform in the game, our guys are really able to absorb that really well.”

For Ohio State, their growth has been both natural and thrust upon them due to injuries to starting left tackle Josh Simmons and starting center Seth McLaughlin. The Buckeyes are now rolling in their ninth offensive lineman into a first-team rotation. That’s a lot to ask for any team, but it’s part of the ongoing need to adapt.

And it’s not just on offense, it’s everywhere.

As the saying goes, “Adapt or die.”

“I think every week our scheme in all three phases has been tweaked a little bit, not only to maximize our players’ strengths, but also to not exactly do what we’ve shown on film and be predictable,” Day said.

“I also think that the number of snaps that we’ve played this year has been down, and that was to make sure that this time of year we were fresh, and that came into the style of play, sometimes when we’ve played depth. And I feel like we do have a team right now that is fresh, that is ready to go play their best football at the end of the season. So I think all those things come into play when you’re talking about scheme and when you’re talking about the physical part of it.”

Both of these teams are stocked with veterans who have been in big games, both winning and losing. Their respective ability to handle changes along the way allows them to adapt from quarter to quarter and drive to drive.

And it could be the difference in this game.

“The team that learns and continues to adapt, make adjustments, address their issues, continue to enhance their strengths are the teams that are going to be the strongest in the end,” Day said. “Our focus has been on our execution and our preparation. And it has to continue to be that way.”

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