Ohio State was nearly perfect in the first half of the Rose Bowl, jumping out to a 34-8 lead over Oregon. And yet, a former player for the Buckeyes was complaining at halftime.
Everything worked on offense for Ohio State in the first half. Will Howard completed 11-of-18 pass attempts for 269 yards with three touchdowns. The ground game hasn’t been utilized much, but TreVeyon Henderson did rip off a 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The only negative for the Buckeyes was their final possession on defense. They gave up a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to the Ducks.
Former Ohio State fullback Zach Boren believes the officiating crew is responsible for Oregon’s only touchdown of the afternoon. He claims the referees missed a few holding penalties in the final two minutes.
“Officials- I’m a big fan of letting the boys play but when there are blatant holds that effect the d-lineman from getting to the QB, you have to call it,” Boren wrote on social media. “I know it’s a complete [expletive] whopping but come on.”
One of Boren’s followers on X pointed out how bad the officials were on the final drive of the first half. He then replied, “Couldn’t agree more. Literally holding them back.”
Complaining in the middle of an Ohio State masterclass seems odd, but Boren probably isn’t wrong about Oregon getting away with a few holds.
The good news for Boren is Ohio State’s defense immediately set the tone in the second half, landing a few hits on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Ohio State just has to avoid a collapse in order to punch its ticket to the Cotton Bowl Classic.
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