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Ohio State's College Football Playoff Run Led By First-Quarter Dominance, Second and Third Quarter Control
Given some of the slow starts that set the Buckeyes back in games against Nebraska, Penn State and Michigan in the second half of the regular season, fast starts were an emphasis for Ohio State entering the College Football Playoff.
That emphasis yielded dividends. As Eleven Warriors dove into Ohio State’s quarter-by-quarter and half-by-half splits during the 2024-25 CFP, the first quarter stood out as the biggest period of Buckeye dominance.
Ohio State held significant edges in the second and third quarters, too, while holding level in the fourth.
| SPLIT | POINTS | OPP POINTS | SCORING MARGIN | YARDS | OPP YARDS | YARDS PER PLAY | OYPP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST QUARTER | 42 | 7 | +35 | 622 | 199 | 9.4 | 3.5 |
| SECOND QUARTER | 48 | 25 | +23 | 531 | 357 | 8.2 | 4.6 |
| FIRST HALF | 90 | 32 | +58 | 1153 | 556 | 8.8 | 4.1 |
| THIRD QUARTER | 31 | 22 | +9 | 326 | 264 | 6.3 | 4.1 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | 24 | 21 | +3 | 299 | 361 | 5.2 | 5.4 |
| SECOND HALF | 55 | 43 | +12 | 625 | 625 | 5.7 | 4.7 |
The Buckeyes outscored Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame by a combined 42-7 in the first quarter, tripling their four opponents’ offensive outputs with 622 yards of offense against just 199 yards allowed. The yards-per-play numbers are perhaps the most staggering: Ohio State picked up 9.4 yards per play in the first quarter during the CFP while opponents managed a meager 3.5 yards per play.
Fast starts fueled the Buckeyes most in the first two rounds of the CFP against the Ducks and Volunteers. Ohio State outscored Tennessee and Oregon by a combined 35-0 and outgained them by a combined 438 to 53 in the first quarter. That’s more than eight times the yardage output in 30 total minutes, which is mind-blowing even when considering the Buckeyes received the football to start both games.
Starting with the football also doesn’t impact yards per play, and Ohio State picked up 11.2 yards per down to Tennessee and Oregon’s two in the pair of opening frames.
“We’ve always wanted to have fast starts,” Ryan Day said before the Texas game. “You want to set the tone for the game as an individual but also as a team. In both games, we started off with the ball and have gone right down and scored. … Execution fuels emotion. That certainly has a big part of it. They go together. We’ve executed well on those first couple of drives. The defense has gotten some three-and-outs early in the game. We’ve been able to jump on the last two opponents.”
Ohio State jumped on Oregon in particular, as most readers probably remember. The Buckeyes got out to a 34-0 lead against the No. 1 seed and only undefeated team in the CFP, held a 34-8 edge at halftime and closed with a 41-21 victory.
The first half holistically was a dominant phase for Ohio State, who held a halftime lead of at least seven points in each of its four CFP games en route to a +58 scoring margin in the opening 30 minutes. The Buckeyes picked up 8.8 yards per play in CFP first halves while allowing just 4.1.
Halftime adjustments were also a strength of Ohio State’s, even if the margins aren’t as gaudy as their first-quarter or first-half splits. It’s true that the Buckeyes only outscored their opponents by nine points across the four playoff third quarters, but they iced out Tennessee with a 14-0 penultimate frame after kicking off to start the second half and finished a string of 31 unanswered points vs. Notre Dame with 10 to start the third quarter.
Plus, thanks to the ferocity of their first halves, many of the second halves during Ohio State’s title run were spent running out the clock to ice games. That’s the main reason why the fourth quarter is the only split where the Buckeyes didn’t show clear control across their four-game run. Third-stringers saw action in the fourth quarter against the Volunteers and there were multi-score leads to protect in the final 15 minutes against the Ducks and Fighting Irish.
That goes to explain why CFP opponents outgained the Buckeyes 361 to 299 in total yards and 5.4 to 5.2 in yards per play in the fourth quarter. In the lone fourth quarter where Ohio State needed to outperform its foe – the Texas game where it entered the final frame tied 14-14 with the Longhorns – it did so.
After sputtering on offense for much of the second and third quarters, the Buckeyes amassed a 13-play, 88-yard scoring drive to go ahead 21-14 before assembling what might now be the most legendary goal-line stand in team history to seal a 28-14 victory.
Notre Dame came charging back from its 31-7 hole and 31-15 deficit entering the fourth quarter with a Jaden Greathouse touchdown to slice the lead to 31-23, outgaining Ohio State 147 to 109 in the final frame as the Buckeyes ran a few conservative plays to drain the clock. But there was nothing conservative about the since-dubbed “3rd-and-Jeremiah” throw to seal a national championship.
JEREMIAH SMITH DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE
pic.twitter.com/GVtQqoDKdz— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 21, 2025
That’s the story of Ohio State’s CFP splits: A team that dominated both sides of the ball out of the gates of games, then made the plays it needed in the second half to ensure those starts didn’t go to waste. And it hoisted the CFP national championship trophy as a result.
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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Friday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Mich. 43, Notre Dame Academy 35
Baltimore Liberty Union 47, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 34
Berlin Center Western Reserve 68, N. Jackson Jackson-Milton 46
Blanchester 40, Bethel-Tate 37
Chagrin Falls 37, Burton Berkshire 32
Circleville 62, Amanda-Clearcreek 40
Cle. Hay 88, Cle. Glenville 2
Cols. Centennial 78, Columbus International 50
Cols. Linden-McKinley 54, Cols. Whetstone 28
Cols. Walnut Ridge 73, Cols. Marion-Franklin 12
Delaware Buckeye Valley 50, CSG 43
Delta 48, Bryan 44
Dublin Coffman 47, Cols. Upper Arlington 39
Hilliard Darby 43, Thomas Worthington 32
Johnstown 47, Johnstown Northridge 41
Mason 54, Cin. Colerain 32
Newark 56, Ashville Teays Valley 42
Oak Harbor 52, Millbury Lake 31
Ohio Deaf 50, Ky. School for the Deaf, Ky. 9
Pemberville Eastwood 65, Rossford 35
Pickerington North 41, New Albany 33
Springboro 66, Centerville 33
Stryker 54, Montpelier 20
W. Chester Lakota W. 76, Fairfield 24
Wauseon 55, Swanton 13
Western Reserve Academy 65, Lawrenceville School, N.J. 33
Westerville Cent. 57, Grove City Cent. Crossing 20
Worthington Christian 57, Tree of Life 16
Zanesville 58, Newark Licking Valley 40
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Ohio State students hone academic, business skills through study abroad programs
Students across various majors at The Ohio State University recently gathered at the Fisher College of Business to discuss how study abroad opportunities have helped them hone skills that will benefit their studies and chosen career paths.
Fisher’s Office of Global Business and its Office of Advancement hosted the inaugural Global Experience Luncheon. The event was held at the Blackwell Inn on the Columbus campus.
The luncheon brought together alumni who have donated to study abroad programs with students who have participated in them, said Dominic DiCamillo, senior director of the Office of Global Business.
“We were excited to partner with Advancement for the first time to facilitate this type of personal connection. The families that have created these endowments, oftentimes, they hoped it would have some sort of positive impact,” he said. “This is the first time for them to hear firsthand from the students who recently participated.”
Xin Lin, a third-year finance student, shared her experiences studying abroad in Hamburg, Germany, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. While in Germany in summer 2024, Lin completed the Fisher Freshman Global Lab with Professor Michael Knemeyer and studied at the Kühne Logistics University.
During Lin’s semester in Germany, her cohort toured the facilities of several international companies, including the Mercedes-Benz auto manufacturer, Seven Senders logistics enterprise, and Jack Wolfskin outdoor apparel.
“This was my first time being in Europe,” she said. “It was a really eye-opening experience and taught me to be curious about exploring other cultures, which is why I made the decision to study abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.”
This past summer in Chiang Mai, Lin completed the competitive Fisher Global Consulting: Nonprofit program, which is funded by an endowment established by Chris Connor, a 1978 Ohio State alumnus, and his wife, Sara. The participating students, called Connor Scholars, gain firsthand insights into the cultures and business practices of countries in developing regions worldwide.
“We were there for two weeks working on the sustainability and the marketing for the local elephant foundation, as well as to support the villagers,” she said. “And my team and I, we worked on the sustainability curriculum for the local school.”
Lin said participating in study abroad programs sharpened her decision-making and problem-solving skills.
“Leveraging these experiences has strengthened my understanding of international business and macroeconomics,” she said. “Most importantly, it is the growth mindset and the endless learning that these experiences have taught me, and I’m really excited to be carrying these values into my future career and my academic journey.”
Jacob Brodson, a fourth-year marketing major, said participating in the Fisher Global Marketing Lab in Taiwan this past summer was “a transformational, life-changing trip.”
“If you can go to someplace that’s so fundamentally different from what we experience here on a day-to-day basis, you should absolutely take the opportunity to,” he said. “And Taiwan is that opportunity.”
Brodson said studying marketing and visiting 10 companies in Taiwan gave him a broader perspective on business practices in different countries.
“We went to TSMC, which is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. That’s the 10th largest company in the world that you probably have never heard of, but they make all the phone and computer chips that are in your cellphones,” he said. “It was an unbelievable experience to see that.”
Brodson and his classmates also toured a Kenda Tire facility.
“They actually do a lot of marketing at Ohio State sporting events because their U.S. headquarters is out in Reynoldsburg,” Brodson said. “We got to see their entire manufacturing plant in Taiwan.”
Brodson said he was pleasantly surprised to discover a Buckeye community overseas. He met more than 25 Ohio State alumni throughout Taiwan.
“We are halfway across the world and yet the most beautiful thing is that there are still reminders of home. We’re halfway across the country and there are still Buckeyes there,” he said. “That is one of the coolest things – seeing the Ohio State alumni and the fact that this Buckeye tradition transcends countries.”
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Northeast Ohio Weather: High wind, very warm, showers, and storms today
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A powerful cold front will be tracking through today.
A second system impacts the area tomorrow.
It is very warm and very windy today. High temperatures forecast to be above 60 degrees in many towns before the cold front blows through.
Temperatures tumble through the 50s and into the 40s later this afternoon.
We have showers and a few thunderstorms in the area. The risk of rain will end behind the front. A south wind shifts west and could gust over 45 mph at times today.
Colder and much less wind tonight with a mostly cloudy sky. Early morning temperatures tomorrow will be in the 30s.
The system tomorrow will track across the Great Lakes and will be centered north of us Saturday night.
Moisture gets drawn up from the south. Showers develop by afternoon.
The rain isn’t expected to be heavy with less than .25″ in the forecast. High temperatures make it into the 40s.
Colder Saturday night and blustery. Southwest winds could gust to around 30 mph at times.
A window is there Sunday for snow showers and lake-effect.
It’ll be very windy on Sunday. West winds could gust over 45 mph at times. Afternoon temperatures around 30 degrees.
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