EUGENE — No. 3 Oregon defeated No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 Saturday night at Autzen Stadium.
Here are 10 takeaways from the game as the Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) prepare to travel to Purdue on Friday:
The Oregon Ducks beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 32-31 in the first top-three matchup in Autzen Stadium’s history. In such a tight game with such high stakes, every single penalty and decision by the officials is being heavily scrutinized now that the game has ended.
On third down in the third quarter, Ohio State’s defense was flagged for a pass interference penalty that should have given the Ducks offense an automatic first down and pushed them into Buckeyes territory.
However, the officials also penalized the Oregon offense for having an ineligible player downfield, causing the penalties to offset. Upon further review, it appears that the referees misread the Ducks formation.
In fact, the officials announced that the penalty on Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson, yet Johnson was not even on the field for that play. The incorrect call wiped out an obvious pass interference on Ohio State.
On the Buckeyes’ final drive of the game, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was flagged for offensive pass interference after pushing off of his defender to create separation. Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke to reporters about that specific penalty.
“We did a great job of getting down the field and continuing to fight, but the one play there…(defensive back) is grabbing on Jeremiah Smith; Jeremiah is fighting there. They called that flag there and that cost us, but it shouldn’t come down to one play,” Day said. “I’ve said that before. We want to leave no doubt. I felt like we should have done that tonight and we did not. So, then we put it in the hands of a call, and you don’t get it. That’s on us. We should never have let it come down to that.”
The flag on Smith pushed Ohio State out of field goal range, and the clock did not stop after the offensive penalty. With less than 30 seconds left in the game, the Oregon defense only needed a few more stops.
On the final play of the game, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard scrambled for 12 yards back into field goal range, but he did not slide with enough time to call a timeout.
Online, Buckeyes fans have argued that there was one second remaining when Howard began to slide, and the officials should have granted Ohio State its final timeout of the game. However, Howard failed to pick up a first down which kept the clock running and did not allow enough time for the officials to notice Day signaling for a timeout.
On Ohio State’s first play of the drive, Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa might have intercepted Howard’s pass intended for tight end Will Kacmarek, but the referees did not review the play. The Ohio State tight end never seemed to have control of the ball while going to the ground, and Bassa eventually came up with the ball.
While no officiating crew is ever perfect, Saturday night’s referees seemed to make a few questionable calls that affected both sides. Should Oregon and Ohio State meet for a rematch in the Big Ten Championship Game, a lot of eyes will be on the officiating crew as well as both teams.
MORE: What Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Said After Loss to Oregon Ducks: Officiating ‘Cost Us’
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EUGENE — No. 3 Oregon defeated No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 Saturday night at Autzen Stadium.
Here are 10 takeaways from the game as the Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) prepare to travel to Purdue on Friday:
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Congratulations to Liberty’s Edgar Bastida Acosta for being voted SBLive/SI Oregon High School Boys Soccer Athlete of the Week for the week of Sept. 23-29.
Acosta, a senior center midfielder on the Liberty team, had two goals to help the Falcons edge McDaniel 3-2 in a nonleague match at McDaniel High School.
Acosta received 50.21% of the vote, beating out Tyler Raven, a senior on the Thurston team, who finished second with 42.09%. Pablo Guevara, a senior on the Lincoln team, was third with 3.86%, and Judah Ostrand, a sophomore on the McDaniel team, was fourth with 2.54%. There were more than 24,000 votes tallied this week.
We are accepting Oregon Athlete of the Week nominations. If you would like to nominate an athlete, email danbrood91@gmail.com.
To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
Conference title races are heating up around the country midway through October, especially in the Big Ten and SEC, which once again dominate the Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings as we move into another marquee schedule of games in Week 8.
Oregon took a major step in the right direction by knocking off Ohio State in a dramatic, 1-point victory, gaining the early inside track in the Big Ten conference championship picture, while Penn State rallied in overtime to take down USC on the road and stay undefeated, too.
SEC contenders Alabama and Georgia both won, but in somewhat concerning fashion as the Crimson Tide needed some late heroics to edge out South Carolina at home, and the Bulldogs’ defense didn’t look its usually dominant self in a win over Mississippi State.
Texas stayed undefeated in a dominant 31-point victory over Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, further entrenching its position at the top of the SEC pecking order, but another major test awaits at home, as Georgia comes to the Forty Acres next weekend in a landmark conference clash.
Where does that leave things in the top 25 college football rankings this week? Let’s check out what teams are moving up and down, and who are the new kids on the block, as we move into Week 8, according to the coaches’ vote.
First-place votes in parentheses
More … Predicting the AP top 25 rankings for Week 8
No. 16 Oklahoma. After a bad loss to Texas, the Sooners need to find an offense quick before embarking on the rest of a brutal SEC schedule.
No. 17 Utah. The return of quarterback Cameron Rising wasn’t enough for the Utes offense in a loss at Arizona State that further hurts their Big 12 title hopes.
Oklahoma 81; Arizona State 49; Navy 37; Utah 31; Vanderbilt 26; Syracuse 13; UNLV 12; Iowa 12; Texas Tech 9; Liberty 9; Washington State 8; Memphis 4; Louisville 4; James Madison 3; Tulane 2.
Ole Miss (Down 7). The Rebels are at 1-2 in SEC play after dropping an overtime decision at LSU and those preseason playoff hopes are slipping away fast.
Clemson (Up 2). Back in the top-10 this week, the Tigers are confident on offense after trouncing Wake Forest and scoring more than 200 points in their 5-game win streak.
Ohio State (Down 3). A close loss at Oregon puts Ryan Day’s performance in big games under a microscope, but the Buckeyes are still well within striking distance in the national title hunt.
Army (Up 4). Undefeated through 6 games, the Black Knights have one of college football’s most potent rushing offenses and have emerged as a G5 sleeper in the early playoff picture.
It was guaranteed we would lose at least one team from the ranks of the undefeated, and this week that dishonor goes to Ohio State, which came just 1 point short of knocking off Oregon on the road.
ACC: Miami, Pittsburgh
Big Ten: Oregon, Penn State, Indiana
Big 12: BYU, Iowa State
SEC: Texas
AAC: Army, Navy
CUSA: Liberty
More … ESPN updates Top 25 football rankings in Week 8
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