On this New Years Day, it was Ohio State that smelled the roses.
Terrelle Pryor used everything in his arsenal against the Ducks including the winning touchdown for the Buckeyes early in the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes used that score to down the Ducks 26-17 in the 96th edition of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
As expected, Pryor used his legs but it was his arm that surprised the Ducks and eventually did them him. Oregon was able to hold Ohio State to four field goals and was very much in the game trailing by only two, 19-17 late in the game.
Not known for his throwing prowess, the 6-6 sophomore from Jeanette, Penn. was 23-of-37 for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Pryor's second strike to DeVier Posey in the corner of the end zone gave the Buckeyes a two-possession lead with 7:02 left in the game.
"It was surprising to us," said Ducks' Head Coach Chip Kelly on how much the Buckeyes threw. "We felt watching their last couple of games where they didn't throw the ball very much and were rather conservative. They came in and opened it up and obviously, Terrelle beat us."
The main way Pryor beat the Ducks his ability to convert on third downs. Ohio State was 11-of-21 on third down conversions, effectively keeping the ball out of Jeremiah Masoli's hands and the Duck offense on the sidelines. OSU set a Rose Bowl record by holding the ball for 41 minutes and 31 seconds.
"They did eat up the clock a lot," Masoli said. "We lost some momentum here and there. We just had to chill on the sideline. It is what it is."
Down 19-17, Oregon squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead midway through the third quarter. The Ducks drove to the OSU 20-yard line with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter, but Blount and Masoli botched the handoff, then Blount kicked the ball through the back of the end zone for a touchback and that was Oregon's last scoring threat.
"He felt bad about it," said LaMichael James about Blount's fumble. "But you have to keep playing the game. Ohio State is just a good team."
James had to leave the game with a shoulder injury when he fell on it early in third quarter. He was able to return later but Oregon's star running back didn't have one of his big games rushing, gaining just 70 yards on 15 carries. And 33 of those came on one play.
Down 26-17 with a little over seven minutes left, Oregon drove to the Ohio State 29-yard line and had a fourth and inches. Kelly elected to try for the field goal and make the game a one-possession contest, but the sure-footed Morgan Flint pushed the 44-yard attempt to the right and that sealed the deal for the Buckeyes.
In need of a stop to give the offense one more possession to make something happen, but Pryor ran around a visibly tired defensive front to get first downs and milked the clock until it read zeroes.
"We did everything we could," said defensive lineman Brandon Bair. "I give props to their defense. They stepped up and made some big plays. Sometimes our offense was flowing and sometimes they weren't. But we need to get them on the field more."
Ohio State did a good job shutting down Masoli, both on the ground and through the air. He was just 9-of-20 for 81 yards and an interception.
"They were making me give it to LaMichael or Kenjon," Masoli said. "They didn't do anything we didn't see on film."
Going against what the Ducks thought they would do, the Buckeyes came out of the gates throwing. Pryor was 5-of-8 passing for 39 yards. The drive ended when Pryor found tailback Brandon Saine down the sideline for a 13-yard touchdown and the Scarlet and Gray was up 7-0.
Ohio State's game plan of limiting Oregon's possessions worked to perfection. The Buckeyes held the ball for 22 minutes and two seconds in the opening half, including a 19-play, 67-yard drive ending with a field goal that gave the Buckeyes a 13-10 lead.
Oregon did have success on offense when the Ducks got their chance. Down 10-0, Oregon drove down the field and got on the board with a 24-yard Morgan Flint field goal.
On their next possession midway through the second quarter, the Ducks literally powered their way into the end zone with LeGarrette Blount's three-yard touchdown. The play was reviewed after he was ruled down, but Blount was on top of a Buckeye as he stretched the ball over the goal line, tying the score at 10 with 9:14 remaining.
It was Oregon's first appearance in the Rose Bowl in 15 years and this time, the Ducks really felt like they should have won the game. According to linebacker Casey Matthews, this is just motivation for next year.
"It's tough," he said. "It's a great accomplishment to make the Rose Bowl. It shows that we're Pac-10 champions. That's the bright side of our season, but we came here to win."
Pryor was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player and Oregon's Kenny Rowe was the Defensive Most Valuable Player with seven tackles, four that went for a loss and three sacks. He is the first defensive end to be named to the honor.
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