CFB Wrap-Up: Takeaways from CFP quarterfinals
College Football Wrap-Up recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.
Nobody beats this version of Ohio State
The College Football Playoff might as well be renamed the Ohio State redemption tour at this point. The Buckeyes haven't been content in just beating Tennessee and Oregon, as they've blown the doors off the competition thus far and made it clear they'll be national champions if they keep this form up.
Ohio State embarrassed the Ducks in the Rose Bowl, racing to an astonishing 34-0 lead in the opening two quarters. It was domination on both sides of the football against the only undefeated team in the nation - one that had beaten the Buckeyes earlier in the season by a single point.
Offense
Ryan Day and Chip Kelly clearly read all your social media posts asking - begging, really - for the offense to feed Jeremiah Smith. After Smith had just five catches in the loss to Michigan, the star freshman has exploded for 16 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns in the two playoff games since. Unleashing Smith has benefitted the entire offense, opening plenty of holes for explosive plays in both the running game and aerial attack.
The Buckeyes totaled 500 yards on just 57 plays, a remarkable 8.8 yards every time they snapped the ball. You can't stop the plethora of weapons Ohio State presents, and it'll be points every drive if the play-calling matches the talent.
Defense
Ohio State barely breathed on Dillon Gabriel in the October matchup between the teams, posting zero sacks and two tackles for loss in the setback. Wednesday was the complete opposite, as the Buckeyes dominated with an eight-sack performance that helped hold the Ducks to minus-23 rushing yards.
Cody Simon, J.T. Tuimoloau, and Jack Sawyer wrecked Oregon's entire offensive plan, combining for six sacks and eight tackles for loss. With no running game and virtually zero protection for Gabriel, it was a Duck hunt all day for the Buckeyes' defense.
Texas is next up in a blockbuster semifinal to be played in Arlington at the Cotton Bowl - a venue that gives the Longhorns significant home-field advantage. However, they could play the game in Steve Sarkisian's backyard, and it wouldn't matter if this version of the Buckeyes makes the trip south.
Playoff Texas has multiple personalities
The College Football Playoff has revealed that when Texas takes the field, it isn't one team but two: the dominant one we see each first half and the "hang on for dear life" outfit that plays the second.
The first-half Longhorns have outscored Clemson and Arizona State by a combined 45-17 margin while piling up a whopping 7.15 yards per play on offense. That Texas team can win the national title regardless of opposition.
However, games don't end after 30 minutes, and whatever the coaching staff is doing in the locker room at the break clearly ain't working. The Longhorns were outscored 35-17 during the second half of their opening playoff games, and they allowed over 7 yards per play to the Tigers and Sun Devils compared to just 4.6 in the first half. That Texas team can lose to just about anybody in the postseason, a possibility that nearly played out Wednesday in Atlanta.
Overtime kept the two-team narrative alive, with the Longhorns trailing 31-24 and needing to convert on fourth-and-13 to force a second extra frame. Of course, Quinn Ewers tossed a touchdown on Texas' next offensive play, and an interception four plays later put the school in the semifinals.
The good news for the Longhorns is that the program finds itself in the CFP semis for the second year in a row. The bad news? Unless first-half Texas plays the full game against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, it'll be another semifinal exit in 2025.
Skattebo the GOAT
Turns out, Cam Skattebo knew what he was talking about when he told reporters in the build-up to the Peach Bowl that nobody could stop him.
Skattebo spent New Year's Day like many people in their early 20s around the country: trying to rally after vomiting. Despite the Arizona State star battling dehydration and exhaustion on the sideline throughout the Peach Bowl, he still delivered a performance for the ages by rushing, catching, and throwing the ball.
Texas has five-star recruits all over the defensive roster, while Skattebo received one Division I offer out of high school. The Longhorns knew Skattebo was getting the ball time after time Wednesday and still couldn't stop it. His 143 yards rushing, 99 receiving, and 42 passing gave him an insane total of 284 on the night.
The idea of a Cinderella seemed dead through five games of the first 12-team CFP - we even wrote as much after Penn State's victory over Boise State on New Year's Eve. But Skattebo and Arizona State laughed in the face of that idea just 12 hours later. They didn't end up pulling off the upset, but the legend of Skattebo is forever etched in college football history.
Penn State defense sticks to plan
Ashton Jeanty still cracked the 100-yard mark - because, of course, he did - but Penn State's defensive plan was a smashing success Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions sold out essentially every play to stop Jeanty, with the All-American running back needing 30 carries to get his 104 yards. Many of those runs required him to break multiple tackles just to return to the line of scrimmage, as the defense swarmed an overmatched Boise State offensive line throughout.
Jeanty would be a superstar on any team in any league at the college level, but it was clear the offensive line hadn't faced a top-20 run defense all season. That left it up to quarterback Maddux Madsen to solve the Penn State defense. He battled respectably with over 300 yards passing but threw three interceptions when forced to take chances he normally wouldn't have to press on.
Penn State's defense through two playoff contests should have the fan base fired up for the semifinal matchup against Notre Dame or Georgia. Both teams are limited in the passing game, a scenario that will again allow the Nittany Lions to stack the box and make the quarterback beat them.
The offense ... not so much
While Penn State's defense stuck to a plan, the offense seemed bored with pounding the run and moving the ball at will for the entire game. The Nittany Lions opened by establishing its dominance on the ground, running the ball 10 times in the first 13 plays and scoring two touchdowns.
It was clear from the jump that the duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton would be too much to handle, yet Penn State only handed the ball to either on nine of its next 30 plays. Allen and Singleton would finish the game with a combined 221 yards rushing - both averaging over 7 yards per carry.
Penn State's lack of a game-breaker at wide receiver is a major weakness on offense. Tyler Warren is the best tight end in the country, but the wideout position features several good options who fall short of being elite. However, Allen and Singleton are arguably the best running back duo in the playoff. Moving forward, the plan for the Nittany Lions should revolve around those two, with Warren mixed in.