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The Ohio State Buckeyes sent head coach Urban Meyer out in style, defeating the Washington Huskies 28-23 in the Rose Bowl on Tuesday in Pasadena, California.
Myles Gaskin scored on a two-yard run with 42 seconds remaining to bring Washington to within a touchdown of Ohio State. But Johnnie Dixon recovered the subsequent onside kick to seal the win for the Buckeyes.
Heisman Trophy finalist Dwayne Haskins finished 25-of-37 for 251 yards and three touchdowns. The Buckeyes’ running back tandem of J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber combined to go for 120 yards and one score on the ground.
Gaskin and Jake Browning both had big games as they closed the curtains on their college careers for Washington. Browning threw for 313 yards, while Gaskin ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
The Rose Bowl was the final game for Meyer at Ohio State after he announced in December he will retire, with OSU offensive coordinator Ryan Day taking over as the head coach in 2019.
Efficient Performance Cements Dwayne Haskins as No. 1 QB in 2019 Draft
In the buildup to the Rose Bowl, Haskins told reporters he hadn’t decided whether he’ll return to Ohio State for his junior season or enter the 2019 NFL draft.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the Buckeyes quarterback “is expected to enter the NFL draft” and already has an agent lined up.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller projected Haskins to be the sixth overall pick and the first QB selected in his most recent mock draft. The Buckeyes star helped himself with his Rose Bowl performance.
Ari Wasserman @AriWasserman
If I were Dwayne Haskins, I’d go find a whiteboard on the Ohio State sideline, write NFL on it, then take my helmet off.
Ross Tucker @RossTuckerNFL
Lot of good reasons (potential National Championship, love college experience, Heisman, etc) why Haskins could stay in school like Herbert but it’s almost impossible to argue it’s a good business decision.
Lot of risk with very little upside.
Entering bowl season, Washington ranked third in overall S&P+ defense and 19th in S&P+ pass defense, per Football Outsiders. Haskins and the Ohio State offense didn’t rack up a ton of big plays against the Huskies, instead methodically moving the ball down the field.
Daniel Jeremiah @MoveTheSticks
Haskins is quickly working through his progression today. Surgical performance.
Todderick Hunt @TodderickHunt
Dwayne Haskins is out there toying w/ guys. Against zone where the Huskies are sitting on every route, except the one he’s locating. That’s the best part. He doesn’t care who gets the ball. He takes what the defense gives him, & can change speeds, levels. Good eye discipline, 2.
Had Justin Herbert made himself eligible for the 2019 draft, Haskins might have had some competition for the title of best quarterback available. However, Herbert has already confirmed he’s coming back to Oregon.
Bucky Brooks @BuckyBrooks
It’s kinda interesting watching Dwayne Haskins and Justin Herbert on back to back days. Everyone assumed that Herbert was the unanimous No.1, if both underclassmen came out but Haskins has definitely been more consistent and is a cleaner QB prospect. He’s not consolation prize
Now, Duke’s Daniel Jones might be Haskins’ biggest competition after Jones announced he’s entering the 2019 draft. Jones threw for 423 yards and five touchdowns in the Blue Devils’ Independence Bowl win over Temple, but he was a career 59.9 percent passer with 8,201 yards, 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in three years.
Even though he only has one year of starting experience, Haskins arguably possesses a stronger body of work, having rewritten the Ohio State record book in 2018.
By falling short of the playoff, Haskins might feel he has some unfinished business at Ohio State. But it’s hard to see how his draft stock will be any higher than it is now.
Gulf Between Washington and CFB’s Elite Evident in Loss
Washington made things interesting in the fourth quarter with 20 unanswered points. For the most part, though, the Huskies looked to be a level below Ohio State when the Buckeyes were firing on all cylinders in the first three quarters.
Geoff Schwartz @geoffschwartz
Washington had NO business covering that game. None. Ohio St bettors have every right to be sick about it.
Washington has now lost back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls, and a 24-7 defeat to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals preceded that. The Huskies’ late comeback didn’t erase the perception they’re struggling to keep pace with top programs in college football.
Dan Wetzel @DanWetzel
Seeing a lot of Ohio State should’ve been in playoff. And Bucks look great while Oklahoma and Notre Dame didn’t. But Washington isn’t close to Alabama or Clemson, so comparison is forced.
Barrett Sallee @BarrettSallee
A reminder that Washington would have the same access to a national championship as Clemson and Alabama in an eight-team playoff.
To some extent, Washington is in a similar position to that of Ohio State under former coahc Jim Tressel.
The Buckeyes had double-digit wins in eight of Tressel’s 10 seasons and were Big Ten champions on six occasions. They were dominating the competition in the Big Ten but hit a wall when matched up with elite teams outside of the conference.
Washington has unquestionably made major strides under Chris Petersen. It was only 10 years ago the Huskies finished 0-12 in Tyrone Willingham’s final season. Now, they’re a perennial Pac-12 title contender.
They seem to be unable to take the next step up, though.
Max Meyer @TheMaxMeyer
The best non-Pac-12 win for Washington in the Chris Petersen era is beating a 10-4 Fresno State team at home in 2017 the week after the Bulldogs traveled to Alabama.
Only bowl win? Beating Southern Miss in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl.
Honestly, expected more by Year 5.
This isn’t to say Petersen should be on the hot seat. He has Washington nationally relevant again, and the Huskies have a solid floor for what they can achieve. Ten wins and a Rose Bowl appearance can’t be deemed a complete failure even though 2018 fell short of expectations.
But Tuesday’s defeat won’t do Washington any favors if it finds itself on the playoff bubble in the future.
What’s Next?
Ohio State opens the 2019 regular season at home to Florida Atlantic on Aug. 31. Washington will get the year started on Aug. 31 as well when it hosts Eastern Washington at Husky Stadium.
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