EUGENE, Ore. — Here are five things we learned from Ohio State’s 32-31 loss at Oregon on Saturday night:
Ryan Day is dealing with a new Big Ten threat
Since replacing Urban Meyer at the helm of the program in 2019, Day won 42 of his first 45 games against Big Ten opponents.
The three losses were to Michigan.
By falling at the hands of the Ducks, it was the first time he had suffered a defeat at the hands of another conference foe.
There are enough weeks left in the regular season for the Buckeyes to recover, regain ground in the standings and make a push to reach the league championship game. This is only the midpoint of the schedule, and it’s hardly a far-fetched scenario to see them hoisting a trophy in Indianapolis in December.
But the loss figures to raise questions about Ohio State’s place in the pecking order in an expanded Big Ten.
Before the addition of the four West Coast schools, the conference title race was largely confined to the Buckeyes and Wolverines, with the two programs combining to have won the league title every season since 2016.
Oregon’s arrival adds another serious contender to mix and a potential thorn in Ohio State's side, as its triumph revealed. This is another program for Day and the rest of the Buckeyes to grapple with moving forward.
Defense is no longer an obvious strength
The case for Ohio State as a national championship favorite has long rested with its defense.
It was one of the stingiest units in the Football Bowl Subdivision last fall, a product of Jim Knowles’ rebuild, and has remained stacked with veterans at all levels.
Caleb Downs, the sophomore safety who was an All-American as a freshman at Alabama a year ago, is the lone underclassmen starting this season.
But the defensive side of the ball was the Achilles’ heel as they suffered their first defeat in 2024.
The Buckeyes surrendered 496 total yards to the Ducks, the most since their loss to Georgia in their College Football Playoff semifinal loss in 2022.
Explosive plays burned them. Ohio State had been the only FBS team to not allow a pass of 30 yards or more through six weeks, but it gave up three to the Ducks in the first half alone.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel connected with Tez Johnson for a 48-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and found Evan Stewart for a 69-yard completion to set up an earlier score.
Gabriel was not disrupted much in the pocket, either. The Buckeyes, who had 17 sacks in their first five games, did not once bring him down.
The loss of Josh Simmons is significant
The Buckeyes were fortunate with injuries in the early weeks, remaining largely healthy as they managed their schedule.
A handful of starters missed games, but in most situations, they held out the players as precautions, keeping an eye on a potentially longer season due to the playoff’s expansion to 12 teams.
None of them were out for more than a game or two.
But the Buckeyes were dealt a blow when left tackle Josh Simmons was carted off the field during the second quarter, an apparent knee injury that could prove to be significant.
Day raised concerns that Simmons could miss the rest of the season.
Simmons has been an integral piece of an improved offensive line. In his second season starting since his transfer to Ohio State from San Diego State last season, he’s made strides, especially with pass protection.
In his first five games, he had allowed only one quarterback pressure, according to Pro Football Focus, the fewest among the Buckeyes’ starting offensive line.
Replacing Simmons will be no small feat.
Oregon benefited from short fields
Two miscues by Ohio State put Oregon in favorable field position early on.
The first was a turnover midway through the first quarter. Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon ripped the ball from the grasp of running back Quinshon Judkins, forcing a fumble that he recovered at the Buckeyes’ 28-yard line.
“That was a huge play in the game,” Day said.
The Ducks reached the end zone two plays later after runs by Jordan James in a response to Ohio State’s opening touchdown drive.
Another slip-up came early in the second quarter when the Ducks recovered a kickoff that gave them possession in plus territory. Andrew Boyle’s squib kick hit Downs and was recovered at the Buckeyes’ 41-yard line.
“That was well designed by them,” Day said, “but that one hurt.”
After regaining possession following the onside kick, Oregon got a 27-yard field goal from Atticus Sappington’s 27-yard field that gave them a 15-14 lead at the time.
Autzen Stadium is a difficult setting
There’s a case to be made Autzen Stadium is the toughest venue in the Big Ten.
Though the seating capacity is only 54,000, making it one of the smaller stadiums in the conference, it got as loud as advertised.
The scoreboard showed the crowd noise reaching 115 decibels at one point during the first quarter. The announced attendance of 60,129 was a stadium record.
Most notably, the level of noise had an effect on the Buckeyes, who were flagged for false starts four times. They were penalized for a delay of game on a punt in the first quarter as well.
The environment shaped the result.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter,@joeyrkaufman or email him atjkaufman@dispatch.com.