Previewing Ohio State vs. Washington in the Rose Bowl: Date, Time, Spread, How to Watch

Who: No. 6 Ohio State (12-1) vs. No. 9 Washington (10-3)

What: Rose Bowl

When: 5 p.m. ET, Tuesday, January 1

Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

Spread: Ohio State -6.5

How to watch: ESPN

The Big Ten and Pac-12 were left out of the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row, so their conference champions will have to settle for an appearance in the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State, whose 29-point loss at Purdue was a black eye on the Buckeyes’ potential playoff resume, will try to send Head Coach Urban Meyer into his retirement from coaching with a win.

Washington is searching for its first double-digit-win season under Head Coach Chris Petersen that also ends in a bowl win. The Huskies lost three games – one on a neutral field and two on the road – by a combined 10 points this season. Had they won two of those, they would have been in the conversation for the No. 4 seed, like Ohio State.

While there aren’t any College Football Playoff implications on the line, the Rose Bowl will feature a great matchup between Ohio State’s top-five offense and Washington’s top-five defense.

Led by Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Dwayne Haskins, the Buckeyes are averaging 373 passing yards and 43.5 points per game. Ohio State scored 62 against Michigan’s vaunted defense just over a month ago.

Meanwhile, the Huskies are coming off of a Pac-12 Championship victory over Utah in which they held the Utes to three points and 188 total yards. In the game before that, they held Heisman Trophy contender Gardner Minshew II to 152 passing yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions – well below Washington State’s average of 380 passing yards per game.

Linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven (165 total tackles, six passes defended, four forced fumbles, two interceptions), defensive back Byron Murphy (56 total tackles, 13 passes defended, four interceptions) and the rest of Washington’s stingy defense will try to do the same against the Buckeyes.

Washington’s offense (No. 34, per S&P+) and Ohio State’s defense (No. 37) are also similarly ranked, which means – at least on paper – there should be compelling matchups on both sides of the ball.

Washington quarterback Jake Browning (2,879 passing yards, 16 TD, 10 INT) will play his final game for the Huskies, and he’s backed by the two-pronged rushing attack of Myles Gaskin (1,147 rushing yards, 10 TD) and Salvon Ahmed (604 rushing yards, 7 TD).

Ohio State lost star defensive end Nick Bosa to injury after just three games, but fellow defensive end Chase Young (9.5 sacks, five passes defended, one forced fumble) performed admirably in Bosa’s absence.

But overall, the Buckeyes’ defense struggled to prevent explosive plays, ranking 69th nationally in allowing rushing plays of at least 10 yards from scrimmage and 116th in pass plays of at least 10 yards. OSU allowed nearly 240 passing yards per game.

 

Here’s a look at some of the statistical strengths and players to watch for both teams.

Ohio State

Offense

Points per game: 43.5 (7th)

Passing yards per game: 373 (2nd)

Third down conversion percentage: 48.1% (10th)

Fourth down conversion percentage: 65% (19th)

Plays of at least 10 yards from scrimmage: 257 (2nd)

Average time of possession: 32:28

Defense

Turnover margin: +6 (27th)

Opponent third down conversion percentage: 31.3% (10th)

Players to watch

QB Dwayne Haskins – 4,580 passing yards, 70.2%, 47 TD, 8 INT

RB J.K. Dobbins – 1,029 rushing yards, 9 TD

RB Mike Weber – 858 rushing yards, 5 TD

WR Parris Campbell – 79 receptions, 992 receiving yards, 11 TD

WR K.J. Hill – 67 receptions, 831 receiving yards, 6 TD

DE Chase Young – 32 total tackles, 9.5 sacks, five passes defended

LB Malik Harrison – 74 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, three passes defended

DT Dre’Mont Jones – 40 total tackles, 8.5 sacks

Washington

Offense

Points allowed per game: 15.5 (5th)

Third down conversion percentage: 45.4% (22nd)

Plays from scrimmage of at least 10 yards: 197 (30th)

Average time of possession: 32:08

Defense

Rushing yards allowed per game: 116 (15th)

Passing yards allowed per game: 185 (19th)

Opponent red zone conversion percentage: 80% (35th)

Limiting plays from scrimmage of at least 10 yards: 138 (17th)

Players to watch

QB Jake Browning – 2,879 passing yards, 65%, 16 TD, 10 INT

RB Myles Gaskin – 1,147 rushing yards, 10 TD

RB Salvon Ahmed – 604 rushing yards, 7 TD

WR Aaron Fuller – 51 receptions, 794 receiving yards, 4 TD

LB Ben Burr-Kirven – 165 total tackles, six passes defended, four forced fumbles

DB Taylor Rapp – 59 total tackles, 5.0 sacks, four passes defended