The Ohio State-USC Cotton Bowl live blog: Buckeyes win, 24-7

Some stats:

Second-half yardage: USC 212, OSU 94.

Second-half points: USC 0, OSU 0.

Ohio State’s offense didn’t have to do a damn thing in the second half because the Trojans’ offense couldn’t finish drives. With a field goal here and a touchdown there, things could have been very interesting. But things were very, very much not interesting.

0:00. Victory formation for Ohio State, and sweet relief for those of us trying to remain interested in this game for the last two hours.

0:31. Despite yet a sixth sack, USC is able to move the chains a bit more, but the Trojans just don’t do “hurry up” no matter what offensive coordinator Tee Martin says. The play clock goes under 20 with on every single snap, and when the clock approaches two minutes remaining, USC hasn’t yet crossed the OSU 20.

With about two minutes left, Darnold scrambles for a few yards near the sideline and is pushed out of bounds late. Ohio State gets flagged for a late hit, and a couple of USC players are flagged in the impending tussle.

Eventually, USC turns the ball over on downs in the red zone after the Buckeyes’ eighth sack. Six scoring opportunities, seven points. Woof.

6:40. Another Ohio State three-and-out. No need for further details.

8:04. FUMBLE. Seriously, Vaughns is doing work tonight. After a holding call on Sheffield buys a first down, the redshirt freshman reels in a tough 30-yarder down the left sideline (that makes six catches for 119), then earns a pass interference call on the next play. USC is quickly to the Buckeyes’ 12.

And then ... a familiar story: Darnold steps up into the pocket and is hacked from behind Jalyn Holmes. The ball comes loose, and Robert Landers recovers it.

The Trojans simply aren’t going to have enough possessions to come back at this point, even if they actually start finishing drives with points.

USC has actually created two more scoring opportunities (first downs inside the opponent’s 40) than Ohio State — five to three. Hasn’t made a lick of difference.

9:49. Ohio State’s second three-and-out of the night still manages to eat three more minutes off of the clock. Two carries gain four yards, then Barrett is sacked by Uchenna Nwosu on third down. I see Ohio State fans are grumbling online because of the play-calling and offensive execution, but USC hasn’t forced the Buckeye offense to leave second gear, so they’re going to keep cruising right along.

Chrisman’s punt is again excellent — it travels 43 yards and is returned just one. USC will start at the 17.

13:03. MISSED FIELD GOAL. The first play of the fourth quarter is a big one: Vaughns somehow manages to reel in a deep ball along the right sideline and keep a foot in bounds. It’s a 37-yard gain to the OSU 16. Vaughns has four catches for 83 yards; he’s been excellent.

The drive quickly stalls out, though. Jones is stuffed on first down, and Darnold lobs too far for Burnett, setting up a third-and-10. He finds Vaughns for six yards ... and then a gut-punch: Chase McGrath hits the upright on a 27-yard field goal attempt. It’s still 24-7, and USC just killed four more minutes not scoring.

Four USC scoring opportunities tonight have generated just seven points.

0:00. After Pittman makes another nice grab (he’s got three catches for 69 yards), two Jones carries gain six yards, and USC will begin the fourth quarter facing third-and-4 from its 47.

Some stats heading into the final period:

1:46. Ohio State got away with pass interference on USC’s last drive, but USC isn’t so lucky. Jack Jones is called for (legitimate) DPI on a third-and-4 pass to Mack, allowing the Buckeyes to eat some more clock. Campbell drops a third-and-4 pass shortly thereafter, and Chrisman punts to the USC 24. It’s looking more like USC will enter the fourth quarter down 17.

4:28. A 13-yard run by Aca’Cedric Ware earns the Trojans some space, but he’s stuffed on the ensuing first down, and it’s quickly third-and-12, then third-and-17 after a false start. No worries: Darnold evades a blitz and throws a strike to Burnett, who gains 18 to near midfield. Jones bursts up the middle for 17 more yards on the next play, and the Buckeyes are on their heels.

Darnold attempts to seize the opportunity, going deep for Steve Mitchell. Mitchell can’t quite reel in the ball in the end zone, though (Ohio State got away with more than a little bit of contact in the process), and Sam Hubbard sacks Darnold on third down as part of just a three-man rush.

Reid Budrovich’s attempt at a coffin corner isn’t great — it goes out of bounds at the OSU 15.

Nineteen minutes remain, and USC hasn’t cut into the lead in the second half yet. This is usually where the Buckeye offense goes into a massive shell until it has a reason to open the playbook up again. We’ll see if the Trojans give them a reason.

9:03. If USC ends up making this a game, third downs will be why. Despite an extremely manageable average of 5.9 yards to go, Ohio State is only 2-for-9 on third-down attempts. The Buckeyes go four-and-out, and Chrisman’s punt bounds into the end zone. USC will start at the 20 with another chance to make the Buckeyes nervous.

11:06. USC can’t take advantage. Darnold airmails a play-action pass on first down, and on third-and-8, he’s pressured into another bad throw. A shaky punt gives OSU the ball at the 25, and we basically start the second half over.

12:10. Mission accomplished for USC. Ohio State opens the second half with another jet sweep to Campbell — he has three carries for 42 yards — but after an eight-yard pass to Mack, the Trojans stuff Barrett on both third- and fourth-and-short. They take over at their 42 with a chance to make things interesting.

A controversial spot on a fourth-down Barrett keeper? Well I never...

Some stats:

The teams are a combined 5-for-17 on third downs (and OSU hasn’t even had that many third-and-longs), but it’s been all about turnovers and field position. Those two things have set up three Ohio State scores and one USC score.

USC pulled off step one, making a stop at the end of the half. Now comes step two: making a stop to start the second half.

0:00. Darnold got one shot, and it almost ended in disaster. Pressured, he tries to throw the ball away, but Sheffield nearly makes a leaping interception as its sailing out of bounds. Two Jones rushes end the half.

0:59. After a wretched kickoff goes out of bounds, Ohio State starts at its 35. A jet sweep to Parris Campbell gains 15, then Barrett gains seven on a keeper. But USC makes a huge stop when Rasheem Green sacks Barrett on third-and-3, and USC calls timeout with 1:08 left and the Buckeyes punting. Might as well. But another gorgeous Chrisman punt is downed at the 6. That’s gonna limit your options.

1:59. OHIO STATE 24, USC 7. Life! At least a little! Darnold finds Daniel Imatorbhebhe for 14 yards to the 1, and on second-and-goal, Jones scores. The Trojans still have a lot of work to do — the Buckeyes have two minutes to respond, then get the ball back to start the second half — but hey, a 17-point deficit is better than 24, right?

2:55. FUMBLE. Rinse, repeat.

BUT ... K.J. Hill muffs the ensuing punt. It’s batted around, and eventually Stephen Carr recovers it at the Buckeye 15. Ohio State finally gives the Trojans a break, and Hill is shaken up.

5:27. OHIO STATE 24, USC 0. WELP. The Buckeyes need only two plays to officially turn this into a blowout. A sideline pass to Weber gains 16, then gains 15 more with a face mask penalty. The next play, Barrett runs a keeper, gets turned by a defender, and races 28 yards for a score. Nothing like live-blogging a demolition.

6:12. Oof. After throwing incomplete on six straight passes (with a pick six mixed in), Darnold completes a third-and-5 pass to Burnett that gains exactly five yards. That shakes the cobwebs loose. He finds Michael Pittman for 20 yards, then Burnett again (busy man) for 14 to the OSU 28.

Things seem to be turning around for the Trojans, but on third-and-5 from the 23, Darnold is stripped while trying to avoid massive pressure. OSU’s Jerome Baker recovers the ball and returns it out to the Buckeye 41. It could have been 17-3 or 17-7; instead it’s still 17-0, and Ohio State has great field position.

USC’s outgaining Ohio State by 37 yards (160 to 123) and 0.6 yards per play (5.5 to 4.9). The Trojans have also turned the ball over three times in six drives.

11:05. The USC defense isn’t playing too bad, and it’s the only thing saving the Trojans at the moment. Cameron Smith and John Houston stuff Dobbins on third-and-1 to force a punt. Ajene Harris has to fair catch a gorgeous, 53-yard Drue Chrisman punt at the 12. More bad field position.

12:48. Finally a nice return by Jones — he’s getting plenty of attempts here. USC starts at its 28 but can’t do anything. Two rushes net zero yards, and Darnold lobs the ball to no one in particular on third down. OSU will start at its 26, looking to put this game away early.

14:42. OHIO STATE 17, USC 0. This is old-school Urban Meyer kick coverage here — Jones’ third kick return only reaches the 18. And then Darnold makes his first atrocious decision of the night. Damon Webb steps in front of a little slant and trots 23 yards into the end zone.

Suuuuboptimal for the Trojans. Field position and turnovers are currently destroying them.

14:55. OHIO STATE 10, USC 0. Sean Nuernberger makes the field goal, and the Buckeyes are up 10.

0:00. Great drive for Barrett. Ohio State’s first three carries gain just four yards, but he and Austin Mack connect for 33 yards on a third-and-8 — Barrett stepped up into the pocket beautifully to avoid pressure — and then 14 yards to the USC 40 on a second-and-8.

It’s quickly third-and-12, but Barrett gains 10 yards back on a designed run, however, and on fourth-and-2 from the 32, Barrett goes off tackle for 16. Once again it’s quickly third-and-long (seven), and a predictable QB draw gains only four. The second quarter will begin with a 26-yard field goal attempt.

5:01. After Vaughns makes another nice play to gain 14 yards, Jalyn Holmes bats down a screen pass, and it’s nearly picked. Darnold finds Vaughns on a short crossing route, but on third-and-5, Burnett jumps to reel in a pass, but Sheffield knocks it loose as Burnett hits the ground. USC head coach Clay Helton calls timeout to challenge the call, but it stands. Burnett has had a forgettable start to this game.

After another nice punt, the Buckeyes will start at their 8.

6:33. Ohio State moves the chains once with a pair of solid rushes, but Mike Weber is stopped for one yard on the ensuing first down, and that effectively ends the drive. Barrett and Baugh can’t connect on second down, and Uchenna Nwosu sacks Barrett on third. USC will start its third drive at its 38.

9:07. After more nice kick coverage, USC begins its second drive at its 16. On third-and-4, Darnold lobs a pass with perfect touch to Burnett for 14 yards and a first down, then Tyler Vaughns catches a bullet in good coverage along the left sideline for 27 yards. The drive stalls out from there, though: Jones is stopped for a loss, and Nick Bosa sacks Darnold to set up third-and-18. Ohio State maybe gets away with too much contact on a third-down incompletion, and the first punt of the night is fair caught at the Ohio State 10.

Darnold looks good so far. That’s important. But he needs a bit more help.

12:25. OHIO STATE 7, USC 0. USC’s sudden-change defense holds up, giving up just four yards on OSU’s first two plays. But on third-and-6, J.T. Barrett has all the time in the world to find Marcus Baugh for nine yards to the 6. Two plays later, Barrett scores his 48th career touchdown from a yard out. Buckeyes up 7.

(Get it? Because they were shut out by Clemson last year?)

13:37. FUMBLE. Ohio State’s kick coverage hasn’t been quite as sturdy as normal this year, but it starts out beautifully in this one: USC’s Velus Jones only gets to the 14 on the opening kickoff.

After two short Ronald Jones runs, Sam Darnold throws a strike to Deontay Burnett for a first down. but Kendall Sheffield strips Burnett on his way to the ground, and Ohio State’s Damon Webb recovers. The Buckeyes will start their first possession at the USC 19.

Pretty big update here:

That obviously assists USC, and not only because it’s one less awesome player on the field for the Buckeyes. The difference in this game, I think, is that J.T. Barrett probably doesn’t have to be incredible for Ohio State to win, but Sam Darnold probably does for USC to win. This makes it slightly more likely that he will be.

One of the more anticipated matchups of the college football postseason will kick off on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (live stream) when the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the USC Trojans for the 2017 Cotton Bowl.

These two teams have a long history in the postseason, and although it’s not the Rose Bowl or Fiesta Bowl, it’s sure to be a close game with two top-10 teams trying to prove a point. Both the Buckeyes and Trojans were vying for a spot in the College Football Playoff, and putting on a stellar performance here could help boost their chances next year. (Even though the CFP committee isn’t supposed to take prior seasons into account, it’s hard to think that they don’t with their choices for the final four teams in 2017.)

The two programs make up a combined 18 National Championships (USC-10 Ohio State- 8), 13 Heisman trophy winners (USC 6, Ohio St 7), 164 All Americans (USC-81, Ohio St-83) and 157 first round picks (USC-80, Ohio St-77)

Quarterback J.T. Barrett can go back and forth between Heisman-esque playmaker, and someone who could be a “Not-Top 10” highlight reel. In the Big 10 championship, he showed both. What could have been a potential cakewalk, Barrett single handedly allowed Wisconsin to get on the board with an easy pick-6. But only four minutes prior, Barrett unloaded an 80-yard bomb in the perfect position.

After struggling earlier in the year when he threw nine interceptions in his first six games, Darnold has settled down and has thrown only three interceptions in his final seven games. The redshirt sophomore possesses more NFL traits than a guy like Baker Mayfield, making him the best quarterback that the Ohio State secondary has faced all season.

This Cotton Bowl matchup marks the 24th time the Buckeyes and Trojans will meet, with USC leading the overall series, 13-9-1. The West Coast squad has bested Ohio State in the past seven matchups from 1975-2009, most recently in a home-and-home series in 2008 and 2009.

The last time Ohio State won was in 1974 under head coach Woody Hayes — who claims five of the nine total wins against the Trojans for the Buckeyes. With over 40 years since their last win against USC, Ohio State’s postseason reputation could use a boost with a win over another top-10 team in the 2017 Cotton Bowl.

The Buckeyes have been consistently good under Urban Meyer the past few seasons, and the next thing for the head coach to tackle will be Ohio State’s losing streak against the Trojans. Ohio State leaves Texas with a win and gets back on track in the postseason.

Be sure to check out all our bowl predictions here.