Ohio State vs. Oregon live updates: Short-handed Buckeyes look to stay in the CFP race against Ducks

Third quarter: Oregon 24, Ohio State 14

Luke Fahey had a wide open Devin McCuin but short-armed it and turned the ball over on downs on a 4th-and-2 decision from Ohio State's 42-yard line. Aggression can be your friend but if Oregon capitalizes on a short field here, Ryan Day is going to want that one back. The play call was good but Fahey just may not have the arm and accuracy to be trusted in a spot like that. 

Third quarter: Oregon 24, Ohio State 14

The boos are getting louder here inside the Shoe. After a three-and-out, very audible boos came raining down as Ohio State offensive players ran off the field for the punt team. If this result holds up, we may see a very upset Ohio State crowd as it watches the Buckeyes' playoff hopes go up in smoke. 

Third quarter: Oregon 24, Ohio State 14

It is awfully quiet here inside the Shoe. Dierre Hill added his second touchdown of the game as three Ohio State defenders failed to take him down on a 48-yard touchdown run. It is stunning how much this game has flipped over. 

Ohio State was up 14-0 and looked to be fully in control of the game. Ohio State even had a 14-3 lead with less than two minutes to go in the first half. Since then, Oregon has scored 21 points and now holds a 10-point lead.  What started as a raucous Ohio State crowd now stands in quiet disbelief. 

Halftime: Oregon 17, Ohio State 14

Oregon scored on a direct snap to Jamari Johnson to stun the Ohio State crowd and take a 17-14 halftime lead.

Ohio State had holding penalties on back-to-back plays setting up Oregon on the 2-yard line with two seconds left in the half. Lining up in a wild formation with only three traditional offensive linemen, Johnson came in motion before getting the snap and scoring the touchdown. The score helped Oregon come back from a 14-0 deficit with the Ducks also getting the ball to start the second half. 

Ohio State had started hot behind quarterback Luke Fahey and running back Bo Jackson. Jackson scored both of Ohio State's first-half touchdowns on runs of 16 and 8 yards. The second touchdown was especially impressive as he powered through three Oregon defenders to get into the endzone. 

The majority of Ohio State's first-half offensive yards came through the air, though. Fahey wasn't perfect – he underthrew what should have been a long touchdown pass to a wide open Jeremiah Smith – but he mostly looked poised and was efficient against the Ducks. He threw a beautiful pass to Smith for a 32-yard gain and seemed to see the field well in finding open receivers. And yet a poorly thrown pass late in the half led to an interception and Oregon's final touchdown drive of the half. Fahey finished the half 13 of 19 for 143 yards and an interception. 

Oregon wasn't able to get much going offensively until the end of the half. Raiola was lucky that Ohio State defensive back Jay Timmons dropped what would have been an easy pick-six. He almost threw another interception late in the half that Jaylen McClain dropped. Oregon capitalized there on a gutsy decision to fake a punt on 4th-and-9 from its own 31-yard line. Linebacker Teitum Tuioti found a wide-open Matayo Uiagalelei for a 31-yard gain. Oregon later scored its first touchdown on a 9-yard Dierre Hill Jr. touchdown run. 

After a Fahey interception with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Oregon confidently moved the ball down the field. Raiola finished the half 16 for 28 for 172 passing yards. 

Second quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 10

The gutsy fake punt paid off in a big way as Oregon cuts it to a one-score lead on a Dierre Hill 9-yard touchdown run. Hill finished the drive one play after his 20-yard catch put the Ducks' inside the 10-yard line. It took a successful fake punt and a Jaylen McClain dropped interception but the Ducks are in business on the road. 

Second quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 3

Facing a 4th-and-9 from his own 31-yard line, Dan Lanning decided to get gutsy. The Ducks opted for a fake punt and got a 30-yard gain out of it when linebacker Teitum Tuioti found a wide-open Matayo Uiagalelei for a first down. Ohio State was caught off-guard, giving the Ducks some new life and a chance to cut down Ohio State's lead before halftime. 

Second quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 3

Oregon put its first points on the scoreboard with a 33-yard Gage Hurych field goal. It was an interesting decision for Dan Lanning to not go for it on 4th-and-2 from the 15-yard line. With the way Ohio State had been moving the ball on offense and styming Oregon on defense, a field goal felt overly conservative. We'll see if it pays off for Lanning. 

First quarter: Ohio State 14, Oregon 0

Ohio State freshman QB Luke Fahey has looked good so far in a must-win game. Fahey is 8 for 12 for 132 yards and had a beauty of a throw to Jeremiah Smith on this drive for a 32-yard gain. Bo Jackson put the finishing touch on the drive with a 8-yard touchdown run, his second of the day, to put Ohio State up two scores. 

With an efficient offense and the way the defense is playing so far, Ohio State looks every bit like a playoff team today. 

First quarter: Ohio State 7, Oregon 0

Dylan Raiola is awfully fortunate that this game is not 14-0 Ohio State. The Oregon QB threw a lazy pass that OSU freshman DB Jay Timmons jumped and could have had a pick-six had he not dropped one that hit him right in the hands. Oregon's offense hasn't been able to manage much thus far, totaling two first downs and negative-one rushing yard with 3:36 left in the quarter. 

First quarter: Ohio State 7, Oregon 0

Bo Jackson put Ohio State on the board early on a 16-yard touchdown run. Ohio State had struggled moving the ball on the ground before Jackson broke through for the touchdown.

Luke Fahey just missed a home run throw that was underthrown to Jeremiah Smith earlier in the drive. Smith beat his defender but had to come back for the ball and dropped it. Still, it was a pretty good first drive for Fahey who was 4 for 6 for 44 yards. 

We are a couple minutes from kicking off here in Columbus. Oregon won the toss and chose to defer so we'll get to see Luke Fahey and this Ohio State offense here momentarily. 

Last weekend wasn't all bad for Fahey. The true freshman made some good throws, and he wound up with 260 yards and a touchdown, but he did miss a few plays and has plenty of room to grow.

So, how much growth do we see today?

Playing at home should help Fahey when it comes to operating the offense, but there's not doubt Oregon's defense will present a bigger challenge. than that of USC. Fahey is looking to avoid becoming the first Ohio State quarterback to lose his first home start since 2021, when C.J. Stroud lost to ... No. 12 Oregon.

The Big Ten is an absolute mess this season, so even after its abysmal start, Oregon is still alive to reach Indianapolis. That journey back to the top of the standings began last weekend with a top-25 win over a feisty Northwestern team.

Today, the Ducks can string together consecutive top-25 wins for the first time since 2018. That would go a long way toward Oregon getting some mojo back, especially if Dylan Raiola plays well.

A win today would improved Oregon's conference record to 4-2, and it would be in a logjam of two-loss teams in the league. The Ducks still need help in the form of an Indiana loss, but the Hoosiers haven't looked invincible to this point.

With Malachi Toney out for the rest of the regular season, Jeremiah Smith can re-assert himself as the Heisman Trophy favorite. Smith is going up against a talent -- although underachieving -- defense, and he's doing so on CBS, American's most-watched network.

The key for Smith will be making an impact earlier than he did last week. With freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback, Smith put up decent numbers, but much of that production came as the result of underneath throws during garbage time. Can he develop a better connection with Fahey this week?

Malachi Toney injury reshapes Heisman race as Jeremiah Smith, Darian Mensah gain momentum

Austin Nivison

After landing at the No. 12 spot in the initial College Football Playoff Rankings, Ohio State needs a win over Oregon to stay in the hunt. A third regular-season loss plus the impact of no Sayin could have Ohio State on the outside looking in on the playoff field. The CBS Sports forecasting model gives OSU a 81.7% chance to make the playoff with a win on Saturday. A loss drops those odds down to 35.7%.

In a day full of marquee matchups, this one features two programs that entered the season with high expectations but have gotten derailed a bit.

One of these teams will be back on track with a win today, but which one will it be? The Ducks are coming off a badly-needed win over Northwestern last weekend, and Ohio State is licking its wounds after a road loss to USC. There's NFL talent all over the field, but only one team can prevail.

Our experts weighed in with their thoughts.

Oregon vs. Ohio State prediction, pick, odds, spread: Buckeyes' CFP hopes in danger against Ducks

Robby Kalland