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Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s late TD, Noah Ruggles FG lifts Ohio State to thrilling Rose Bowl victory

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

This was a Rose Bowl Game fans will remember for years.

Ohio State overcame a 35-21 deficit at halftime to defeat Utah 48-45 in the Rose Bowl. A few Buckeyes made some huge plays late in the game to lift OSU to the big win.

With just over 4 minutes to play, Jaxon Smith-Njigba hauled in a go-ahead touchdown to put Ohio State ahead 45-38. It was a big play in an incredible night for the Buckeye receiver:

That play looked like it might be enough to lift the Buckeyes to a win. But Utah responded, scoring a touchdown of its own to tie the game at 45-45.

Ohio State’s offense didn’t back down, though. With less than 2 minutes to play, the Buckeyes drove back down the field and set up Noah Ruggles with an opportunity to win the game on a 19-yard field goal attempt.

He delivered:

Ohio State ends the season with an 11-2 record and a Rose Bowl title to its name. It will also be remembered for playing in one of the most thrilling Rose Bowl games we’ve seen.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB