Cody Simon doesn’t have any control over how many points Ohio State scores in its Playoff quarterfinal showdown against Oregon at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Buckeyes star linebacker does have control, or at least some of it, over how many points Ohio State gives up to the high-octane Ducks offense led by all-world quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Simon had a stellar senior season for the Buckeyes in 2024, piling up an eye-popping 86 tackles, 36 of them solo, with 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. He also added 6 pass deflections, for good measure.

And now he and the Ohio State defense get a second crack at Oregon after losing, 32-31, in Eugene back in October in one of the best games of the 2024 season. Simon had 10 tackles, 5 solo, in that game, and now here comes the rematch in Pasadena, with everything on the line.

“Sometimes, you need a little, like, juice and a little bit of that, so obviously stuff has changed, scheme has changed, attitude has changed, but we have that attitude that we have to be able to win games no matter what, on defense. It doesn’t matter what the offense does, we should be out there and be able to win a game,” said Simon on Friday.

Simon and the Buckeyes will kick it off with the Ducks in the highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown at about 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) at the Rose Bowl, with a trip to the CFP semifinals on the line.