Ryan Day has been riding his Ohio State defense throughout the second half of the season. The Buckeyes lead the nation in allowing just 11.4 points per game, and now they’ll face the one team that has cracked their code on that side of the ball.

That, of course, would be Oregon. In an October matchup in Eugene, the Ducks won a thriller by the final score of 32-31. No other team this season has reached 20 points against the Buckeyes, and that includes Tennessee.

During Saturday’s blowout win, Ohio State raced out to a 21-0 lead and built the margin all the way to 42-10 before one final score from the Vols inside the final 2 minutes made it 42-17. Speaking with the media on Monday, Day said his defense is playing with great confidence and expects his guys to be ready for Dan Lanning’s group.

One area that Ohio State particularly fell flat in during the first meeting with Oregon involved the defensive pressure on the quarterback. The Buckeyes failed to register a sack with Dillon Gabriel carving up the defense and recording 3 total touchdowns in the win.

Ohio State finished the season tied for 11th nationally with 39 total sacks and averages 3 sacks per game. And while the Ducks controlled the first meeting with their offense, Day pointed to some key adjustments Ohio State made coming off of that game.

Day’s defensive staff is working hard to put the defenders in the best position to be successful, and the Buckeyes will be ready to “play our tails off” in the rematch.

In spite of Oregon winning the first meeting between these two, Ohio State is a 2.5-point favorite for the Rose Bowl per bet365. The neutral-site aspect could loom large in the rematch, and fans can grab those odds with the best Ohio sports betting promos.