No. 3 Oregon beat No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 as time expired on the Buckeyes' final drive

Atticus Sappington's chip shot of a 19-yard field goal with 1:47 left gave No. 3 Oregon a thrilling 32-31 victory over No. 2 Ohio State.

After Sappington's shot, Ohio State had enough time to get close enough to a game-winning field goal attempt and did just that. But as soon as Emeka Egbuka's catch put the Buckeyes within Jayden Fielding's reach, a Jeremiah pass interference penalty forced them Smith 15 yards backwards.

After Smith's penalty, an incomplete pass and an Oregon penalty, Ohio State had six seconds to get back into field goal range on third down. But QB Will Howard inexplicably tucked the ball and ran up the middle instead of throwing it away or slipping earlier. When Howard slipped, the clock ran out.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning sent Sappington down the field a yard from the end zone after Ohio State called its second timeout of the half with 1:51 left. There was a compelling argument for Lanning — a coach who hasn't shied away from four-down decisions throughout his Oregon career — to go for the TD instead of kicking the field goal.

Yes, Ohio State has stopped Oregon's runs in the last two games. But that doesn't mean the Buckeyes would do it a third time. Especially when an Oregon team is more inclined to pass without wanting to keep the clock running. And even if Ohio State stopped Oregon, the Ducks would have had all three timeouts and would get the ball back with great field position if they prevented Ohio State from getting a first down against their own end zone.

Instead, Lanning played for the lead. And it worked. Barely.

Six leadership changes

Much like Alabama's win over Georgia in the first top-five game of the season, the first game between the top-three teams on Saturday night did not disappoint. Sappington's kick was the sixth lead change of the night.

The second quarter was particularly wild. Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden was ejected for spitting on Ohio State's Davison Igbinosun. At Oregon, an attempt at an extra point went hilariously wrong, and the Ducks recovered a line drive kickoff that bounced off an Ohio State blocker.

The score was 7:6 at the start of the second quarter. At halftime, Oregon had a 22-21 lead after Dillon found Gabriel Tez Johnson for a 48-yard touchdown.

Gabriel finished the game completing 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards and two passing TDs. He also rushed for a 27-yard TD that gave Oregon a 29-28 lead with 13:20 left.

Ohio State responded with a methodical 13-play drive that covered 53 yards with 7:20 remaining. Fielding hit a 40-yard field goal with six minutes left to give the Buckeyes a one-point lead.

After Sappington's starting nod, Howard had a chance to show Ohio State fans why he was the preferred QB choice ahead of the 2024 season. The former Kansas State QB has been solid so far, but has also been overshadowed by Smith's one-handed attacks and the excellence of running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

However, the first play of the last drive was a sign of things to come. Howard fell to the ground for a four-yard sack before regaining his composure and completing four passes in a row until Smith's penalty. However, the Buckeyes lost 12 seconds after the penalty as they appeared unprepared for the clock to start with the referees' whistle following the pass interference call.

A preview of the Big Ten title game?

It's easy to imagine Oregon and Ohio State meeting again in the Big Ten championship game in December, with a top-four spot in the College Football Playoff on the line. With all due respect to undefeated Indiana, the Buckeyes and Ducks are two of the three best teams in the conference along with Penn State. Even if Indiana moves into the title mix in the second half of the season, Ohio State and Oregon must be considered favorites for the title.

The Buckeyes' loss is also another data point compared to Big Ten teams that travel cross-state. Teams that travel across multiple time zones are ranked 1-10 in conference play so far this season. Indiana's win at UCLA is the only win by a visiting team, and Oregon makes its own cross-country trip in Week 8. The Ducks travel to Purdue for a Friday night game against a Boilermakers team that lost 50-49 to Illinois in overtime. Ohio State rested in Week 8 before hosting Nebraska on Oct. 26.