Rose Bowl 2019: Examining Key Stats, Matchups for Washington vs. Ohio State

Ohio State had high hopes of getting an invitation to participate in the College Football Playoff after the Buckeyes overpowered Michigan in the regular-season finale and punished Northwestern in the Big Ten title game.

That did not happen, and while Ohio State may have been upset with the decision at the start, the Rose Bowl is an excellent consolation prize. They will take on Washington in the traditional Big Ten-Pac-12 matchup.

If there was any thought that the Buckeyes would look at the Rose Bowl as some kind of runners-up prize, that thought went out the window when Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer announced he would be retiring after this game.

Assistant coach Ryan Day will take the reins after the Rose Bowl, but the Granddaddy of Them All is Meyer's last coaching appearance—unless he "unretires" later.

The game on the field features Ohio State's explosive offense against Washington's tenacious and hard-hitting defense.

Rose Bowl at a Glance

Rose Bowl: No. 9 Washington vs. No. 6 Ohio State (5 p.m., ESPN), Washington 24, Ohio State 23 

Point Spread: Ohio State -6.5 (per OddsShark)

Date: January 1, 2019

Location: Pasadena, California

Time: 5 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins is the key to the Ohio State offense, and he has put spectacular numbers on the board.

Haskins has thrown for 4,580 yards with a 47-8 TD-interception ratio. He has a strong enough arm to get the ball deep downfield, and he also has excellent touch to drop in soft- and medium-range passes, as well as the vision to find open receivers.

Washington middle linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven is going to try to keep Haskins from dominating the game. Burr-Kirven has the speed and quickness to get into the backfield and threaten the Buckeyes. He dominated the stat sheet by leading Washington in tackles with 165, and he also had 4.0 tackles for loss and six passes broken up.   

More than the numbers, Burr-Kirven shows plenty of leadership by directing his defensive teammates and positioning them correctly at key moments in the game.

Ohio State wideouts Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill are Haskins' most dangerous receivers. Both have plenty of big-play ability, Campbell caught 79 passes for 992 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Hill brought in 67 passes for 831 yards and six touchdowns.   

Cornerback Jordan Miller is Washington's best coverman, while fellow corner Myles Bryant is also solid in coverage and is a big hitter. Miller has 23 stops, two interceptions and he has deflected five passes. Bryant has 55 tackles, 4.5 TFL, five passes broken up and one forced fumble.

The running game is also important to the Buckeyes because it will force the Huskies to play Haskins honestly. If they overplay the pass, running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber are good enough to break long plays and punish opponents. Those two have combined for 1,887 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

Burr-Kirven will play a big role in stopping the run, as will outside backer Tevis Bartlett and free safety Taylor Rapp. Bartlett has excellent range and can chase down most running back. He has 67 tackles and 5.0 TFL, while Rapp has 58 stops and 5.0 TFL.

Quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin are the keys to Washington's offensive attack. Browning has thrown for 2,879 yards and has 16 TD passes.

Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland will try to keep Browning in check and he has been quite active for a defense that has struggled in many areas. Borland has 60 stops, 3.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss. If he can get to Browning on the blitz, it will cause problems for the Huskies' passing game.

Gaskin is a strong running back who has run for 1,147 yards and 10 touchdowns to this point. Gaskin can string moves together and make tacklers look foolish, and he also has the speed to run away from defenders.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Linebacker Malik Harrison is Ohio State's best tackler, and he leads the team with 74 stops along with 8.5 tackles for loss.

Washington does not have the big-play ability at the WR spot that Ohio State has, but Aaron Fuller is an excellent pass catcher. He has caught 51 passes for 794 yards and four touchdowns.

Look for Kendall Sheffield to bear much of the responsibility for keeping Fuller in check. Sheffield has broken up seven passes and has two interceptions this year.        

Key Stats (all stats courtesy of NCAA.com)

Passing game: Ohio State, 2nd, 373.0 yards per game; Washington, 63rd, 232.5 yards per game

Third-down conversions: Ohio State, 10th, 48.2 percent Washington, 22nd, 45.4 percent

Scoring: Ohio State, 8th, 43.5 points per game; Washington 83rd, 26.6 points per game

Points allowed: Washington, Tied for 5th, 15.5 points allowed per game; Ohio State 54th, 25.7 points allowed per game

Blocked kicks: Ohio State, Tied for 9th, 4; Washington, Not ranked, 0

Total defense: Washington, 12th, 301.8 yards allowed per game; Ohio State, 67th, 400.3 yards allowed per game