Urban Meyer is going out on top.
In what he vows is his last game in his coaching career, the Ohio State head coach got the sendoff he wanted as the No. 6 Buckeyes held on for a thrilling 28-23 victory over No. 9 Washington in the 105th Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
Ohio State sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns and running back Mike Weber added 96 yards on the ground in the victory.
As the seconds ticked off the clock, Meyer was doused with Gatorade before the team headed over to the north end zone to have one last celebration with their head coach.
With confetti streaming down all over the field, Meyer is walking away from a program where he went 83-9, which includes one national championship, three Big Ten titles and his first-ever Rose Bowl victory. It was the Buckeyes’ eighth overall in the Granddaddy of Them All.
“I’m a very blessed man,” Meyer told reporters after the game. “I’m blessed because of my family, (but) this team, this year, I love this group as much as any I’ve ever had.”
Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Rashod Berry each caught TD passes in the first half for the Buckeyes (13-1), who took a 28-3 lead into the fourth and seemed to be cruising to a blowout.
But Washington star running back Myles Gaskin threw a touchdown pass and rushed for two more scores for the Huskies (10-4). However, in the end, Ohio State recovered an onside kick with under a minute remaining in the game to seal the win.
“We’re going down as one of three teams in Ohio State history to win 13 games,” Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young said. “Legendary team. Legendary coach. We’re all legendary right now.”
With the loss, head coach Chris Petersen dropped to 1-4 in bowls while at Washington, with consecutive losses in the Peach, Fiesta and Rose Bowl games.
