In what could have been a second blowout to start the College Football Playoff, the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes roared back from an early deficit and held on to beat the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 42-35 in Thursday's Sugar Bowl.
The win was long-awaited breakthrough for the Buckeyes against the SEC champions, per ESPN Stats & Info:
When the teams were scrapping for the win in the final quarter, it was running back Ezekiel Elliott and the Buckeyes' punishing rushing attack that imposed their will. Elliott exploded for 85 yards on the Tide's No. 1 rush defense for the game-securing score.
And as ESPN Stats & Info astutely observed, the sealing spark was something the Buckeyes needed in a big way:
The electric Elliott run was a record-breaker, too:
Fifth-year Alabama signal-caller Blake Sims did his best to stage a furious late rally, with go-to wideout Amari Cooper hauling in a six-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-score game. A last-second heave to the end zone resulted in Sims' third interception made by Tyvis Powell.
When it appeared as though Ohio State's Cardale Jones, the former third-string quarterback, would wilt under the immense pressure in New Orleans' Superdome, he instead elevated his game.
NFL Network's Bucky Brooks was among many to be surprised by the Buckeyes' gritty effort to position themselves for a victory:
On a key drive late in the first half, Jones converted multiple third downs using his arm and handed it to Elliott for a three-yard scamper to paydirt, cutting the deficit to 21-13 right on 2:55 left in the opening half.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports laughed off those who felt Jones wasn't cut out to handle the circumstances when the Buckeyes had fallen behind by 15 points:
As a runner, the 250-pound Jones proved effective by rumbling for 27 yards to set up the game-turning play. Funny enough, it came on a pass that he didn't throw.
Wide receiver Evan Spencer—who also recovered an onside kick late—took a trick-play pitch, rolled left and deliver an absolute strike to Michael Thomas just 12 seconds before the halftime intermission.
SportsNation captured Thomas' tap-dancing act:
ESPN's Skip Bayless provided fitting commentary:
That 13-yard connection made it 21-20 Alabama through two quarters—and Ohio State would get the ball to start the third.
Jones's deep-ball prowess was evident on a launch to Smith that went for 47 yards and put the Buckeyes back on top 27-21:
Then it was Ohio State's turn to step up on defense, as Steve Miller slipped back into coverage to pick off Sims and return it for 41 yards to the house.
These stats from ESPN should have given Buckeyes fans solace that their epic comeback was complete even before the final seconds ticked off the clock:
When Derrick Henry's big gain on screen set up Sims for a five-yard TD run with 1:01 remaining in the third, the sense was that the Tide had turned the game back in their favor.
Unfortunately for the Tuscaloosa faithful, Sims made a critical blunder in the fourth on a strange sequence of plays that had Alabama zeroing in on at least some points down 34-28, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports lauded the interception made by precocious Ohio State defensive back Vonn Bell:
Justin Hokanson of 247Sports was critical of Sims' wasted opportunity, which was quite the opposite of how the game started between the two teams:
Missed, golden chances to score six and instead settle for three defined the beginning for OSU. An opening field-goal drive was punctuated by Ezekiel Elliott's 54-yard run, and another march to three points featured Jones' first completion—a long 40-yard strike to Smith.
Meanwhile, the Tide capitalized two plays after an Elliott fumble when Bama's ball-carrier in Henry went untouched down the left sidelines for a 25-yard touchdown run.
Sims then orchestrated an eight-play, 79-yard drive the next time his side got the ball, capping it by tossing a TD of 15 yards on a right-side rollout to Cooper.
Alabama was opportunistic again when Cyrus Jones intercepted a Cardale Jones pass on a miscommunication involving Smith. Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee praised Cyrus Jones' momentous play:
That led to a two-yard scoring plunge by T.J. Yeldon to give the No. 1 team in the country a 21-6 lead.
John Middlekauff of Comcast SportsNet praised Alabama coach Nick Saban's decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 a play earlier, which Yeldon converted on a tough run:
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal lamented how the Buckeyes were allowing Alabama to blow the game open despite strong offense otherwise:
The Buckeyes weren't being stopped save for the turnovers, but Jones had to take advantage of a shaky Tide secondary for OSU to have a chance.
And in the biggest moments, did he ever.
In light of what Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said leading up to the game, perhaps Jones' rise to stardom of late shouldn't be too big of a shock to those outside of Columbus, per ESPN.com's Austin Ward:
He's one of the most improved players I've ever been around. The correlation between handling your business off the field and on the field, he does a good job in the classroom now. It wasn't pleasant his first year here ... but he's changed. Cardale is a great story, and it's still in process now.
That it is.
This is yet another exceptional season for Saban's Alabama program. However, he has to wonder whether finding superior quarterbacks shouldn't be a bigger priority. Jones has shown the value of depth at the most important position, and certainly seems capable of starting.
While it will be fascinating to see what Ohio State does under center this next season, it still has a national championship to play for against Oregon on January 12.
Fox Sports' Coy Wire has an interesting anecdote in looking forward:
Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota led Oregon to 59-20 triumph in the Rose Bowl. These numbers from The Associated Press' Ralph D. Russo accentuates how much of a tough test the Ducks pose for the Buckeyes:
Considering how prolific Oregon's offense has been, the national title showdown should be a compelling battle of explosive spread offenses with tons of speed at the skill positions and playmakers as quarterbacks.
Mariota presumably gives Oregon the edge. On the other hand, the power of belief Jones has to have in himself and the endorsement of his teammates after leading two amazing wins has to help the hard-charging Buckeyes in their quest for championship glory.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/14gJLoU
via IFTTT January 01, 2015 at 09:48PM
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