Ohio State dominates Oregon for National Championship

It was a wild game, and the Buckeyes made things interesting with four frustrating turnovers, but Ohio State steamrolled Oregon on its way to the National Championship in the inaugural College Football Playoff season. With a day to let things sink in, here are some observations:

– Many will justifiably cite Ezekiel Elliott and the offensive line when explaining the physical domination Ohio State inflicted on Oregon, but as Urban Meyer stressed after the game the defense was just as impressive. The bottom line is that Oregon hadn’t faced a defense as this physical and fast all year long. We heard a ton about Oregon’s tempo, but this team relies on yards after the catch along with Marcus Mariota using his speed along with his arm. But with Ohio State’s front seven along with defensive backs who can tackle, Oregon wasn’t able to get those easy yards after catch that they got against less talented teams. We’ve seen Ohio State’s defense grow before our eyes, and youngsters like Joey Bosa and Darron Lee were too much for Oregon. The result was an Oregon offense that was frustrated all night long. They couldn’t gain much yardage on first down, and thus ended up with a miserable third down conversation rate as they rarely had third and short. Also, Mariota wasn’t able to break any long runs, and he often got pummeled when he tried to run.

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Greatest college football game ever – Ohio State upsets Miami in Fiesta Bowl

It’s been ten years, and it’s always fun to go back and revisit Ohio State’s epic upset of Miami. Many call it the greatest college football game ever.

SI has a very entertaining oral history of the game 10 years later, with quotes from various players and coaches as they tell the story of the game. It’s fascinating to hear Dustin Fox and Donnie Nickey explaining the hard hits they took that almost certainly gave them concussions during the game.

The Buckeyes also discuss the play above when Miami fans whine about the penalty in overtime. Had this third down play near the end of regulation been called correctly for Ohio State, the Buckeyes would have won without overtime.

It was an incredible game, with amazing talent on both rosters. Check out the article and the video above.