The 2015 CFP Championship Game - Ohio State's Answer to a Season of Adversity

On January 12th, 2015, the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the number two team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, to become the very first College Football Playoff National Championship winner. Not only do they earn a national title, but they have earned the distinction of being the first to win that title through the new college football playoffs system. While holding the Ducks to their lowest point total of the season, Ohio State pounded their way to a 42-20 win behind a huge game by sophomore running back Ezekiel Elliot.

Elliot ran for a record-breaking 246 yards – the most by any player in a national title game – and four touchdowns, his best being a 33-yard scoring run to end a 97-yard drive late in the first quarter. It was the longest rushing touchdown the Ducks allowed all season, and it was only the beginning of the trouble Elliot would give them throughout the game. After Elliot's relentless performance, Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer described the sophomore offensive MVP as, "a monster." His play in the championship game makes him the first player in Ohio State history to run for over 200 yards in three straight games.

Ohio State's starting quarterback – their third of the year – was Cardale Jones, a 6-5, 250lb. sophomore who gained another 39 yards on the ground, including a 1-yard touchdown run the second quarter. In the air, Jones completed a modest 16 of 23 attempts for 242 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

The Oregon Ducks weren't silent, and they put up the first points early in the first quarter with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota to Keanon Lowe. Ohio State came back strong, scoring three unanswered touchdowns before the Ducks ended the second quarter with a field goal, making it 21-10 at the half.

The momentum shifted briefly in the third quarter. Oregon linebacker Danny Mattingly intercepted a pass by Jones, and Mariota quickly capitalized with a 70-yard touchdown throw to Byron Marshall. Soon after, a 23-yard field goal by Aidan Schneider made it a 21-20 game.

That was all the Ducks would score for the remainder of the game. Their defense simply couldn't find an answer for Elliot on the ground, and they gave up a 9-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter. Up 28-20, Ohio State got Elliot back to the goal line twice in the fourth quarter to punch in two more touchdowns and seal the win.

Ohio State dominated the ground game on defense, too, holding Oregon's Thomas Tyner – who spent most of the season behind freshman running back Royce Freeman – to just 62 yards on 12 carries. It was a far cry from his Rose Bowl performance, where he outran Freeman for 124 yards on 13 carries in his best game of the season.

The Ducks did find some success in the air, with Mariota completing 24 of 37 attempts for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Despite receiver Byron Marshall playing his best game of the year, hauling in eight catches for 169 total yards, it just wasn't enough to beat a determined Ohio State team.

With this win, Ohio State turned a troubled season into a storied year. After losing quarterback Braxton Miller during preseason practice and suffering an early home loss to Virginia Tech, many had already begun to look toward next season. Despite these early setbacks, Ohio State persevered, even going on to steamroll Wisconsin in the final game of the season just a week after losing Miller's replacement, J.T. Barrett, to an ankle fracture against Michigan. Before his injury, Barrett was leading the nation with 42 touchdowns on the year.

For a team that spent an entire season pushing onward in the face of adversity both on and off the field, it's only fitting that they took the championship by winning, with grit, in the trenches. Ohio State's determination paid off in a big way, and given their uncertainty at the quarterback position going into the offseason, they may need to dig deep again next year.