NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Buckeyes are headed where almost no one expected them to be early in the college football season started: The Football Bowl Subdivision’s first-ever championship game.
Good thing no one told the team.
Cardale Jones came through again at Thursday night’s Sugar Bowl in his second career start and Ezekiel Elliott ran for 230 yards, leading Ohio State to a 42-35 upset of top-ranked Alabama in the CFP semifinal.
The Buckeyes advanced to play Oregon in the Jan. 12 national championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (8:30 p.m./ESPN).
Head coach Urban Meyer — who called the contest a “sledgehammer game” — repeated his belief that the Tide had an edge because coach Nick Saban’s program was more advanced.
“They have more depth right now. They been building their program. We’re still early stages of the program. I know it’s year three but we’re going through that void right now and we don’t have the depth at certain positions and they do,” he said.
Meyer has said previously the Buckeyes got to the playoff a year earlier than he expected.
Oregon advanced by dominating Florida State 59-20 at the Rose Bowl, ending the Seminoles 29-game winning streak and leaving the Buckeyes in possession of the nation’s longest: 12 games.
Jones threw for 243 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown to Devin Smith that put the Buckeyes ahead for good early in the third quarter. He also ran for 43 yards and converted a crucial third-down play on a 1-yard dive with Ohio State (13-1) clinging to a 34-28 lead.
On the next play, Elliott took a handoff, broke one feeble attempt at a tackle, and was gone for an 85-yard touchdown that clinched the victory with 3:24 remaining. Elliott finished the game with 230 yards and two touchdowns, breaking the Sugar Bowl record for rushing yards in a game
Head coach Urban Meyer called it a “sledgehammer game.”
The Buckeyes were trailing 21-6 when they rattled off four unanswered touchdowns starting with a 3-yard score by Elliot and closing out the half with a daring receiver-to-receiver touchdown pass on a reverse. Evan Spencer lofted the ball 13 yards to Michael Thomas in the end zone to bring Ohio State to within a point at halftime.
Jones capped the first drive of the third quarter with the strike to Spencer that put the Buckeyes in front and Steve Miller stepped in front of a Blake Sims pass and ran in it back 41 yards to give Ohio State a 34-21 lead.
Even after Elliot’s 85-yard scamper, the Crimson Tide threatened to tie the score or win the game right up until the final play. Trailing by seven, Sims sent a pass 42 yards into the end zone where it was picked off by Tyvis Powell, cementing the victory and kicking off the celebrations.
Ohio State gained 537 yards while holding the Tide to 407. The Buckeyes outgained Alabama 281 yards to 170.
Alabama (12-2) was denied a shot at its fourth national title in six years.