College football championship

[HollyRockJT]

I'm late to the party... I WANTED Oregon to win, just to finally show the critics that given the chance, that style, and the PAC 10 can run with the big boys.... But, I did believe Ohio would take it... This year just seemed to be a destined year, the QB injuries they battled through, the O-Line issues that clicked and they started pounding people... Plus, Urban Meyer is a great coach.

Elliot looked like a man playing with 5 year olds at times, and once the Ohio o-line wore down Oregons front 3, it was game over in the run game...

Overall, I thought it was a great game, I wasn't upset either way...

 

[itsbob]

All I thought.. the guy with the TALL hair on the sidelines was COOL!!

 

[SoMD_Fun_Guy]

What a great game for the Buckeyes. Our new daddy, 3rd string, 3rd game of the year QB played well. Elliot was amazing

Monday night (Jan 12th) @ 8:30 PM

I think Oregon wins. Heisman winning QB Mariota vs who? (OSU's 3rd string QB)
But the run game will probably dictate what happens.

3rd string QB who destroyed Wisconsin (top 5 defense) and Alabama (#1). Yeah, Cardale Jones SUCKS!


Two words: Urban Meyer.

He's the best coach in college football. That's all it takes sometimes. He had them ready to play. He outprepared and outcoached Oregon. It didn't hurt that Oregon was short two of their best WRs and was dumb enough to try power football on 4th and goal from the 3.

Ok, I'll admit it when I'm wrong. And I was wrong about Cardale Jones. Even with his previous starts, I thought he would cave under the pressure of a National Title game with it being only his 3rd game. While he didn't play flawless, he made many more good plays than bad.
So, when I said "Mariota vs who?" - I really meant it!
How many college programs have a 3rd string QB with a cannon for an arm and can play that well, on short notice, on such a prominent stage?!!!
No one (except OSU apparently).

As Beta said, Hats off to Urban Meyer for preparing his team and making the proper adjustments. It's rare for a team to lose the turnover ratio (OSU 4, ORE 1) and win decidedly by 22.

Other thoughts:
- Just as I thought the running game helped dictate the outcome. Elliot was incredible (246 yds!!!). While the Ducks run game was average.
- I also don't think Oregon adjusted well during the course of the game. While they made some great turnovers, they couldn't get the offense clicking (after that initial drive).
- And the biggest key to the game - when it mattered most - 3rd and 4th down conversions:
3rd (ORE 2-12, OSU 8-15), 4th (ORE 0-2, OSU 3-3) Huge!

Congrats to the Buckeyes!

 

[Beta]

How many college programs have a 3rd string QB with a cannon for an arm and can play that well, on short notice, on such a prominent stage?!!!
No one (except OSU apparently).

Agreed.

Oregon couldn't recover from the loss of their WRs. Too bad. I expected Oregon to win, but they got outcoached.

 

[somdfunguy]

Wasn't a fan of Meyer prior to OSU, and thought he was as good as captain sweater vest last year. This year he proved that he is a great coach. I invested some time to learn about his past coaching and that cemented it. He really knows how to get the job done.

 

[Tilted]

I was definitely surprised at how well Ohio State was able to hold back Oregon's offense. The Ducks helped them out early with a couple of dropped balls, but credit to the Buckeye's for holding them down (speaking relatively) for the rest of the game.