|
 American football's inaugural four-team college playoff came to a
surprising conclusion as the Buckeyes, a controversial choice as the
fourth team, topped the heavily favored Ducks to cap a banner season
of overcoming obstacles.
"This will go down as one of the great stories in college football
history," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. "(It's a story of)
closeness, selflessness and team."
Third-string quarterback Cardale Jones was again thrust into the
spotlight after injuries to the team's top signal callers, and he
shook off his team's four turnovers to throw for 242 yards with one
passing score and another on the ground.
Jones stood toe to toe with Oregon's Heisman Trophywinning
quarterback, Marcus Mariota, who tossed for 333 yards and two
touchdowns in the defeat. Meyer delivered the national title to the
Buckeyes after taking over the program in 2012, and won his third
overall following titles with Florida in 2006 in 2008.
Oregon reached the championship game by humbling Florida State 59-20
last week, but the Ducks' fast-paced offense was slowed by the
Buckeyes.
After trailing 21-10 at halftime, Mariota launched a 70-yard
touchdown pass and Oregon added a field goal to pull within 21-20
midway through the third quarter.
[to top of second column] |
Ohio State turned to Elliott to seal the game as he pushed the lead
back up with a third-quarter score then added two more in the
fourth. The performance was his third straight 200-yard rushing
game.
"The offense just started clicking so well and the offensive line
stepped up," Elliott explained. "It's a surreal moment. We finally
did it."
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter
Rutherford/Sudipto Ganguly)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
