Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State Offense Earn Redemption in Blowout over Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For all of the talk about the first-ever matchup between Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh, the 112th edition of "The Game" won't be remembered for the Ohio State Buckeyes head coach's X's and O's or the new Michigan Wolverines commander's intensity.
Rather, when this chapter of college football's most storied rivalry is retold, it will be about the player who took over on the field.
After having spent the past week at the center of the college football world for his actions following the Buckeyes' loss to Michigan State, Ezekiel Elliott did his best to remain there. It's a space he could now occupy through the Dec. 12 Heisman Trophy presentation as well, following his 214-yard, two-touchdown performance in Ohio State's 42-13 win over the Wolverines on Saturday.
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"I don't lobby," Meyer said after the game. "Or maybe I do. He should be in New York [as a Heisman Trophy finalist]. He's one of the best players in America. He should be a Heisman guy."
Meyer's warm words toward his star running back wouldn't have been expected just seven day ago, when Elliott ripped the Buckeyes coaching staff's play-calling in the team's 17-14 loss to the Spartans, which removed Ohio State from control of its own destiny in the race for the Big Ten East division title. But while Meyer didn't agree with the Elliott's choice to take his frustration public, the fourth-year Buckeyes head coach clearly didn't disagree with the criticism either, as evidenced by Elliott tallying 30 carries against Michigan, compared to just the 12 he received against Michigan State.
The 6'1", 225-pounder made the most of his opportunities as well, gashing the Wolverines for his second-highest rushing total of the 2015 season.
After the game, Elliott apologized for his outburst a week ago, which included the declaration that he would be leaving Ohio State for the NFL at season's end.
"I really let my emotions get the most of me," Elliott explained. "I regret everything I said. I want to be the ultimate team player. That's what I strive to be. ... I would never want to do anything to hurt this university or hurt us from what our goal was. ... I'm glad we were able to bounce back this week after that tough loss."
The relationship between Meyer and Elliott—the two spent Thanksgiving together for the third consecutive year this past week, according to Meyer—wasn't the only thing that appeared to have been repaired Saturday. After posting a dismal 132 yards and scoring just 14 points against the Spartans a week ago, the Buckeyes offense as a whole returned to championship form in the final week of the regular season.
Some of that had to do with the increased emphasis on giving the ball to Elliott, in addition to the play of an OSU offensive line that also paved the way for quarterback J.T. Barrett to rush for 139 yards and three scores in his second—and the Buckeyes' fourth—straight win over their archrival. But a big part of Ohio State's adjustment came with the decision to move first-year offensive coordinator Ed Warinner to the coaches' press box, after he spent the first 11 games of the season standing on the sideline.
"We had to make a move," Meyer said of his choice to change the vantage point of Warinner, who also serves as the Buckeyes' offensive line coach. "It was difficult. You could only do that with a veteran offensive line. You do that with a young offensive line and it's a mess."
Said Barrett of the difference with Warinner calling the game from above: "We played faster...you could see they were getting tired."
That resulted in Ohio State outgaining Michigan 482-364, with the Buckeyes running 69 offensive plays, 24 more than the 45 they ran against the Spartans a week prior. And while the Ohio State passing game remained limited, it was at least able to stretch the field at times for Elliott, with Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall each hauling in passes of 25 or more yards.
For arguably the first time since a blowout road win over Rutgers on Oct. 24, the Buckeyes offense was hitting on all cylinders, this time against a Wolverines defense that ranked second in the nation in yards allowed per game entering the weekend.
But with Michigan State grabbing a commanding lead over Penn State 70 miles north in East Lansing on Saturday at the time of this writing, it may be too little too late, as the Spartans appear poised to clinch the Big Ten East title.
Even while sitting at 11-1 and ranked eighth in the most recent College Football Playoff standings, one would imagine it would be tough for Ohio State to make the playoff committee's final four without an appearance in next weekend's Big Ten Championship Game. One underwhelming performance in a three-point game could prove to be the difference for the Buckeyes this season when it comes to defending their national title.
"You live and you learn," Barrett said. "That's just a life lesson."
And as for Elliott, who is still a long shot to win the Heisman Trophy but may have sealed a trip to New York City in two weeks?
"The Heisman, it would mean a lot to me, it would mean a lot to my family," he said. "But honestly, I just want to have an opportunity to repeat what we did last year. I just pray for the opportunity to go out there and repeat what we did last year."
But at this point, prayer might be all Elliott and the Buckeyes have left when it comes to their playoff hopes.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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