Sugar Bowl 2015: Game Grades, Analysis for Alabama vs. Ohio State
Urban Meyer and No. 4 Ohio State overcame a 15-point first-half deficit against No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl Thursday night, scoring 28 unanswered points in a 42-35 victory to advance to the national championship against Oregon.
The Buckeyes, who spent a majority of the three weeks leading up to the game as nine-point underdogs, piled up 537 total yards on the vaunted Crimson Tide defense. That helped Ohio State overcome two costly first-half turnovers, setting a pace that Alabama just couldn't match.
The game capped an incredible day for the Big Ten Conference and was the final letdown in a miserable bowl showing from the SEC West.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
How did the Tide and the Buckeyes grade out from their highly entertaining Sugar Bowl matchup?
| Pass Offense | C | C- |
| Run Offense | B | B+ |
| Pass Defense | B- | B- |
| Run Defense | F | F |
| Special Teams | A | A+ |
| Coaching | B- | C- |
Alabama Crimson Tide Grade Analysis
Pass Offense
Blake Sims had only thrown seven interceptions all year, but the senior quarterback threw three costly picks in the Sugar Bowl, all of which came in the second half.
The first was returned by the Ohio State defense for a touchdown. The second came with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when Alabama was gunning to retake the lead. The third came on the final play of the game on a desperate Hail Mary.
Sims had just 237 passing yards on 36 attempts, and Amari Cooper was bottled up for 71 receiving yards—although he did catch both of Sims' touchdown passes.
Run Offense
Derrick Henry ran all over Ohio State's defense, piling up 95 yards and and a touchdown on just 13 carries. He was the bright spot in a ground attack that should have been featured more, as he averaged 7.3 yards per carry. Sims and a hampered T.J. Yeldon weren't nearly as effective, though, adding just 76 yards on 20 carries.
Pass Defense
Much was made of Ohio State's slim chances against Alabama because it was down to third-string quarterback Cardale Jones. That projection looked spot-on early, as Alabama flustered the redshirt sophomore into five straight incompletions to start the game. But Jones settled in, completing 17 of his next 24 passes as the Buckeyes rallied from 15 points down.
The Alabama secondary struggled with Devin Smith's speed, as he hauled in two passes that went for more than 40 yards. The Buckeyes had three receivers (Smith, Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall) register more than 50 receiving yards.
Run Defense
Alabama came into the game with the nation's top run defense, but Ohio State did whatever it wanted in the Sugar Bowl. Ezekiel Elliott hit the 100-yard mark before the first quarter was up, and his 85-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter iced the game.
The Buckeyes ran for 281 yards on just 42 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per carry against an Alabama defense that had only surrendered 88.7 rushing yards per game throughout the regular season.
Special Teams
If Alabama had rallied to win the game in the fourth quarter, the case could have been made for punter JK Scott to be the game's MVP. The freshman was absolutely sensational, averaging 55 yards on seven punts, four of which pinned Ohio State inside its own 10. He almost single-handedly got Alabama back into the game when it fell into a deep hole in the fourth quarter.
Christion Jones had a rough night in the return game, and Adam Griffith wasn't called on for a field-goal attempt, but Scott was so good that the Tide's special teams earned a perfect grade.
Coaching
Alabama squandered too many opportunities against the Buckeyes, and a lot of that blame falls on offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. The Buckeyes were having no luck against Henry, especially when he got to the perimeter, but Kiffin only gave him 13 carries.
When the Buckeyes surged in the second and third quarters, Alabama could have slowed the pace and changed the momentum with the run game. Kiffin stubbornly challenged Ohio State's secondary, which ultimately cost Alabama a shot at Oregon and a national title.
| Pass Offense | B | B- |
| Run Offense | A | A+ |
| Pass Defense | A | A- |
| Run Defense | C | C- |
| Special Teams | B | B- |
| Coaching | A- | A- |
Ohio State Buckeyes Grade Analysis
Pass Offense
Alabama's secondary was susceptible to the big play all year, so it was a safe bet that Ohio State would attack that weakness with a few deep balls. Smith came up huge for the Buckeyes, hauling in two big passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Marshall and Thomas were the Buckeyes' top pass-catchers, though, catching 12 passes for a combined 121 yards and a touchdown.
Jones completed just 51.4 percent of his passes, but he still managed to throw for 243 yards and a touchdown (against one interception). The Buckeyes also got creative in the waning moments of the second quarter, dialing up a double-reverse only to have Evan Spencer throw a miracle pass to Thomas for a 13-yard touchdown.
Run Offense
Alabama hadn't allowed a single 100-yard rusher all season long, but Elliott hit that mark before the first quarter expired. That was the start of an absolutely dominant performance from the true sophomore, who rushed for an incredible 230 yards and two touchdowns on just 20 carries.
Jones was effective running the ball as well, highlighted by scampers of 20 and 27 yards, as the Buckeyes torched Alabama with 281 total yards on the ground.
The only hiccup came when Elliott fumbled the ball at the end of a 17-yard run early in the first quarter. That was the lone setback in an otherwise outstanding performance for the Buckeyes' run offense.
Pass Defense
Sims and the Alabama passing attack never found a rhythm against Ohio State's defense. The Buckeyes generated good pressure with linebacker Darron Lee and an inspired effort from the defensive line, notching three sacks. The secondary was also very disciplined against the Tide and their effective play-action sets.
Ohio State came up with three interceptions, one of which was returned by defensive end Steve Miller for a touchdown, while another from safety Tyvis Powell sealed the Buckeyes victory on the final play of the game. The secondary also did a sensational job against Cooper, limiting him to just 71 receiving yards—his third-worst output of the season.
Run Defense
How can a defense stop a running back who looks more like a runaway train in the open field than a football player? That was the reality Ohio State faced on Thursday against Henry, who had trouble pounding his way to 95 yards and a touchdown. The Buckeyes should be thankful that Kiffin didn't decide to feature Henry, because they clearly had no answer for the 6'3", 241-pound sophomore.
Outside of Henry, however, the Buckeyes did a good job of bottling up Alabama's run game. Non-Henry Alabama ball-carriers averaged a meager 3.5 yards per rush as Alabama totaled 170 yards on the ground.
Special Teams
Ohio State was also fortunate to overcome some rough play from the special teams. Freshman kicker Sean Nuernberger was perfect on his two chip-shot field goals, and Cameron Johnston had a solid outing, averaging 46.5 yards on six punts. But a 21-yard punt early in the fourth quarter nearly cost Ohio State dearly, as it set Alabama up at the Buckeyes' 23-yard line.
Neither Marshall nor Curtis Samuel had a great day in the return game, but Spencer may have made the play of the game with his fingertip catch on Alabama's onside attempt late in the fourth quarter.
Coaching
Ohio State's coaching staff put together a brilliant game plan on both sides of the ball, and it prepared the team to execute it very well. It would have been easy to give up on the run after falling into a 15-point hole, but the Buckeyes stuck to their guns and fought their way back into the game. Cardale Jones was efficient and was careful not to make a catastrophic mistake.
The defense surrendered 35 points, but 40 percent of that scoring came after bad turnovers from the offense. That Cooper only managed to account for 71 receiving yards was huge for the Buckeyes, and that's a credit to co-defensive coordinators Luke Fickell and Chris Ash.
All stats via NCAA.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
