Sugar Bowl 2015: Highlights and Standout Players from Ohio State vs. Alabama

Heading into the regular season, Ohio State was forced to resort to a backup quarterback in J.T. Barrett. Prior to the Big Ten Championship Game, Barrett's injury forced Cardale Jones to take over the role for the Buckeyes.

Just two starts into his young career, Jones is now 2-0 with wins over Wisconsin and No. 1 Alabama. The sophomore led the Buckeyes to a massive comeback win over the Crimson Tide, 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl.

Now, he has a shot to win a conference championship and a national title in his first three starts. That's real life.

Jones finished with a slightly subdued 243 passing yards, 43 rushing yards, one touchdown and one interception. That came after his three-touchdown performance against the Wisconsin Badgers to lead Ohio State in two straight games with a total of 101 points between the two contests.

ESPN Stats & Info gives a shocking stat on just how tremendous the comeback was for Jones and the Buckeyes:

Along with Jones, yet another quarterback might have also emerged for OSU late in the second quarter. He's not exactly listed on the depth chart as a QB, but Evan Spencer's strike to Michael Thomas—two wide receivers—was a thing of beauty.

When watching the play back, it's difficult to figure out which is better, the pass or the footwork. Both were captured by ESPN College Football:

It might have been Jones that proved he is able to lead the Buckeyes, but running back Ezekiel Elliott showed he is here to stay. The sophomore running back had 220 rushing yards in the Big Ten Championship Game and followed that up with 230 against the vaunted Alabama defense.

His biggest run of the night came in the fourth quarter on the biggest play allowed by the Crimson Tide's defense all season. ESPN provides a look at the 85-yard touchdown that helped turn the tide for OSU late in the game:

Ohio State's official Twitter account notes the run helped set a record for the Sugar Bowl:

Led by two sophomores on the offensive side of the ball, Ohio State heads into the final game of the season with its national title hopes still intact. That not only speaks to the talent of the two young players but also to the coaching job that Urban Meyer has done down the stretch.

The Buckeyes lost early in the season in a surprising result to Virginia Tech. Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times pointed out the wild turnaround for OSU:

This time around, it was Alabama and Nick Saban that were left dejected rather than Meyer. The two coaches have now faced off four times, with the series now evened up at 2-2 thanks to Meyer's triumph Thursday night.

Following the game, Saban voiced his thoughts to Cecil Hurt of The Tuscaloosa News:

Meanwhile, Meyer faces yet another tough test in the final game against Oregon. The Ducks trounced a previously undefeated Florida State team 59-20 to earn the right to face Ohio State.

Meyer's reaction to finding out about Oregon's win was priceless, as Nicole Auerbach of USA Today passed along:

After facing Heisman finalists Melvin Gordon and Amari Cooper in subsequent games, the Buckeyes defense will now be tasked with Marcus Mariota.

At this point, no one is doubting the Buckeyes, Meyer, Elliott or Jones. If they can slay the Ducks on Jan. 12, no one will ever forget them.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.