College Football National Championship 2015: X-Factors to Watch in Title Clash
Think about this for a minute—there is a very real chance college football fans would have been treated to a Florida State vs. Alabama national championship this season under the old BCS system.
Instead, Ohio State proved other teams outside the SEC are allowed to have speed, while Oregon demonstrated what can happen when the Seminoles make too many mistakes against an opponent that isn’t Boston College, North Carolina State or Florida.
Now, we have our inaugural College Football Playoff national title game, and it looks like a traditional Rose Bowl matchup on paper. You have the Buckeyes from the Big Ten as the established, blue-blood brand with Urban Meyer and his two national title rings on one side and the Ducks from the Pac-12, a team that is finally looking to climb over the championship mountaintop, on the other.
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The main players in this one became household names during the season and semifinal contests.
Oregon has Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota at the helm of its high-powered offense as the best quarterback in the country and running back Royce Freeman right on his side. Ohio State has budding star Ezekiel Elliott at running back and a battering ram of a quarterback in Cardale Jones.
What about the overlooked factors and players for the title game, though? Assuming the Jan. 12 showdown comes down to the final quarter, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an overlooked X-factor determine the outcome.
With that in mind, here is a look at a couple of X-factors for the 2015 national championship.
Health of Dontre Wilson
Ohio State has received plenty of good news the past day couple of days, and Erik Elken of ABC 22 had some more for the new year:
Speedster Dontre Wilson broke his foot during the season-defining win over Michigan State and has battled back since. There were questions about whether he would play in the Sugar Bowl, which he ultimately didn’t, so now factors such as rust also come into play.
Wilson is one of the most intriguing storylines of the entire national title game—and not just because he has game-breaking speed as another potential weapon for the formidable Buckeyes attack.
The game is in Texas, where Wilson played high school football, and it is also against the school he originally committed to in the recruiting process. However, Chip Kelly left Oregon for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Wilson eventually chose Ohio State after visiting Columbus.
Wilson discussed that trip and meeting with Meyer, via Matt Wixon of The Dallas Morning News: “He just acted like I was already going there. He showed me the plays that we’d be running, how I was going to fit in.”
Oregon may be the team in this game known for its innovative offense and no-huddle style of play, but the Buckeyes have a stable of weapons on their side as well. Adding Wilson to a list that already includes Elliott, Michael Thomas, Devin Smith, Jalin Marshall, Curtis Samuel and Evan Spencer, among others, seems almost unfair.
Wilson finished the season with 100 rushing yards, 300 receiving yards and 664 combined punt- and kick-return yards in only nine games.
Oregon’s defense impressed with its ability to force turnovers and step up in the red zone against Florida State and others for most of the season, but it is far from dominant. The Ducks were 50th against the run this season and an alarming 111th in pass defense. If the Buckeyes are going to win this game and the championship, they are going to need a number of contributors to spread the ball against Oregon’s secondary.
Adding the speedy and versatile Wilson to the mix of weapons may be just what the Buckeyes need to further open things up against Oregon’s defense.
Oregon Running Back Thomas Tyner
Oregon running back Thomas Tyner has been an afterthought for the vast majority of the season, but that was the last thing he was in the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
Tyner, not Mariota or Freeman, was the one gashing the Florida State defense on the ground for a game-high 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He boasts incredible speed when trying to get the edge and is strong enough to break through the linebackers and make a play if needed.
Tyner’s campaign derailed a bit when he missed four games with injury, and his season high was only 64 rushing yards in the opener against South Dakota. He only scored four total touchdowns all season before the Rose Bowl, but he shone the brightest on the biggest stage when his team needed someone to step up.
The most important change for Tyner, especially since he had some time to prepare from the Pac-12 Championship Game to the Rose Bowl, is that he is healthy. Like so many Oregon players, Tyner is a blur in the open field with the ball in his hands.
Ivan Maisel of ESPN seemed a bit surprised by the performance:
Of course, the Buckeyes are going to watch the tape from the Rose Bowl and know where Tyner is on the field. Still, so much attention will be devoted toward stopping the likes of Mariota, Freeman and even wide receiver Darren Carrington or Byron Marshall that Tyner could once again slip through the cracks.
Ohio State is a solid but not spectacular 35th in the country against the run, but it proved vulnerable in the Sugar Bowl when it allowed five yards per carry against Alabama. The opportunity will be there for Tyner to make some plays against this Buckeyes front.
The only question now is whether he will deliver.
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