Oregon vs. Ohio State 2015: Key Matchups in College Football Championship 2015
On Monday night, history will be made in college football. The first-ever national champion of the College Football Playoff will be crowned. The Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks are looking to earn the distinction of being the first champs of this new era.
After knocking off the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles, respectively, both teams have proved they deserve to be in their current position.
Like any game, there are key matchups that will likely determine the victor. Let's start with one of the most obvious.
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Cardale Jones vs. Marcus Mariota
While the two quarterbacks won't ever be on the field at the same time, this is still going to be a duel of two guys who have taken different paths to the pinnacle of college football. No matter how different the two men are, they were complimentary to each other during the buildup to the big game. Per Sam Mayes of 107.7 FM in Oklahoma, and Tony Zarrella of Action News in Ohio, Jones and Mariota showed mutual respect.
Mariota is the golden boy, Heisman Trophy winner and favorite to be the first player chosen in the upcoming draft (should he declare).
Jones is a third-string quarterback who has been doubted by most since he took over for the injured J.T. Barrett in the regular-season finale. It took a ton of happenstance for Jones to get the opportunity he has, but as Buckeyes' offensive coordinator Tom Herman said, per Chris Low of ESPN.com, Jones expected to play in big-time games all along.
“Everybody sees him as a two-game starter," Herman said. "But when Cardale came to Ohio State, this is fully what he expected to be. When you expect that, meeting those expectations doesn’t surprise you. This isn’t a shock to him.”
It seems silly to suggest that Jones will suddenly feel the pressure of the moment and crumble. He engineered a win over Alabama in the national semifinal. If he can hold it together against that defense, poise shouldn't be a problem Monday night.
Poise is never an issue for Mariota.
The calm and cool Hawaiian has a chance to cap one of the most successful seasons in college football history. You couldn't write a better or more decorated script.
Dwayne Stanford vs. Eli Apple
With Ducks' receiver Darren Carrington out after failing a drug test, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com, a lot of pressure will fall on the shoulders of redshirt sophomore Dwayne Stanford.
Carrington had a huge game against the Seminoles, and he is Oregon's second-leading receiver.
The Ducks can only hope Stanford can step up and be a similar weapon. Waiting for Stanford will likely be Ohio State's top coverage cornerback, Eli Apple. Against Alabama, Apple helped limit star receiver Amari Cooper to nine receptions for 71 yards and two scores.
Considering we're talking about Cooper, that's a modest day's work. If Apple can slow down Stanford, the Oregon offense may be in trouble.
Oregon's Defensive Line vs. Ohio State's Offensive Line
One of the primary reasons the Buckeyes pulled the upset over Alabama was because they were able to run the ball effectively.
Led by Ezekiel Elliott's 230 yards and two touchdowns, the Bucks ran for 281 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per rush. If Oregon can't do any better against Ohio State's ground game, the Ducks will meet the same fate as Alabama.
The battle starts up front. Billy Price, Pat Elflein and Darryl Baldwin will attempt to create daylight for Elliott.
Oregon's Alex Balducci, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and senior linebacker Tony Washington must be up to the challenge. It should be a great game.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
