Oregon vs. Ohio State: Top Performers from College Football Championship 2015
Some may suggest that history will show Marcus Mariota, a Heisman Trophy winner, was bested at the hands of a third-string quarterback in Oregon's dreadful showing in a 42-20 loss to Ohio State in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship.
In reality, Mariota fell victim to a long-awaited powerhouse of an offense years in the making by Urban Meyer, whose Buckeyes out of the Big Ten are suddenly not all that boring to watch.
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When it comes to top performers, the expected rang true. Mariota played well, but his defense could not account for an Ohio State one-two punch that is just getting started in its reign of terror over the collegiate landscape.
Again, expected, just not to the result most figured.
Highlighting Top Performers
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
This was simple to see coming.
Sophomore Ohio State back Ezekiel Elliott entered Monday night the owner of 450 rushing yards and four scores over the course of his prior two outings, one being the Big Ten Championship Game, the other the CFP semifinal.
For a while, it seemed as if Elliott wanted to reach that milestone in Monday night's four frames. In fact, Elliott's 246 yards on 36 carries with four scores helped him to move further up an eye-popping list of names, as illustrated by ESPN CollegeFootball:
Of course, the gaudy statistics and sheer superb performance earned Elliott a piece of individual hardware:
He can always shoot for the Heisman next season.
Elliott's bruising gashes between the tackles and elusiveness in the open field helped Ohio State to a victory just as much as Cardale Jones' play did, but the scary part is the future.
Now a champion and underrated no longer, try to keep in mind that Elliott received no more than 12 carries in four games this season, three of which came in a row to start the season.
Like his quarterback, Elliott is just getting started.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Mariota did all that he could Monday.
His 24-of-37 mark for 333 yards and two scores with no turnovers until a meaningless last-second interception speaks well enough to that. Untimely drops, lapses along the offensive line and simple struggles in the face of a strong defense cost his offense the game, though.
Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman put it best early on in the contest:
That trend never really ceased Monday, which is what eventually happens to an offense without three of its top five receivers due to various factors.
Mariota is now on his way to the pro game. While not an ideal finish to his collegiate career, it was another typically strong performance from the Heisman winner.
This time, he needed a little help and downright did not get it.
Byron Marshall, WR, Oregon
Much credit goes to Ducks wideout Byron Marshall.
The Ohio State defense had little else to worry about in terms of Oregon receiving threats and the onus of production fell directly on the San Jose, California native's shoulders.
He delivered, too, despite the fact Devon Allen and Pharaoh Brown were out of the lineup, as was CFP semifinal hero Darren Carrington—the former two due to injury, the latter due to suspension, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman.
Granted, things could have gone a little more smoothly for Marshall on his way to the eight catches for 169 yards and a score:
Alas, Marshall stepped up big on a night many of his teammates did not.
Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State
Pegged beforehand by many as the weakness that might doom the Buckeyes, Jones put on the best effort of his three-game stint as the starter Monday.
A 16-of-23 mark for 242 yards with a touchdown and an interception does not pop off the page. Neither does 21 carries for 38 yards and a score.
But Jones' value Monday was his fortitude to never rattle, his gutsy ability to use his 6'5", 250-pound frame to bully defenders, which in turn allowed him to pick up critical chain-moving gains that made all the difference in how many opportunities the Oregon offense even had on the field.
As ESPN Stats & Info points out, Jones set a bit of history in the process:
It is impossible to know what the direct future holds for Jones.
Jones' three-game outburst, capped off by a performance that brought a national title to Ohio State, could launch him to the 2015 NFL draft, or see him stay with the program and compete with one of, if not both J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller.
Regardless, Jones may have just completed the best three-game stretch by a quarterback in Ohio State history, if not in college football history.
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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