On The Mark 1.2.15: #Buckeyes vs #Alabama #SugarBowl Recap

Roll Bucks!  #4 Ohio State upsets #1 Alabama 42-35 to move on to the Championship game
By @MarkW2112

Only one word can describe last nights thrilling game; WOW.  The Buckeyes were able to overcome early issues and win 42-35 in front of a crowd of mostly Buckeyes fans at the Superdome in New Orleans to win the Sugar Bowl and move on to meet Oregon Ducks for the national championship.  The victory against the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide is one of the ages.  Down 21-6, the Buckeyes scored 28 unanswered points against the Tide at one point.  And while Blake Sims was able to lead them to 2 scores before the end of the game, the Buckeyes defense was able to hold their own against and stop them when they needed.

Cardale Jones, starting in only his second game, was able to get through nerves and go 18-of-35 for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  He also ran for 43 yards including some bruising ones going through Crimson Tide defenders.  But the biggest star on offense was Ezekiel Elliot, who ran 20 times for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns.  His last touchdown was the biggest of all, going 85 yards for the TD to make it 42-28 after they successfully ran a 2 point conversion play.  This was an important score since quarterback Blake Sims was able to get the Crimson Tide down field to make it 42-35 with less than 2 minutes left in the game.

The Buckeyes were able to escape extremely questionable play calls after a nearly successful onside kick.  They had to punt it and gave the Crimson Tide the ball back with 1:33 left in the game.  Sims was able to move them down to the Buckeyes 42 yard line but a hail mary try as time expired was intercepted by Tyvis Powell to seal the victory for the Buckeyes.  

My take: The Buckeyes, in the first ever playoff series, never gave up even after being down 21-6.  They were able to dominate the Crimson Tide almost the entire game.  Cardale Jones, Ezekiel Elliot, Michael Thomas and Devin Smith on offense, Darron Lee, Michael Bennett, Steve Miller and Vonn Bell on defense, all helped propel the Buckeyes to victory.  It was a thrilling game for the ages.  Now on to Dallas for the national championship game.

Players of the game: Ezekiel Elliot for the offense, Darron Lee for the defense.  Both were excellent and were a big part of the Buckeyes victory.

Play of the game: The 85 yard touchdown run by Elliot, who showed that the "SEC speed" myth is a thing of the past.

Play of the game 2: Down 21-13 with only seconds left in the first half, the Buckeyes ran a double reverse play with Jalin Marshall who flipped it over to Evan Spencer.  Spencer then threw the ball in the endzone to Michael Thomas, who made a spectacular catch, keeping 1 foot on the ground, for the 13 yard touchdown to make it 21-20 before going in to the half.

Play of the game 3: Defensive end Steve Miller getting the path of Amari Cooper to intercept the ball and run it back 41 yards for the touchdown.  It was his first ever touchdown.

Next up: The National Championship game against the Oregon Ducks on Monday, January 12 in Dallas, TX.