Zeke, Slobs shine
ARLINGTON, Texas – If anybody’s looking for an early Heisman Trophy favorite for next season, look no further than Zeke.
He’s already locked up the voting bloc called the Slobs.
Tailback Ezekiel Elliott, known as Zeke to his teammates, had 246 yards on 36 carries and scored four touchdowns. And the “Slobs” — the offensive linemen’s both affectionate and accurate name for themselves — dominated up front as the Buckeyes ran over, around and through Oregon 42-20 on Monday night to capture the national championship.
Coach Urban Meyer sang the alma mater with his family and then was asked about the job Elliott and his line did.
“That was one of the great performances in college football history to do what they did,” he said. “In history.”
The championship was the first for Ohio State and the much maligned Big Ten in a dozen years.
“This is just a surreal moment. We finally did it,” Elliott said. “This is why we all came here, to compete and win national championships. We did it.”
The sophomore piled up an incredible 696 yards — averaging almost 9 yards a carry — in his last three games against defenses representing three of the best teams in the land.
“Phenomenal,” said Carlos Hyde, who played in front of Elliott a year ago before jumping to the NFL. “That was one of the best games by a running back has ever had to play in a national championship game.”
And the line — with four of five new starters at the outset of the season — continued its powerful play, creating big holes for Elliott and buying time for quarterback Cardale Jones to find receivers or take off on a bruising run.
No one was more pleased with the line than Orlando Pace, a former Ohio State and NFL star who beamed while the team celebrated on the field.
“The improvement in the offensive line was one of the biggest differences in this team this year,” he said. “They got better week in and week out. To take control against Alabama like they did in the last game and then pound Oregon tonight, I’m really proud of them.”
After second-seeded Oregon moved quickly through the Buckeyes defense for a touchdown on the opening drive, Ohio State had to punt. The next time the Buckeyes got their hands on the ball, they put together a 97-yard march that might have salvaged their season.
Jones, with plenty of time to throw thanks to the Slobs, completed 26-yard passes to first Corey Smith and then Jalin Marshall. On second and 10 at the Oregon 33, Elliott raced away from a possible tackler at the line and then outran the Ducks secondary for the touchdown.
Despite four turnovers, Ohio State remained in control for most of the game — thanks to the muscle up front and the power in the backfield.
It’s hard to fathom how far the line and the running game have come. The Buckeyes rushed for 194 yards (on 40 carries) in the comeback win against Navy to open the season, and then they looked dismal with just 108 yards on 40 carries in the 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech in Week Two.
The Buckeyes ended up with 538 yards of offense in a showing that brought Ohio State its first national championship since the 2002 season.