OHIO STATE STUNS ALABAMA, WILL PLAY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP By Doug Lesmerises, Northeast Ohio Media Group NEW ORLEANS -- Seven years ago on this same field and under this same roof, Ohio State walked off the field of the Superdome as losers of a second straight BCS National Championship and out of college footballs true elite. Sure, the Buckeyes continued to dominate the Big Ten and made runs during the regular season at the top of the polls. But though the juniors from that Ohio State team that lost to LSU early in 2008 decided in the locker room after that game to return for another run, it took until Thursday. It took until Thursday for the Buckeyes to come back and knock on the door. Then pound on it. Then kick it in. In a new era of the College Football Playoff, in a third year of the Urban Meyer era in Columbus and the SEC style he brought to the Big Ten, the No. 4 Buckeyes (13-1) announced themselves again with a 42-35 victory over No. 1 Alabama in a playoff semifinal in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes move on to the first College Football Playoff National Championship against No. 2 Oregon on Jan. 12 in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. They move on with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, who with a shaky start seemed to be preparing Ohio State for a moral victory, the realization that for a team to come this far after two major quarterback injuries was worth savoring itself. But Jones, in his second career start, doesnt do moral victories. At least not yet. His interception followed an Ezekiel Elliott fumble, both turnovers setting up short fields and Alabama touchdowns, as the Crimson Tide (12-2) led 21-6 just 22 minutes into the game while Ohio State dominated the stats. When the Buckeyes stopped making mistakes, they started winning. They looked like the better team. And the better team won. The week had been building for the Big Ten, beginning with the hiring of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, a move from the Buckeyes rival that made waves across the country. Then Wisconsin, a 59-0 loser to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, knocked off Auburn, Alabamas arch rival in the SEC, in overtime in the Outback Bowl earlier Thursday. Then Michigan State, the team the Buckeyes vanquished in East Lansing in their previous biggest win of this season, rallied with a stunning victory over No. 5 Baylor, which had been Ohio States rival for the last spot in the playoff. Big day for the Big Ten. Make that, one day in, a big year. Ohio States win marked the first day of 2015 as a moment when something may have changed. Just like Jan. 8, 2007, when the SEC began its rise with Floridas manhandling of the Buckeyes in the first of two straight national championship games. Meyer was on the winning side that night. And he was on the winning side again Thursday. Alabama coach Nick Sabans rise began when he knocked off Meyer and Florida in the SEC Championship five years ago when Saban said the Gators were setting the standard. Now Meyer evened his career record at 2-2 against the four-time national champion, who already has a statue in Tuscaloosa, after saying since this playoff pairing was announced that the Buckeyes had been using Bama as the standard. Now the Buckeyes will chase their eighth national championship in school history against the Ducks and Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, while Meyer will shoot for his third title. But something has already been won. The SEC, led by Meyers Florida teams and then Sabans Alabama teams, set a bar, and win or lose on Jan. 12, the Buckeyes have cleared that. Ohio State is now 2-10 against the SEC in bowl games, and this was the first official win since the Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas four years was wiped from the books by NCAA sanctions. Ohio State did everything it wanted to against the Tide, things other opponents hadnt managed against this Alabama team, even if it is a cut below Sabans best unit. Elliott became the first rusher to top 100 yards against Alabama this season and did it in the first quarter, thanks to a sideline hurdle of All-American safety Landon Collins on a 54-yard run. He then gave Ohio State a two-score lead with an 85-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes to play, the longest play allowed by Alabama this season. It finished a 230-yard night for the sophomore. Devin Smith proved himself again as a game-changing deep threat, and burned the vulnerable Bama corners with an early 40-yarder and a third-quarter 47-yard touchdown. Redshirt freshman linebacker Darron Lee, who responds would you rather me be scared? when called cocky by his teammates, darted around the field and dove over blockers to chase down Bama ballcarriers. With receiver Jalin Marshall forced to work as the backup quarterback, the Buckeyes saw a receiver throw a touchdown pass. But it was Evan Spencer, after Marshall flipped it to him on a double reverse, and the senior zipped an endzone throw to Michael Thomas for a leaping score. Senior defensive end Steve Miller, a good soldier and career backup thrust into a starting role this season by the suspension of Noah Spence, dropped into coverage on a zone blitz and grabbed an interception he turned into a 41-yard touchdown. That gave the Buckeyes a 34-21 lead late in the third quarter and sent an O-H-I-O chant around the Superdome, with OSU fans managing to make up nearly half the crowd of 74,682, flying and roadtripping to New Orleans in droves when Alabama fans had an easy four-hour drive. In two final nauseous minutes for those fans in scarlet and gray, ohio State allowed one Alabama touchdown and gave the Tide the ball back one last time. When a final Alabama drive was stopped by a Tyvis Powell interception on a Hail Mary as time expired, one entire side of the Superdome erupted. Buckeye Nation, like the Buckeyes, showed up. They knocked on the door. They stormed in. Now theyre moving on.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 06:05:00 +0000
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