The Ohio State Buckeyes have finally won their sixth national championships after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
It was an unexpected win as the Buckeyes have undergone a lot of challenges in the season with players Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett injured and a lost home game against Virginia Tech, noted ESPN. But Coach Urban Meyer was able to turn his team around and the former underdogs took home the championships with a 42-20 victory.
Ezekiel Elliott set a record in the finals match with 203 rushing yards under his belt, according to Bleacher Report. Meanwhile, third-stringer Cardale Jones proved that he is very well capable of handling pressure and scored an impressive 242 yards, 38 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
It was not easy for the Buckeyes to achieve what they have done on Monday against the Oregon Ducks. Being this season's favorite underdogs, their journey to the finals was a rollercoaster ride, which included a whooping 59-0 victory against Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship and another win against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, reported the NY Times.
Elliot summed up their journey pretty accurately to reporters when he said, "It's our dream; it came true. All that stuff that we went through to get here, it's just crazy. It doesn't feel real."
The Oregon Ducks were impressive in the first few moments of the game, reported Yahoo. Marcus Mariota proved why he was worth the Heisman Trophy as he tallied 333 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Buckeye's defense was tough with linebacker Darron Lee and the front seven not willing to budge and let the Ducks through. In the end, even Mariota's efforts were not enough to see them claim the trophy.
The quarterback said, "We fought through a lot of stuff. We ended up short tonight, but that shouldn't take away from what we were able to do this year."
Receiver Byron Marshall described the Buckeye's front seven as "unbelievable." He added, "I think we missed some opportunities, and they played a great game."
The Ducks were also playing handicapped with four of their top receivers unable to play. Devon Allen was injured in the opening kickoff against the Seminoles as well as Pharaoh Brown and Bralon Addison. Darren Carrington on the other hand, tested positive in a drug test, which made him ineligible to play. The missing players affected the Ducks and it showed in the lowest score they tallied for the whole season.
Buckeyes' coach Urban Meyer is just too happy for his team's victory. With many questioning the Buckeyes' capability to see the finals through, Meyer was able to turn his team around from a possible elimination as the underdogs to a championship.
Describing his team's championship run, Meyer described it, "This goes down as one of the great stories in college football history."
