Post by DiamondThief on Jan 12, 2015 5:44:08 GMT -8
College Football FBS National Championship
Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio St. Buckeyes
When: Monday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m. (pacific).
Where: Arlington, Texas
Media: ESPN.
Note: The teams have met eight times in the schools' history, with the Buckeyes winning all eight.
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The #2 Ducks come in at 13-1 overall. They beat Florida St., 59-20, in the semifinals in the Rose Bowl to earn the berth in the title game. The #4 Buckeyes, also 13-1, took out top-ranked Alabama, 42-35, in the semifinals in the Sugar Bowl to punch their ticket to the championship game.
Comparisons
Points for - Oregon 47.2, Ohio St. 45.0
Points against - Oregon 22.3, Ohio St. 22.1
Rushing yards - Oregon 241.9, Ohio St. 262.2
Passing yards - Oregon 311.0, Ohio St. 247.5
The Ducks and the Buckeyes have one common opponent this season -- Michigan St. The Ducks beat the Spartans, 46-27, on Sept. 6, while the Buckeyes defeated the Spartans, 49-37, on Nov. 8 (these are the only two losses suffered by Michigan St. this season).
Oregon Ducks
Royce Freeman
While Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mairiota gets most of the headlines, the Ducks are loaded with talent on offense, including running backs Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner, as well as receivers Byron Marshall and Dwayne Stanford. They have won nine straight games since suffering their lone loss of the season to Arizona on Oct. 2. They avenged that loss in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 5. Most of the Ducks notoriety comes on the offensive side of the ball, but their defense is ranks 27th in the FBS in points against. The team will be without wide receivers Devon Allen and Pharoh Brown (injuries) and Darren Carrington (suspension),
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing - Marcus Mariota 280/408, 4121, 40 TD, 3 int.
Rushing - Royce Freeman 242-1343-18; Marcus Mariota 125-731-15
Receiving - Byron Marshall 66-834-5; Dwayne Stanford 39-578-6
Tackles - Erick Dargan 90 (57 solo, 33 ast), Derrick Malone 81 (35, 46), Joe Walker 77 (46, 31)
Sacks - Christian French 6.5, Tony Washington 6.0, Torrodney Prevot 5.0
Interceptions - Erick Dargan 7, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu 2
Passes Defended - Troy Hill 19, Erick Dargan 13, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu 11
HEAD COACH
Mark Helfrich
Click for the entire Ducks Roster.
Ohio St. Buckeyes
Ezekial Elliott
The Buckeyes are down to their third-string quarterback, Cardale Jones, but they are 2-0 in big games with him as the stater (both against ranked teams). They've won both those games by a combined score of 101-35. They will miss starter Braxton Miller and backup J.T. Barrett, the latter of whom passed for 2834 yards passing and 938 yards rushing, combining for 45 touchdowns. Ezekial Elliott leads a potent rushing attack with 6.9 yards per carry and 116.6 per game. Devin Smith and Michael Thomas are receivers to watch.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing - J.T. Barrett 203/314, 2834 yards, 34 TD, 10 int.
Rushing - Ezekial Elliott 237-1632-14, Curtis Samuel 57-377-6
Receiving - Devin Smith 32-886-12, Michael Thomas 50-746-9
Tackles - Joshua Perry 118 (71 solo, 47 ast), Vonn Bell 86 (54, 32), Darron Lee 73 (50, 23)
Sacks - Joey Bosa 13.5, Darron Lee 7.5, Michael Bennett 7.0
Interceptions - Vonn Bell 6, Doran Grant 5
Passes Defended - Doran Grant 14, Vonn Bell 12, Eli Apple 11
HEAD COACH
Urban Meyer
Click for the entire Buckeyes Roster
Angi's Take
This is the much-hyped, often-requested and sometimes-criticized finale to the first ever college football playoff. The Ducks expected to be here, touting their high-octane offense. Mariota is as advertised and will look to combine his passing and running skills to lead his team in perhaps his last game as a Duck. Those questions will be answered later. Freeman and Tyner will provide a punch out of the backfield which could be a key since the Ducks are missing some key pieces from their receiving corps. The defense is underrated, but has the tools to slow down the Buckeyes' offense. Most headlines surrounding the Buckeyes talk about them being down to their third quarterback, but Jones has done an excellent job since he has been called upon. Elliott will be the player to watch on offense. He can take a lot of pressure off Jones. Perry is a monster on defense. The Ducks will win his is Mariota plays his game and if their defense puts pressure on Jones. My prediction: Ducks 50, Buckeyes 34.
QUOTABLE
Ducks' coach Mark Helfrich on bouncing back from a loss: "We've been playing, both our program and Ohio State have played with that kind of early loss, and your back was against the wall to get to this point every play of every game, the entire rest of the season, it was to the those words: do or die,"
Ducks' QB Marcus Mariota on the Buckeyes defense: "They've got an awesome front seven. Big, physical guys that really control the line of scrimmage."
Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer (simply) on his defensive key to the game: "Our No. 1 concern is their quarterback."
Buckeyes' DE Joey Bosa on getting down to business: "This is much more of a business trip, this time around. Last week we went, we hung out and had some fun. This week it's all about business; no going out, no messing around. We're just preparing."
EXTRA
A look at the Ducks uniforms for the game.
To comment, please login or register.
Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio St. Buckeyes
When: Monday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m. (pacific).
Where: Arlington, Texas
Media: ESPN.
Note: The teams have met eight times in the schools' history, with the Buckeyes winning all eight.
Forum: To comment, please login or register.
The #2 Ducks come in at 13-1 overall. They beat Florida St., 59-20, in the semifinals in the Rose Bowl to earn the berth in the title game. The #4 Buckeyes, also 13-1, took out top-ranked Alabama, 42-35, in the semifinals in the Sugar Bowl to punch their ticket to the championship game.
Comparisons
Points for - Oregon 47.2, Ohio St. 45.0
Points against - Oregon 22.3, Ohio St. 22.1
Rushing yards - Oregon 241.9, Ohio St. 262.2
Passing yards - Oregon 311.0, Ohio St. 247.5
The Ducks and the Buckeyes have one common opponent this season -- Michigan St. The Ducks beat the Spartans, 46-27, on Sept. 6, while the Buckeyes defeated the Spartans, 49-37, on Nov. 8 (these are the only two losses suffered by Michigan St. this season).
Oregon Ducks
Royce Freeman
While Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mairiota gets most of the headlines, the Ducks are loaded with talent on offense, including running backs Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner, as well as receivers Byron Marshall and Dwayne Stanford. They have won nine straight games since suffering their lone loss of the season to Arizona on Oct. 2. They avenged that loss in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 5. Most of the Ducks notoriety comes on the offensive side of the ball, but their defense is ranks 27th in the FBS in points against. The team will be without wide receivers Devon Allen and Pharoh Brown (injuries) and Darren Carrington (suspension),
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing - Marcus Mariota 280/408, 4121, 40 TD, 3 int.
Rushing - Royce Freeman 242-1343-18; Marcus Mariota 125-731-15
Receiving - Byron Marshall 66-834-5; Dwayne Stanford 39-578-6
Tackles - Erick Dargan 90 (57 solo, 33 ast), Derrick Malone 81 (35, 46), Joe Walker 77 (46, 31)
Sacks - Christian French 6.5, Tony Washington 6.0, Torrodney Prevot 5.0
Interceptions - Erick Dargan 7, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu 2
Passes Defended - Troy Hill 19, Erick Dargan 13, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu 11
HEAD COACH
Mark Helfrich
Click for the entire Ducks Roster.
Ohio St. Buckeyes
Ezekial Elliott
The Buckeyes are down to their third-string quarterback, Cardale Jones, but they are 2-0 in big games with him as the stater (both against ranked teams). They've won both those games by a combined score of 101-35. They will miss starter Braxton Miller and backup J.T. Barrett, the latter of whom passed for 2834 yards passing and 938 yards rushing, combining for 45 touchdowns. Ezekial Elliott leads a potent rushing attack with 6.9 yards per carry and 116.6 per game. Devin Smith and Michael Thomas are receivers to watch.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing - J.T. Barrett 203/314, 2834 yards, 34 TD, 10 int.
Rushing - Ezekial Elliott 237-1632-14, Curtis Samuel 57-377-6
Receiving - Devin Smith 32-886-12, Michael Thomas 50-746-9
Tackles - Joshua Perry 118 (71 solo, 47 ast), Vonn Bell 86 (54, 32), Darron Lee 73 (50, 23)
Sacks - Joey Bosa 13.5, Darron Lee 7.5, Michael Bennett 7.0
Interceptions - Vonn Bell 6, Doran Grant 5
Passes Defended - Doran Grant 14, Vonn Bell 12, Eli Apple 11
HEAD COACH
Urban Meyer
Click for the entire Buckeyes Roster
Angi's Take
This is the much-hyped, often-requested and sometimes-criticized finale to the first ever college football playoff. The Ducks expected to be here, touting their high-octane offense. Mariota is as advertised and will look to combine his passing and running skills to lead his team in perhaps his last game as a Duck. Those questions will be answered later. Freeman and Tyner will provide a punch out of the backfield which could be a key since the Ducks are missing some key pieces from their receiving corps. The defense is underrated, but has the tools to slow down the Buckeyes' offense. Most headlines surrounding the Buckeyes talk about them being down to their third quarterback, but Jones has done an excellent job since he has been called upon. Elliott will be the player to watch on offense. He can take a lot of pressure off Jones. Perry is a monster on defense. The Ducks will win his is Mariota plays his game and if their defense puts pressure on Jones. My prediction: Ducks 50, Buckeyes 34.
QUOTABLE
Ducks' coach Mark Helfrich on bouncing back from a loss: "We've been playing, both our program and Ohio State have played with that kind of early loss, and your back was against the wall to get to this point every play of every game, the entire rest of the season, it was to the those words: do or die,"
Ducks' QB Marcus Mariota on the Buckeyes defense: "They've got an awesome front seven. Big, physical guys that really control the line of scrimmage."
Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer (simply) on his defensive key to the game: "Our No. 1 concern is their quarterback."
Buckeyes' DE Joey Bosa on getting down to business: "This is much more of a business trip, this time around. Last week we went, we hung out and had some fun. This week it's all about business; no going out, no messing around. We're just preparing."
EXTRA
A look at the Ducks uniforms for the game.
To comment, please login or register.