Ducks find themselves on wrong side of destiny

Monday night’s college football championship game was a tough pill to swallow for many Oregon Duck fans, the final score reading a shocking 42-20, Ohio State Buckeyes with the win.

As yellow confetti fell upon the Buckeyes, I slumped in my seat, thinking that confetti should have been for my Ducks.

The truth of the matter is that the Buckeyes quite simply outplayed Oregon in all facets of the game. They came ready to compete on both sides of the ball.

They were prepared to combat Oregon’s high-paced offense with a brilliant substitution rotation on defense, and took full advantage of Oregon’s soft rush defense behind their ironclad running back, Ezekiel Elliot, who finished with a championship game record of 246 rushing yards. Elliot would get four rushing scores, on a total of 36 carries. ‘Zeke’ was out of this planet Monday night.

A big key to Ohio State’s success against Oregon was the time of possession. The Buckeyes had the ball for 37:29 of the 60-minute game, while the Ducks were held to a total possession time of only 22:31.

The Buckeyes made a few mistakes in the game, turning the ball over four times (three fumbles, one interception), but the Ducks were rarely able to capitalize on these takeaways.

And how about the overall play of redshirt sophomore Cardale Jones?

Jones who started the season as Ohio State’s third-string quarterback, only to get the starting job following a preseason injury for early Heisman favorite Braxton Miller (season-ending shoulder injury) and then a broken ankle suffered by backup J.T. Barrett, who had led the Buckeyes to an 11-1 start and became a Heisman contender himself.

Enter the 250-pound, 6-foot, 5-inch Jones, inserted into the starting lineup for the Big Ten championship game against the Wisconsin Badgers. Jones led his team in dominating fashion, winning 59-0 and tossing three touchdowns in his first-ever start for OSU.

Jones followed that up with a 42-35 win over the No.-1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on New Year’s Day, in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoffs.

It seemed as if this kid had ice water running through his veins, leading his team to the biggest game of the season in only two starts.

During the national championship game, Jones led his Buckeyes behind his incredible arm strength and decision making. He finished 16-for-23 for 242 passing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing score. That included a 45-yard toss to the Buckeyes’ deep-threat wide receiver, Devin Smith.

The Ducks got solid quarterback production from Heisman winner Marcus Mariota but found themselves in a lot of third-down positions, a challenge in which they were far too uncomfortable, converting on only two of 12 third downs for the night.

Oregon also struggled scoring in the red zone. In their four red zone trips the Ducks scored only one touchdown, settled for two field goals and turned the ball over on downs once.

Oregon started the game off quick, driving down the field 75 yards in 11 plays to take an early 7-0 lead with just 2:39 elapsed off the clock. The Buckeyes fired back with three consecutive scores to go ahead 21-7 late in the first half, before Oregon kicked a field goal.

With the halftime score at 21-10, Oregon found itself in a hole it had not experienced this season. Yet, the Ducks responded masterfully behind a takeaway, followed with a one-play strike: a 70-yard touchdown pass to Byron Marshall (who finished with eight catches and 169 yards). Soon after, Oregon added another field goal.

But, 21-20 was as close as the Ducks would get. The Buckeyes ran the ball down Oregon’s throat, scoring three rushing touchdowns and completely shutting down the Ducks for the remainder of the game.

During the Buckeyes’ second-half demolition, I couldn’t help but hope that Mariota would somehow bring the Ducks back, but that just didn’t happen.

I tip my hat off to the Buckeyes and head coach Urban Meyer for their performance in the championship game. They were the better team Monday night – and have been in the past, now having defeated the Ducks all nine times they’ve played.

As I sit and reflect on the Ducks’ season, I can’t help but be proud of Oregon. The Ducks made it to the final stage of college football, but fell a little short. They played hard all season and helped continue Oregon’s rich football tradition. They entertained, and kept us on our feet. Looking back at the season, on the whole, Oregon truly “Won the Day”.