ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — 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.
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.
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 to find seams to run through.
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. The score not only electrified the thousands of Ohio State fans at AT&T Stadium, it was a sign that the Buckeyes planned on being in this for the long haul.
Elliott was far from done.
Ohio State forged a 14-7 lead after forcing another punt by the Ducks. Elliott accounted for exactly half of the yards on the 46-yard drive, including a 17-yard burst to the Oregon 1 that set up Jones’ 1-yard TD toss to Nick Vannett.
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.
By halftime, Elliott had 98 yards on 11 carries and Ohio State had accumulated 315 yards of total offense against a defense that was giving up 421 yards per game.
After Oregon pulled to a 21-20 deficit Elliott and Co. took over again.
On the last play of the third period, Elliott powered over two tacklers at the goal line on a 9-yard touchdown run that helped the Buckeyes staunch the Ducks’ momentum.
He then covered the final 2 yards for another touchdown that gave Ohio State some breathing room, 35-20 at 9:44 of the final period.
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.
Look what a difference 40 carries makes. Elliott went for 220 yards on 20 carries in a 59-0 rout of Wisconsin and then picked up 230 yards — again on 20 carries — in a 42-35 win over top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Then came another big showing that brought Ohio State its first national championship in 12 years.
