Megan.Husslein
Guest
Cardale Jones belongs near the top of the Buckeye Heroes list
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
That 2014 run was magical.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
Cardale Jones is a Buckeye Hero for many reasons. The one that takes the cake is obviously leading the 2014 team to a National Championship victory as the third-string quarterback... And a Big Ten Championship... And a TTUN win.
Shall we reminisce on perhaps the greatest three-game stint in Ohio State history?
Let’s back it up to when 12-Gauge first came on the scene. In 2012, Cardale posted this legendary tweet that I’m sure many football players relate to, and made a lot of Buckeye fans fall in love with him.
Two years later, he would be backing up Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett as QB3. However, Miller tore his labrum in his throwing shoulder right before the season started, so Barrett became the new starter.
Barrett led the Buckeyes to a 10-1 record leading up to TTUN game, as the one loss came against Virginia Tech in the second game of the season. Barrett was having a phenomenal year, and he might have led the Buckeyes to a natty as well. However, he went down in the fourth quarter of TTUN game with a broken ankle.
Cardale stepped in and made history.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25522610/459718956.jpg "Michigan v Ohio State")
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
The Buckeyes won the game 42-28, but now they had to win the Big Ten Championship in a decisive manner to make it to the first College Football Playoff. Urban Meyer spoke about it after the rivalry game:
“We got to go; we got to go,” Meyer said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in the guy that’s going to be doing it. His name is Cardale Jones.”
It didn’t hurt that Jones had one of the most talented Buckeye teams ever. Devin Smith, Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall, Curtis Samuel, Johnnie Dixon and Evan Spencer were just some of the receivers. Nick Vannett and Jeff Heuerman were tight ends, and oh, Ezekiel Elliott was the running back. He was also well protected behind the offensive line of Taylor Decker, Pat Elflein, Jacoby Boren and Billy Price. What a team!
Anyway, you all remember what happed against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship, right? 59-0 ring a bell? Gosh, that was an unreal game. First off, a shutout. Second, 59 points from the offense!? Cardale threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Zeke was the star of the show with 220 yards, but 12-Gauge brought the energy to this team.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25522623/579673978.jpg "NCAA FOOTBALL: DEC 06 Big Ten Championship Game - Wisconsin v Ohio State")
Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
So, the Buckeyes landed the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff, and had to take on No. 1 Alabama. Once again, Jones and Zeke attacked in the passing and rushing game, as Cardale threw for 243 yards and Elliott ran for 230 yards in the upset win.
Remember the Bucks were down 21-6 at the end of the first quarter? That second half was just indescribable.
Onto the national title game against Oregon. This one wasn’t even close. 42-20 with very similar stats to the Sugar Bowl. Jones threw for 242 yards and Zeke ran for 246. The threat of 12-Gauge was too much for the Ducks. It was the perfect ending to a storybook season. There will never be another campaign like 2014.
Cardale and J.T. alternated the starting job the following season and didn’t experience the same success, but it doesn’t even matter. Without Jones, who knows how the 2014 season would have ended? His play on the field was enough to get three wins, and his personality off the field is another win.
To this day, he is one of the biggest Buckeye fans ever. Buckeye Nation loves Buckeye Hero, Cardale Jones!
Continue reading...
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
That 2014 run was magical.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State heroes. Whether they are the biggest names in Buckeye athletic history or underappreciated icons; perhaps even players who made major impacts off the field. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Buckeye Heroes” articles here.
Cardale Jones is a Buckeye Hero for many reasons. The one that takes the cake is obviously leading the 2014 team to a National Championship victory as the third-string quarterback... And a Big Ten Championship... And a TTUN win.
Shall we reminisce on perhaps the greatest three-game stint in Ohio State history?
Let’s back it up to when 12-Gauge first came on the scene. In 2012, Cardale posted this legendary tweet that I’m sure many football players relate to, and made a lot of Buckeye fans fall in love with him.
Two years later, he would be backing up Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett as QB3. However, Miller tore his labrum in his throwing shoulder right before the season started, so Barrett became the new starter.
Barrett led the Buckeyes to a 10-1 record leading up to TTUN game, as the one loss came against Virginia Tech in the second game of the season. Barrett was having a phenomenal year, and he might have led the Buckeyes to a natty as well. However, he went down in the fourth quarter of TTUN game with a broken ankle.
Cardale stepped in and made history.
The Buckeyes won the game 42-28, but now they had to win the Big Ten Championship in a decisive manner to make it to the first College Football Playoff. Urban Meyer spoke about it after the rivalry game:
“We got to go; we got to go,” Meyer said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in the guy that’s going to be doing it. His name is Cardale Jones.”
It didn’t hurt that Jones had one of the most talented Buckeye teams ever. Devin Smith, Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall, Curtis Samuel, Johnnie Dixon and Evan Spencer were just some of the receivers. Nick Vannett and Jeff Heuerman were tight ends, and oh, Ezekiel Elliott was the running back. He was also well protected behind the offensive line of Taylor Decker, Pat Elflein, Jacoby Boren and Billy Price. What a team!
Anyway, you all remember what happed against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship, right? 59-0 ring a bell? Gosh, that was an unreal game. First off, a shutout. Second, 59 points from the offense!? Cardale threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Zeke was the star of the show with 220 yards, but 12-Gauge brought the energy to this team.
So, the Buckeyes landed the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff, and had to take on No. 1 Alabama. Once again, Jones and Zeke attacked in the passing and rushing game, as Cardale threw for 243 yards and Elliott ran for 230 yards in the upset win.
Remember the Bucks were down 21-6 at the end of the first quarter? That second half was just indescribable.
Onto the national title game against Oregon. This one wasn’t even close. 42-20 with very similar stats to the Sugar Bowl. Jones threw for 242 yards and Zeke ran for 246. The threat of 12-Gauge was too much for the Ducks. It was the perfect ending to a storybook season. There will never be another campaign like 2014.
Cardale and J.T. alternated the starting job the following season and didn’t experience the same success, but it doesn’t even matter. Without Jones, who knows how the 2014 season would have ended? His play on the field was enough to get three wins, and his personality off the field is another win.
To this day, he is one of the biggest Buckeye fans ever. Buckeye Nation loves Buckeye Hero, Cardale Jones!
Continue reading...