The Plays That Made A Championship Season
1. NAVY. In the season opener, Ohio State trailed Navy at the half, 7-6. Early in the third quarter, Navy quarterback Kennan Reynolds fumbled the ball and redshirt freshman Darron Lee returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. This play was the start of big things for Lee, who ended the season with 81 tackles, 16.5 TFL's, 7.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries for touchdowns.
2. NAVY. With 4:10 left in the third quarter and Navy leading 14-13, redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett threw the first touchdown pass of his career. The 80-yard pass to Devin Smith is also Barrett's career long to date. Both players would go on to have excellent seasons, as Barrett had 3,772 total yards and 45 total touchdowns (both Buckeye records), and Smith had 33 receptions for 931 yards (a Buckeye record 28.2 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns.
3. PENN STATE. After a loss to Virginia Tech and four relatively easy victories, Ohio State traveled to Happy Valley to take on Penn State in week seven. Although quarterback J.T. Barrett was injured and ineffective during regulation (74 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions), in overtime he rushed for 32 yards and 2 scores to give the Buckeyes a 31-24 advantage in the middle of the second overtime period. On Penn State's subsequent possession, defensive end Joey Bosa sealed the hard-fought victory with a memorable "walk off" sack on fourth down.
4. MICHIGAN STATE. Early in the second quarter, the Buckeyes were down 14-7 on the road against the #8 team in the country. Facing a 3rd-and-23 and on the verge of being on the wrong side of a blow out, J.T. Barrett threw a perfect pass to Devin Smith for a 43-yard completion. The Buckeyes would go on to score a tying touchdown and remain in the game.
5. MICHIGAN STATE. After tying the game, the Buckeyes would quickly fall behind the Spartans once again. On a 14-play, 66-yard drive, Michigan State took a 21-14 lead with 4:30 left in the first half. Dontre Wilson fumbled the ensuing kick-off and the Spartans were in perfect position to take a double digit lead. However, a holding call negated a touchdown run and Michigan State missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. On the very next play, J.T. Barrett threw a short pass to wide receiver Michael Thomas, who broke a tackle and raced 79 yards for the tying score. This series was probably the turning point for the Buckeyes' season, as Sparty was in position to deliver the knock out punch, but whiffed. Ohio State would outscore Michigan State 28-16 the rest of the way and win with relative ease, 49-37.
6. MINNESOTA. J.T. Barrett's 86-yard dash on the frozen tundra of TCF Bank Stadium was the third longest touchdown run in the history of Ohio State football. On the day, Barrett would rush for 189 yards, a record for an Ohio State quarterback, and account for 389 total yards, the third best total in Buckeye history.
7. INDIANA. Ezekiel Elliott began his late-season heroics with a 65-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter of the Indiana game; he finished with 107 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries. J.T. Barrett had 380 yards of total offense, the third straight game in which he eclipsed 380 yards. Redshirt freshman Jalin Marshall had a breakout performance with three touchdown receptions and a fourth on a punt return.
8. MICHIGAN. Leading the Wolverines by just seven points, quarterback J.T. Barrett broke his ankle on the first play of the fourth quarter of The Game, and the Buckeyes immediately went on upset alert. With third-string quarterback Cardale Jones in the game, the Buckeyes relied on their defense and running attack and both came through with big plays. With 4:58 left in the contest, Ezekiel Elliott busted off a 44-yard touchdown run, and a minute later Darron Lee sealed the victory with a 33-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
9. WISCONSIN. Buckeye Nation wondered how inexperienced quarterback Cardale Jones would handle the starting duties, especially when the stage was as big and as bright as the conference championship game. With only 445 total yards and 3 total touchdowns in two seasons of mop-up duty, most Ohio State fans understandably doubted that Jones was up to the task. However, Jones quickly eased everyone's fears with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith less than two minutes into the first quarter. A few minutes later, Ezekiel Elliott ripped off an 81-yard touchdown run and the rout was on. Jones finished with 257 yards passing and 3 touchdowns; Elliott had 220 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on just 20 carries; and Smith added 4 receptions for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns.
10. ALABAMA. This was the best game of the season, and an all-time classic. After settling for a pair of very short field goals and giving up 14 points off of turnovers, the Buckeyes quickly found themselves in a 21-6 hole to the Crimson Tide. On the ensuing kick-off, an Alabama scrub by the name of Maurice Smith picked up a penalty for taunting an Ohio State player. At that point, it was apparent that Alabama felt they'd already won the game, but the Tide's blatant lack of respect fired up the Buckeyes.
11. ALABAMA. Down 21-6 in the second quarter and facing 3rd-and-10 deep in their own territory, Cardale Jones connected with Jalin Marshall for 26 yards and a first down. Three plays later on 3rd-and-9, Jones once again found Marshall for 26 yards, and the Buckeyes were in the red zone for the third time in the game. Ohio State was finally able to punch it into the end zone and the comeback was on.
12. ALABAMA. When your team is loaded with talent at every position, you don't need to rely on trickeration very often, and the Buckeyes did not do a whole lot of it throughout the season. However, with just a few seconds left in the first half, Urban Meyer and Tom Herman dug deep into their bag of tricks and came up with a double reverse pass from Evan Spencer to Michael Thomas. Spencer's throw was perfect and Thomas exhibited excellent body control to keep one foot in the end zone. The score got the Buckeyes to within a single point and gave them all of the momentum heading into the locker room.
13. ALABAMA. On the Buckeyes first drive of the second half, Cardale Jones hit Devin Smith for a 47-yard touchdown pass, giving Ohio State a 27-21 lead that they would never relinquished. The Buckeyes increased their lead to two scores on a 41-yard interception return by defensive end Steve Miller, and sealed the game on Ezekiel Elliott's 85-yard touchdown run. Elliott's long run gave the 2014 Buckeyes four plays from scrimmage of 80+ yards, which is incredible considering that the Buckeyes have only 18 such plays in their entire history.
14. OREGON. Ezekiel Elliott opened the Buckeyes' scoring with a 33-yard touchdown run and capped off a 42-20 victory with a 1-yard dive. On the evening, he had 246 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. In three postseason games, Elliott had 76 carries for 696 yards (9.2 average) and 8 touchdowns, and became the first Buckeye running back ever to amass 200+ yards in three straight games (Wisconsin 220; Alabama 230; Oregon 246).
1. NAVY. In the season opener, Ohio State trailed Navy at the half, 7-6. Early in the third quarter, Navy quarterback Kennan Reynolds fumbled the ball and redshirt freshman Darron Lee returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. This play was the start of big things for Lee, who ended the season with 81 tackles, 16.5 TFL's, 7.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries for touchdowns.
2. NAVY. With 4:10 left in the third quarter and Navy leading 14-13, redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett threw the first touchdown pass of his career. The 80-yard pass to Devin Smith is also Barrett's career long to date. Both players would go on to have excellent seasons, as Barrett had 3,772 total yards and 45 total touchdowns (both Buckeye records), and Smith had 33 receptions for 931 yards (a Buckeye record 28.2 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns.
3. PENN STATE. After a loss to Virginia Tech and four relatively easy victories, Ohio State traveled to Happy Valley to take on Penn State in week seven. Although quarterback J.T. Barrett was injured and ineffective during regulation (74 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions), in overtime he rushed for 32 yards and 2 scores to give the Buckeyes a 31-24 advantage in the middle of the second overtime period. On Penn State's subsequent possession, defensive end Joey Bosa sealed the hard-fought victory with a memorable "walk off" sack on fourth down.
4. MICHIGAN STATE. Early in the second quarter, the Buckeyes were down 14-7 on the road against the #8 team in the country. Facing a 3rd-and-23 and on the verge of being on the wrong side of a blow out, J.T. Barrett threw a perfect pass to Devin Smith for a 43-yard completion. The Buckeyes would go on to score a tying touchdown and remain in the game.
5. MICHIGAN STATE. After tying the game, the Buckeyes would quickly fall behind the Spartans once again. On a 14-play, 66-yard drive, Michigan State took a 21-14 lead with 4:30 left in the first half. Dontre Wilson fumbled the ensuing kick-off and the Spartans were in perfect position to take a double digit lead. However, a holding call negated a touchdown run and Michigan State missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. On the very next play, J.T. Barrett threw a short pass to wide receiver Michael Thomas, who broke a tackle and raced 79 yards for the tying score. This series was probably the turning point for the Buckeyes' season, as Sparty was in position to deliver the knock out punch, but whiffed. Ohio State would outscore Michigan State 28-16 the rest of the way and win with relative ease, 49-37.
6. MINNESOTA. J.T. Barrett's 86-yard dash on the frozen tundra of TCF Bank Stadium was the third longest touchdown run in the history of Ohio State football. On the day, Barrett would rush for 189 yards, a record for an Ohio State quarterback, and account for 389 total yards, the third best total in Buckeye history.
7. INDIANA. Ezekiel Elliott began his late-season heroics with a 65-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter of the Indiana game; he finished with 107 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries. J.T. Barrett had 380 yards of total offense, the third straight game in which he eclipsed 380 yards. Redshirt freshman Jalin Marshall had a breakout performance with three touchdown receptions and a fourth on a punt return.
8. MICHIGAN. Leading the Wolverines by just seven points, quarterback J.T. Barrett broke his ankle on the first play of the fourth quarter of The Game, and the Buckeyes immediately went on upset alert. With third-string quarterback Cardale Jones in the game, the Buckeyes relied on their defense and running attack and both came through with big plays. With 4:58 left in the contest, Ezekiel Elliott busted off a 44-yard touchdown run, and a minute later Darron Lee sealed the victory with a 33-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
9. WISCONSIN. Buckeye Nation wondered how inexperienced quarterback Cardale Jones would handle the starting duties, especially when the stage was as big and as bright as the conference championship game. With only 445 total yards and 3 total touchdowns in two seasons of mop-up duty, most Ohio State fans understandably doubted that Jones was up to the task. However, Jones quickly eased everyone's fears with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith less than two minutes into the first quarter. A few minutes later, Ezekiel Elliott ripped off an 81-yard touchdown run and the rout was on. Jones finished with 257 yards passing and 3 touchdowns; Elliott had 220 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on just 20 carries; and Smith added 4 receptions for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns.
10. ALABAMA. This was the best game of the season, and an all-time classic. After settling for a pair of very short field goals and giving up 14 points off of turnovers, the Buckeyes quickly found themselves in a 21-6 hole to the Crimson Tide. On the ensuing kick-off, an Alabama scrub by the name of Maurice Smith picked up a penalty for taunting an Ohio State player. At that point, it was apparent that Alabama felt they'd already won the game, but the Tide's blatant lack of respect fired up the Buckeyes.
11. ALABAMA. Down 21-6 in the second quarter and facing 3rd-and-10 deep in their own territory, Cardale Jones connected with Jalin Marshall for 26 yards and a first down. Three plays later on 3rd-and-9, Jones once again found Marshall for 26 yards, and the Buckeyes were in the red zone for the third time in the game. Ohio State was finally able to punch it into the end zone and the comeback was on.
12. ALABAMA. When your team is loaded with talent at every position, you don't need to rely on trickeration very often, and the Buckeyes did not do a whole lot of it throughout the season. However, with just a few seconds left in the first half, Urban Meyer and Tom Herman dug deep into their bag of tricks and came up with a double reverse pass from Evan Spencer to Michael Thomas. Spencer's throw was perfect and Thomas exhibited excellent body control to keep one foot in the end zone. The score got the Buckeyes to within a single point and gave them all of the momentum heading into the locker room.
13. ALABAMA. On the Buckeyes first drive of the second half, Cardale Jones hit Devin Smith for a 47-yard touchdown pass, giving Ohio State a 27-21 lead that they would never relinquished. The Buckeyes increased their lead to two scores on a 41-yard interception return by defensive end Steve Miller, and sealed the game on Ezekiel Elliott's 85-yard touchdown run. Elliott's long run gave the 2014 Buckeyes four plays from scrimmage of 80+ yards, which is incredible considering that the Buckeyes have only 18 such plays in their entire history.
14. OREGON. Ezekiel Elliott opened the Buckeyes' scoring with a 33-yard touchdown run and capped off a 42-20 victory with a 1-yard dive. On the evening, he had 246 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. In three postseason games, Elliott had 76 carries for 696 yards (9.2 average) and 8 touchdowns, and became the first Buckeye running back ever to amass 200+ yards in three straight games (Wisconsin 220; Alabama 230; Oregon 246).
