Quick Thoughts on the National Championship Game

This is my only positive thought about Oregon at this point.

In case you didn't watch, Ohio State beat Oregon in the national championship game, 42-20. Oregon jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and then things were bad after that.

• For having a mobile quarterback themselves, Oregon did a terrible job of hemming in Cardale Jones. Their outside linebackers and defensive ends kept flying 10 yards upfield, which allowed Jones to step up in the pocket and/or escape contain. Maybe it was their goal to speed rush and try to rattle Jones, but the Ducks never adjusted.
• Ezekiel Elliott is a man. He had 220 or more yards in the final three games of the year, including 36 carries for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns against Oregon. He's not the most elusive guy around, but he has a good combination of speed and power.
• On the plus side, Urban Meyer went 9-4 following his first national championship at Florida. Unfortunately, he then went 13-1 following his second. Ohio State does not appear poised for a drop-off, because many of their best players (Ezekiel Elliott, Jalin Marshall, Darron Lee, Joey Bosa, J.T. Barrett) are too young to declare for the NFL Draft. However, there could be some turnover with the quarterback position (Braxton Miller to another school, Cardale Jones thinking about the draft) and some early entrants. But the Buckeyes recruit well and will most likely reload.
• The Big Ten has had a bad rap for getting pushed around in recent years, but the Buckeyes demolished Oregon up front. Aside from the pressure put on Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and the inability to create seams up front, the defining moment was when Jones scrambled up the middle and ran right through the tackle - I mean the nose tackle - of the Ducks, Alex Balducci.
• The Ducks flat-out laid an egg. They racked up penalties, made immature choices, had a poor game plan, dropped passes, etc. This was my concern when I pointed out that Meyer was 8-2 in bowl games and 2-0 in national championships, while Helfrich was in just his second year. Meyer's team was mentally and physically prepared to win the game, while Oregon was not.

Michigan-centric preview of National Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Marcus Mariota

Whenever I watch a college or pro football game, I always have Michigan in the back of my mind. I was rooting for the Cardinals over the Panthers in last week's playoffs because the Cardinals have Larry Foote, Kenny Demens, etc. Obviously, I was disappointed. This past Saturday night, I was rooting for the New England Patriots because of Tom Brady; Fitzgerald Toussaint just doesn't have the same place in my heart.

So here's a look at Ohio State vs. Oregon (8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN) from a Michigan fan's point of view:

OHIO STATE PLAYERS FROM MICHIGAN
CB Damon Webb

OHIO STATE PLAYERS RECRUITED BY MICHIGAN
CB Eli Apple, OT Darryl Baldwin, TE Marcus Baugh, DT Michael Bennett, LB Kyle Berger, LB Devan Bogard, LB Dante Booker, DE Joey Bosa, CB Cam Burrows, CB Gareon Conley*, OT Taylor Decker, OT Kyle Dodson, RB Bri'onte Dunn, LB Curtis Grant, OG Joel Hale, TE Jeff Heuerman, DT Michael Hill, S Malik Hooker, DE Sam Hubbard, QB Cardale Jones, OT Jamarco Jones, OG Demetrius Knox, CB Marshon Lattimore, OT Evan Lisle, QB Braxton Miller, DE Steve Miller, OG Billy Price, CB Armani Reeves, DE Chris Rock#, DT Tommy Schutt, WR Devin Smith, S Erick Smith, DE Noah Spence, S Ron Tanner, OT Kyle Trout, TE Nick Vannett, DT Adolphus Washington, CB Damon Webb, LB Camren Williams

Hit the jump for some further info on tonight's game.

Preview: Auburn vs. Florida State

I won't waste a ton of time putting together a statistical primer for tonight's national championship game, because I haven't watched either team in great depth this season. But I do like to keep track of guys who were recruited by Michigan and how they're doing, so here's a look at some names that might be familiar to you:

FLORIDA STATE
CB Ronald Darby: 8 starts, 12 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 3 pass breakups
DT Eddie Goldman: 12 starts, 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
OT Bobby Hart: 13 starts
DT Timmy Jernigan: 13 starts, 54 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup
LB Christian Jones: 11 starts, 49 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception
CB Lamarcus Joyner: 13 starts, 64 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles
OG Josue Matias: 13 starts
WR Kenny Shaw: 7 starts, 52 catches, 929 yards, 17.9 yards/catch, 6 touchdowns; 9.7 yards/punt return
CB Nick Waisome: 11 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 pass breakups
RB James Wilder, Jr.: 1 start, 78 tackles, 542 yards, 6.9 yards/carry, 8 touchdowns
RB Karlos Williams: 86 carries, 705 yards, 8.2 yards/carry, 11 touchdowns

AUBURN
DT Montravius Adams: 20 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack
WR Quan Bray: 6 starts, 20 catches, 191 yards, 9.6 yards/catch, 3 touchdowns
OT Shane Callahan: Played in 2 games
DE Elijah Daniel: 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks
OT Jordan Diamond: Played in 4 games
LB Kris Frost: 1 start, 52 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery
TE Brandon Fulse: 5 starts, 1 catch, 5 yards
OG Alex Kozan: 13 starts
RB Tre Mason: 11 starts, 283 carries, 1621 yards, 5.7 yards/carry, 22 touchdowns
CB Jonathan Mincy: 13 starts, 54 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 12 pass breakups
WR Trovon Reed: 2 starts, 10 catches, 98 yards, 9.8 yards/catch
OT Greg Robinson: 13 starts
OT Avery Young: 6 starts