Ducks Lament Miscues In Title Game
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
ARLINGTON, Texas — This wasn't one of those games where the Ducks battled to find some rhythm early, then blew the doors off the opposition. This was quite the opposite.
Less than six minutes into Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship, Oregon had an 11-play, 2:39 touchdown drive under its belt, while the Ducks had forced Ohio State to punt after averaging 3.4 yards per carry on five runs.
A few hours later, Oregon ended the evening with just one more touchdown, while the Buckeyes averaged nearly five yards per carry in a 42-20 victory for the national title in AT&T Stadium.
"That's what everybody wants — to start fast," UO defensive end DeForest Buckner said. "But we just weren't able to keep it up. We had self-inflicted wounds, and you can't have that against a team like that. They played a really good game, and that's why they're No. 1."
An Oregon football team that had been so opportunistic in 2014 found itself on the opposite end of the spectrum in its second game of 2015. Unlike the Rose Bowl, in which the Ducks turned each of five Florida State turnovers into touchdowns, Ohio State's four turnovers Monday were turned into just 10 UO points.
Meanwhile, early drops and some missed tackles led to a 21-7 deficit midway through the second quarter. Oregon fought back within 21-20 after halftime, finally turning turnovers into points. But the Buckeyes rode powerful back Ezekiel Elliott to 246 yards and four touchdowns — including the last three of the game.
"They kept coming," UO linebacker Tony Washington said. "I'm proud of my guys who kept coming, too. The game just didn't come out the way we wanted it to. You've just got to tackle, that's it. That's what it comes down to. Gotta tackle."
Third-down conversions illustrated the difference Monday. The Ducks went just 2-of-12, with dropped passes on their first two attempts, and didn't extend enough early drives to allow their tempo to tire out the Buckeyes. Ohio State, meanwhile, was 8-of-15, using Elliott and quarterback Cardale Jones to grind out yards and power to first downs even after contact with UO defenders.
"They're pumping their feet on contact, and for a split second we'd stop — and they'd get the extra inch they needed," Buckner said. "It was stuff like that we should have fixed quicker."
Just like the Rose Bowl, however, Oregon's defense made up for some early yards and point surrendered by forcing a series of turnovers. But a muffed exchange between Jones and Elliott and a fumble by receiver Corey Smith resulted in no UO points in the second quarter.
"We just shot ourselves in the foot way too many times," UO center Hroniss Grasu said. "But a lot of respect to them. I can't say it enough. We just made too many mistakes. When our defense gets turnovers like that, we've got to capitalize no matter what. That's what was big for us in the Rose Bowl. So a lot of it's on us."
Added receiver Keanon Lowe: "They're just an opportunistic team; they're just like us. And we made some mistakes, and they took advantage of those. Obviously it wasn't over after that first quarter, but they played a great game. They beat us. I've got a lot of respect for those guys, for sure."
