2015 CFP National Championship Recap
Score by Quarters
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4 Ohio State (14-1) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| #2 Oregon (13-2) | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
Player of the Game
Player of the Game
Led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, the Ducks came out charging, putting up 75 yards in 11 plays on the opening drive. However, the Buckeyes and Cardale Jones had different plans on a night that marked just the third career start for the Ohio State quarterback. The redshirt sophomore passed for 242 yards and a touchdown, while helping orchestrate 538 yards of total offense to help the team overcome four turnovers.
Ezekiel Elliott, had a breakout night, running for a career-high 246 yards, setting a championship game (BCS and CFP) record for rushing yards, to go along with four touchdowns on his way to being named the Offensive Player of the Game.
Defensively, Ohio State held Oregon to a season-low 20 points and 465 yards of total offense, almost 100 yards below the team’s season average. The Buckeyes also held the Ducks to 132 yards on the ground, over 100 yards fewer than their season average of 241.9. Tyvis Powell was tabbed Defensive Player of the Game after posting nine tackles in the game, including five solo stops and a pass breakup.
Fourteen unanswered points in the fourth quarter sealed Ohio State’s fate to become the first national champion of the playoff era, marking the eighth national championship in program history. The Buckeyes’ 14 victories on the year tied the NCAA record for most in a season, including a nation’s best 13 straight victories.
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Score (V-H) | Team | Scoring Play | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 12:21 | 0-7 | Oregon | Keanon Lowe 7 yd pass from Marcus Mariota (Aidan Schneider kick) | 11-75 (2:39) |
| 1st | 04:36 | 7-7 | Ohio State | Ezekiel Elliott 33 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) | 10-97 (3:16) |
| 1st | 01:08 | 14-7 | Ohio State | Nick Vannett 1 yd pass from Cardale Jones (Sean Nuernberger kick) | 4-46 (1:27) |
| 2nd | 04:49 | 21-7 | Ohio State | Cardale Jones 1 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) | 6-49 (2:16) |
| 2nd | 00:48 | 21-10 | Oregon | Aidan Schneider 26 yd field goal | 12-66 (4:01) |
| 3rd | 11:23 | 21-17 | Oregon | Byron Marshall 70 yd pass from Marcus Mariota (Aidan Schneider kick) | 1-70 (0:10) |
| 3rd | 06:39 | 21-20 | Oregon | Aidan Schneider 23 yd field goal | 6-17 (1:42) |
| 3rd | 00:00 | 28-20 | Ohio State | Ezekiel Elliott 9 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) | 12-75 (6:39) |
| 4th | 09:44 | 35-20 | Ohio State | Ezekiel Elliott 2 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) | 9-76 (4:13) |
| 4th | 00:28 | 42-20 | Ohio State | Ezekiel Elliott 1 yd run (Sean Nuernberger kick) | 5-14 (2:17) |
Team Statistics
| OSU | UO | |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 28 | 20 |
| Rushing | 18 | 7 |
| Passing | 8 | 13 |
| Penalty | 2 | 0 |
| Rushes-Yards | 61-296 | 33-132 |
| Passing Yards | 242 | 333 |
| Passes Comp-Att-Int | 16-23-1 | 24-38-1 |
| Total Offense (Plays-Yards) | 84-538 | 71-465 |
| Punt Returns-Yards | 3-32 | 0-0 |
| Kickoff Returns-Yards | 1-23 | 4-52 |
| Punts (Number-Avg) | 3-42.0 | 6-40.0 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 3-3 | 1-0 |
| Sacks By (Number-Yards) | 2-6 | 1-17 |
| Penalties-Yards | 5-30 | 10-76 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 8-of-15 | 2-of-12 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 3-of-3 | 0-of-2 |
Individual Statistics
| OSU | UO | |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing | Ezekiel Elliott, 36-246, 4 TD; Cardale Jones, 21-38, 1 TD; Curtis Samuel, 1-6; Jalin Marshall, 2-3; Corey Smith, 1-3. | Thomas Tyner, 12-62; Marcus Mariota, 10-39; Royce Freeman, 10-22; Byron Marshall, 1-9. |
| Passing | Cardale Jones, 16-23-1, 242, 1 TD. | Marcus Mariota, 24-37-1, 333, 2 TD; Jeff Lockie, 0-1-0, 0. |
| Receiving | Jalin Marshall, 5-52; Michael Thomas, 4-53; Corey Smith, 2-76; Nick Vannett, 2-9, 1 TD; Devin Smith, 1-45; Curtis Samuel, 1-8, Ezekiel Elliott 1- -1. | Byron Marshall, 8-169, 1 TD; Evan Baylis, 5-25; Dwayne Stanford, 4-61; Keanon Lowe, 3-55, 1 TD; Charles Nelson, 2-21; Thomas Tyner, 2-2. |
| Punting | Cameron Johnston, 3-126, 42.0. | Ian Wheeler, 6-240, 40.0. |
| Returns | Punt: Jalin Marshall, 3-32; Kickoff: Curtis Samuel, 1-23; Intercept: Eli Apple, 1-8. | Punt: None; Kickoff: Charles Nelson, 4-52; Intercept: Danny Mattingly, 1-0. |
| Field Goals | None. | Aidan Schneider, 2-2 (26 Good, 23 Good). |
| Tackles (Solo-Assist-Total, Sacks-Yds, TFL-Yds) |
Tyvis Powell (5-4-9, 0, 0); Darron Lee (4-4-8, 0, 0); Eli Apple (5-2-7, 0, 0); Curtis Grant (5-1-6, 0, 0); Vonn Bell (3-3-6, 1.0-1, 1.0-1); Joshua Perry (2-4-6, 0, 0); Doran Grant (4-1-5, 0, 1.0-1); Raekwon McMillan (3-2-5, 0, 0.5-2); Adolphus Washington (1-2-3, 1.0-5, 1.0-5); Joey Bosa (2-0-2, 0, 1.0-2); Tommy Schutt (1-0-1, 0, 0); Steve Miller (1-0-1, 0, 0); Armani Reeves (1-0-1, 0, 0); Chris Worley (1-0-1, 0, 0); Jalin Marshall (1-0-1, 0, 0); Corey Smith (1-0-1, 0, 0); Kyle Clinton (1-0-1, 0, 0); Tyquan Lewis (0-1-1, 0, 0); Rashad Frazier (0-1-1, 0.5-1); Michael Bennett (0-1-1, 0, 0). | Reggie Daniels (7-2-9, 0, 0); Arik Armstead (5-4-9, 0, 0); DeForest Buckner (5-3-8, 0, 0); Rodney Hardrick (6-1-7, 0, 0); Chris Seisay (5-2-7, 0, 1.0-1); Tony Washington (4-3-7, 0, 0.5-0); Troy Hill (4-1-5, 0, 0); Erick Dargan (4-1-5, 0, 1.0-1); Alex Balducci (3-2-5, 0, 0.5-1); Derrick Malone, Jr. (4-0-4, 0, 0); Joe Walker (3-1-4, 0, 0); Tyson Coleman (1-3-4, 1.0-17, 1.0-17); Danny Mattingly (2-0-2, 0, 1.0-2); Christian French (1-1-2, 0, 0); Charles Nelson (1-0-1, 0, 0); Jimmie Swain (1-0-1, 0, 0); Tyree Robinson (1-0-1, 0, 0); Keanon Lowe (0-1-1, 0, 0); Dwayne Stanford (0-1-1, 0, 0); Ian Wheeler (0-1-1, 0, 0); Sam Kamp (0-1-1, 0, 0). |
Starters & Reserves
Ohio State Starters
| Pos. | No. | Offense |
|---|---|---|
| LT | 68 | Taylor Decker |
| LG | 54 | Billy Price |
| C | 50 | Jacoby Boren |
| RG | 65 | Pat Elflein |
| RT | 76 | Darryl Baldwin |
| TE | 5 | Jeff Heuerman |
| WR | 6 | Evan Spencer |
| QB | 1A | Cardale Jones |
| RB | 15 | Ezekiel Elliott |
| WR | 3 | Michael Thomas |
| WR | 9 | Devin Smith |
| Pos. | No. | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| DE | 97 | Joey Bosa |
| DT | 92 | Adolphus Washington |
| DT | 53 | Michael Bennett |
| DE | 88 | Steve Miller |
| SLB | 43 | Darron Lee |
| MLB | 14 | Curtis Grant |
| WLB | 37 | Joshua Perry |
| CB | 13 | Eli Apple |
| S | 23 | Tyvis Powell |
| S | 11 | Vonn Bell |
| CB | 12 | Doran Grant |
Ohio State Reserves
0A - Erick Smith, 0D - Damon Webb, 1E - Cam Burrows, 1F - Rashad Frazier, 2A - Raekwon McMillan, 2 - Dontre Wilson, 4 - Curtis Samuel, 4B - Chris Rock, 17 - Jalin Marshall, 19 - Gareon Conley, 20 - Ron Tanner, 25 - Bri’onte Dunn, 26 - Armani Reeves, 28 - Warren Ball, 33 - Dante Booker, 35 - Chris Worley, 38 - Craig Fada, 39 - Kyle Clinton, 41 - Bryce Haynes, 48 - Joe Burger, 52 - Donovan Munger, 55 - Cam Williams, 57 - Chase Farris, 59 - Tyquan Lewis, 72 - Chris Carter, 73 - Antonio Underwood, 80 - Noah Brown, 81 - Nick Vannett, 84 - Corey Smith, 85 - Marcus Baugh, 90 - Tommy Schutt, 95 - Cameron Johnston, 96 - Sean Nuernberger.
Oregon Starters
| Pos. | No. | Offense |
|---|---|---|
| LT | 75 | Jake Fisher |
| LG | 54 | Hamani Stevens |
| C | 5E | Hroniss Grasu |
| RG | 78 | Cameron Hunt |
| RT | 73 | Tyrell Crosby |
| TE | 81 | Evan Baylis |
| QB | 8 | Marcus Mariota |
| RB | 24 | Thomas Tyner |
| WR | 9 | Byron Marshall |
| WR | 7 | Keanon Lowe |
| WR | 85 | Dwayne Stanford |
| Pos. | No. | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| DE | 9 | Arik Armstead |
| NG | 56 | Alex Balducci |
| DE | 44 | DeForest Buckner |
| OLB | 91 | Tony Washington |
| ILB | 48 | Rodney Hardrick |
| ILB | 22 | Derrick Malone, Jr. |
| OLB | 33 | Tyson Coleman |
| CB | 12 | Chris Seisay |
| DB | 4 | Erick Dargan |
| S | 8 | Reggie Daniels |
| CB | 13 | Troy Hill |
Oregon Reserves
1B - Taylor Alie, 1G - Jeff Lockie, 2 - Tyree Robinson, 3 - Dior Mathis, 6 - Charles Nelson, 10 - Johnathan Loyd, 17 - Juwaan Williams, 18 - Jimmie Swain, 21 - Royce Freeman, 31 - Kenny Bassett, 35 - Joe Walker, 38 - Ian Wheeler, 41 - Aidan Schneider, 45 - T.J. Daniel, 46 - Danny Mattingly, 49 - Matt Wogan, 51 - Isaac Ava, 55 - Tui Talia, 58 - Tanner Carew, 62 - Matt Pierson, 76 - Jake Pisarcik, 82 - Zac Schuller, 83 - Johnny Mundt, 86 - Torrodney Prevot, 92 - Henry Mondeaux, 96 - Christian French, 99 - Sam Kamp.
