Ohio State and Urban Meyer: Undisputed Champions

"Surreal," is how the MVP of the National Championship Ezekiel Elliott described the historic 42-20 Ohio State victory over Oregon.
So many story lines unfolded before our eyes reminding us why college football stirs such emotions. Sorry Ducks fans, this night belongs to the Buckeyes.  As Urban Meyer held up the first ever college football playoff trophy it was a symbol of redemption.
The Ohio native who left coaching for a year before taking the job in Columbus three years ago, did it for the love of the game and his birthplace. He wanted to return the Buckeyes to the glory days of his youth under legendary coach Woody Hayes. Meyer already owns two national titles from Florida, but this third one is special.

"We play football for all sorts of reasons, " said Meyer. "We play for the great state of Ohio. We play for an incredible university, The Ohio State University. But most importantly we play football for each other."
That belief in each other is what drove two sophomores to national prominence. Third string quarterback Cardale Jones starting in just his third game showed maturity and talent beyond his years, passing for 242 yards on 16 of 23 completions with both a rushing and passing TD. But it was Elliott who powered the win with a record breaking 246 yards on 36 carries and four touchdowns. As explosively as the offense drove the ball despite committing four turnovers, Coach Meyer credits his defense for the game's outcome.
"I can't imagine a better group of people to share this with," said Meyer. "Once you win a championship you are forever family."
Ohio State's physicality disrupted Oregon's fast paced attack lead by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota who by the numbers had a good game passing for 310 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough.
 "It was tough, real tough," explained Mariota. "They just held us in the red zone. We couldn't finish it off."
Despite the outcome, Mariota and his coach Mark Helfrich showed unwavering class. "It hurts," said Mariota. "Ohio State played a great game. They have a great program and a great coach. They out executed us. Hats off to Ohio State."
As to what he shared with his teammates, the Hawaii native who suffered his first career postseason loss had nothing but praise. "I'm just proud of them. We dealt with a lot of adversity," said Mariota. "I love those guys. Those guys should be proud of what they do."
And Coach Helfrich is proudest of his redshirt junior quarterback.
"I love this guy. I couldn't be luckier to coach him and be around him everyday," added Helfrich. "The impact he's had on the field has been significant but what he's done off the field is even bigger."
The question now is will the most decorated player in Oregon history stay in school or enter the NFL draft as the number one pick. Much like Urban Meyer, Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott, Mariota's  future is very bright regardless of what he decides.