In his post-game interview after Ohio State had upset No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer told ESPN his team had just played in "a sledgehammer game."
Ohio State's 42-35 win over the Crimson Tide didn't come easy. There were big hits and big blocks. The Buckeyes certainly took their bumps and bruises along the way, while dishing out plenty of their own in what was as physical a football game as there was this year in college football.
But if Ohio State's game against Alabama was more of an old-school backyard brawl, what is its matchup with Oregon on Monday night for the national championship going to be?
"It's gonna be a track meet," Buckeyes sophomore safety Vonn Bell said.
Bell and his fellow Ohio State defenders know what they're up against in facing Oregon's fast-paced, up-tempo offense. But the Buckeyes believe they have the speed, on both sides of the ball, to keep up with the Ducks.
"They think we don’t have speed too, but we do. We just have to execute our keys," Bell said. "It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. It’s more tempo. We see our offense every day, so you know they got speed. There’s speed everywhere on our offense. It’s nothing we haven't seen before.”
It's true Ohio State and Oregon run similar offenses, but what makes the Ducks unique is the pace at which they play. It's a no-time-for-celebration, up-tempo style that has wreaked havoc on just about every team they have played so far this season.
“Communication is huge, but honestly getting lined up is the big part. If we can just get lined up we’ll be fine," Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee said. "There’s no celebration if you make a play or something, just get up and get lined up."
But for as much that is made of Marcus Mariota and Oregon's electric offense, Ohio State feels it has some fast, shifty playmakers on offense as well that are difficult to keep up with.
Devin Smith may be Ohio State's biggest threat as the senior wide receiver has six catches for 224 yards and four touchdowns in the Buckeyes' last two games with Cardale Jones at quarterback. His touchdown catches over that span have an average of 43 yards.
But Ohio State also has Jalin Marshall, Michael Thomas, Ezekiel Elliott and Dontre Wilson — who head coach Urban Meyer listed as probable to play against Oregon — as speed guys on the offensive side of the ball that can cause matchup problems for the Ducks' defense.
"It is going to be a battle there and obviously offense, defense, special teams they have a lot of team speed so they are going to be flying all over the field," Ohio State offensive lineman Taylor Decker said. "But without a doubt, I think we will be able to move the ball and score on them."
If this game were to mimic a track meet, the Ducks and Buckeyes would be lined up in Lanes 4 and 5. Those are always the best races to watch.
