ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ezekiel Elliott sat down at the podium for his postgame press conference following Ohio State's 42-13 rout of arch-rival Michigan on Saturday, but before the Buckeyes' star running back was asked any questions, there was something he needed to say.
"First things first, I just want to apologize for everything I said postgame last week," Elliott said. "I really let my emotions get the best of me and I regret everything I said. I want to be the ultimate team player. That's what I strive for: to be the ultimate team player. If you turn on the film and watch me play, I hope you can see that."
These, of course, were Elliott's first public comments since he was critical of Ohio State's play-calling one week prior in a 17-14 loss to Michigan State. Elliott's teammates were grilled with questions regarding their running back's claims, but this was the first time Elliott himself had the opportunity to address the situation.
Elliott ran over, around and through the Michigan defense on Saturday, further validating that what he said two weeks ago wasn't exactly wrong, despite the inopportune timing. The junior running back had 214 yards on 30 carries with a pair of touchdown runs. The Buckeyes gained 369 yards on the ground as a team.
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said Elliott apologized to him "37 or 38 times" throughout the week for his comments made after that loss to the Spartans. None of those extra apologies, after the first one, were necessary for Meyer, however.
Afterward, Meyer continued his praise for Elliott and his performance, saying the Buckeyes' star belonged in New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
"That's one of the best players in America," Meyer said.
Halftime Adjustments
As Ohio State led Michigan 14-10 at halftime, most of the 111,829 in attendance felt they were in for an epic battle in the first matchup between Meyer and Jim Harbaugh in this storied rivalry.
It was pretty clear from the minute the second half started that wasn't going to be the case, though. The Buckeyes' dominant run game took over and their defense — which was stout against the run in the first half, but had trouble defending the pass — turned things up a notch, too.
Michigan threw all over Ohio State in the first half as quarterback Jake Rudock completed 14 of his 24 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. The Wolverines converted 8-of-11 third-down attempts as the Buckeyes had trouble getting pressure on Rudock as he comfortably found receivers running free.
But most of that changed in the second half for Ohio State as it started to make Rudock feel uncomfortable and eventually knocked him out of the game when Joey Bosa delivered a huge hit on a sack in the fourth quarter. In the second half, Michigan managed just 138 yards of total offense, 133 of which came through the air. The Wolverines converted just 1-of-8 third-down attempts in the second half.
So, what exactly changed?
"We just had to buckle down and tackle a little better and it was my fault personally for some poor tackling in the first half," Ohio State sophomore linebacker Darron Lee said. "We were never worried or concerned. We came in at halftime, made a couple adjustments with what we were doing and it was just preparation. We were prepared and we wanted this as a defense. We really did."
Marshall Talks Impressive Touchdown Grab
With all of the talent on Ohio State's offense, sometimes sophomore wide receiver Jalin Marshall gets lost a bit in the shuffle.
He's had a quiet-at-times season for the Buckeyes, but he made arguably the most impressive play of the game Saturday when he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback J.T. Barrett in which he snagged the ball nearly right off a defender's back.
Marshall only had two catches in the game — his other one went for just 6 yards — but his touchdown reception was perhaps the most impressive play in the entire contest. Afterward, Marshall talked a bit about the play.
“That’s probably my favorite play of all time," he said. "Growing up in Ohio, it’s a dream come true to play in the Team Up North’s stadium and be legendary as a Buckeye.”
Ohio State Still Alive For CFP Bid?
Ohio State players took to Twitter following Saturday's win to show their support for Penn State with hopes that a Nittany Lions upset would send the Buckeyes to the Big Ten championship game. Those dreams were dashed rather quickly, however, as Michigan State pounded Penn State, 55-16, advancing to face Iowa next weekend in Indianapolis for the league title.
Ohio State did get some good news later in the evening, though, when Stanford kicked a last-second field goal to knock off No. 5 Notre Dame, essentially eliminating the Irish from College Football Playoff contention. Oklahoma routed Oklahoma State to unofficially become the first team in the Playoff as the Big 12's outright champion.
The Notre Dame loss, however, means the Buckeyes are still (barely) alive for a College Football Playoff berth, despite the fact they won't have a conference title on their resume. The winner of next weekend's Big Ten championship game will join the Sooners in the Final Four as will Alabama and Clemson if both win their respective league championship games. Should the Crimson Tide or Tigers lose, though — Alabama faces No. 12 Florida and Clemson takes on No. 14 North Carolina — Ohio State could find itself in the discussion for one of those final spots.
