On its opening possession of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, the Ohio State offense seemed to pick up right where it left off in its last performance.
After posting 42 points and nearly seven yards-per-play in their regular season finale against Michigan, the Buckeyes shot out of the gates in their sole postseason contest. A nine-play, 80-yard drive culminated with a two-yard Ezekiel Elliott touchdown run, his first of four that day. The drive showed remarkable balance, with five different players picking up yardage for the team in scarlet and gray.
During his three years in Columbus, Elliott produced one of the most remarkable careers of any Buckeye running back, finishing second in rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns for his career. But it is his ability to break away for long, memorable touchdown runs that set him apart from other OSU backs. At 6.7 yards-per-attempt, Elliott has the highest career average of any Buckeye runner with more than 100 carries, and has 106 rushes of 10 yards or more in the past three years.
Many such runs often came in the second half of Ohio State's contests, and thanks in large part to the efforts of his teammates. The 'slobs' up front on the offensive line surely deserve a great deal of praise for executing their assignments to spring their star in the backfield, but they and Elliott don't seem to just break the late-game runs simply because of conditioning. As would be the case in Elliott's curtain call performance against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes often set up his home run shots with what they do earlier in the game.
On the fourth play of that initial drive in the Fiesta Bowl, the OSU coaches would call for a jet sweep to Braxton Miller, a regular part of the offensive scheme this past fall.
The Buckeyes would call for this run from a variation of their 'pack' formation, which gives Miller three lead-blockers in the form of a wide receiver split out, a tight end set back from the line in a 'wing' alignment, and Elliott in the backfield, all to the same side.
When Miller takes the handoff, he benefits from the blocks of all three, especially the efforts of tight end Nick Vannett, who seals off the inside with two separate blocks, and from Elliott, who takes out the cornerback on the outside. That defender (#36) was the only Irish defender with a chance to make a play near the line of scrimmage.
Miller picked up 27 yards on the play, and although he would only touch the ball two more times that afternoon, he had done enough to set up the later knockout punch from Elliott.
After an Irish touchdown early in the second half brought them back to within one score at 28-21, the Buckeyes needed a shot in the arm to steal back the momentum. Then, on the sixth play of the ensuing drive, Elliott emerged untouched from a backfield containing all kinds of movement, racing 47 yards before finding the end zone.
Though Elliott had the speed to outrun any trailing Irish defenders, the credit for his final touchdown in a Buckeye uniform goes to the entire offensive unit. Just as they had on Miller's big run early in the game, Ohio State lined up in the same 'pack' formation with three potential lead-blockers to the left.
Instead of lining up in the backfield with Elliott and quarterback J.T. Barrett though, Miller would come in motion across the formation, knowing the eyes of the defense would key on this movement. That focus from the Irish defense would help ultimately spring Elliott, as the Buckeyes were running a simple counter play, just as they have countless times before under Urban Meyer.
With so much activity in the backfield, it's hard to blame the Notre Dame defense for failing to immediately pick up on the fact that left guard Billy Price and the tight end, Vannett, were pulling in the opposite direction Miller was headed.
Barrett and Elliott even step to the left, selling the sweep to Miller before making the handoff back to the right. But these extra steps weren't just for show either. They bought additional time for four key blocks to be set up on the right side:
- Right guard Pat Elflein (#65) gets underneath the defensive tackle (#90), using his leverage to push the big man inside and out of the hole
- Right tackle Chase Farris (#57) executes a textbook 'down' block, stepping inside and locking on to the middle linebacker (#38), sealing off the interior for Elliott by getting his hips between the defender and the runner's path
- The aforementioned left guard, Price (#54), pulls across the formation and kicks out the intentionally unblocked defensive end (#44), knowing Price would have momentum and leverage to knock him out of the play
- Finally, Vannett (#81) leads Elliott through the hole on the right side, picking up the outside linebacker (#59) and sealing off the outside for the running back
Each block was critical for springing Elliott to the next level, however Miller's presence sent him untouched to the end zone. As seen above, three defenders on the left side, including the free safety (#22), all race outside to make a play on the sweep. By doing so though, the safety has completely given up the middle of the field, which is exactly where Elliott was headed.
The run opened up a double-digit lead that would never be relinquished, giving Ohio State one of the more impressive wins of the bowl season. But although junior tailback from St. Louis would carry the ball 12 more times that afternoon, this 47-yard sprint would be his last trip to the end zone as a Buckeye.
Over the past three seasons, Elliott found himself crossing pay dirt 43 times, with 23 of them coming this fall in a campaign that many will remember for offensive inadequacies. It may be hard to appreciate performances like his final effort, in which he tallied 160 yards, knowing that the Buckeyes weren't able to repeat as National Champions. However, his last showing was a dominant effort against a team with plenty of talent of their own.
If there is any silver lining, it is that even though we won't see this #15 sprinting past defenders anymore, the reason he did so was because of the system and others around him. While Elliott's contributions should absolutely be celebrated, Buckeye fans haven't seen the last time a running back will explode through a wide open hole for a long touchdown run.
