College Football: 25 most unforgettable games of the 21st century
By Phil Poling
No. 17: Ohio State vs. Alabama, Jan. 1, 2015
The 2015 Sugar Bowl was a great football game and one of the best College Football Playoff games to date. The Ohio State Buckeyes snuck into the CFP as the No. 4 seed and were matched up against the No. 1-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams were deserving of being there, though, with identical 12-1 records entering the Playoff.
Things didn’t look great for Ohio State early in the first half, however. The Buckeyes settled for two field goals, turned it over twice and allowed 21 points. But once quarterback Cardale Jones got settled under center though, the Buckeyes started to roll.
Ohio State went into halftime trailing just 21-20 after back-to-back scoring drives before the break. The Buckeyes extended that streak to three straight drives with a touchdown after the break, as Jones hooked up with Devin Smith for a 47-yard touchdown.
After a couple of punts, the Buckeyes were on defense with a 27-21 lead. Joey Bosa was the star defensive end, but it was Steve Miller who dropped into coverage, intercepted the Blake Sims pass and returned it for a touchdown. This put the Buckeyes ahead for good.
The game still had some theatrics to it, namely Ezekiel Elliott‘s 85-yard touchdown and Michael Thomas‘ two-point conversion. Amari Cooper caught a touchdown for Alabama to cut it to seven. The Crimson Tide defense forced another punt, but Alabama’s offense couldn’t do enough to win.
Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes were off to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, surviving the Crimson Tide, 42-35. They would beat the Oregon Ducks to win the first national title of the CFP era.