NEW ORLEANS — So, yes, we can say the College Football Playoff is a good thing. After the utter destruction that occurred on the West Coast, Alabama and Ohio State treated 74,682 fans at the Superdome to a bracing affair sure to be discussed for decades. It would be the Buckeyes coming away with the 42-35 win and the chance to play for the national title against Oregon.And everyone will need the 10-day break to recover from what they witnessed on Thursday. Here are three quick thoughts from the Sugar Bowl: 1. Cardale Jones performed beyond expected levels The third-string Ohio State quarterback turned starter was alternately brilliant and maddening, stifled and unhinged. His almost comical lack of touch in the red zone left the Buckeyes with field goals on two early possessions. But the 6-foot-5, 250-pound sophomore tried to leap over a defender on one scramble — Air-Dale? — and then lowered his shoulder to run over would-be tacklers on another run. There would be no sliding on New Year’s Day, and he was able to whip passes across the middle and chew up Alabama’s secondary on multiple third-and-longs. (At one point on third downs of six yards or longer, Jones was 5-of-6 for 153 yards with one touchdown, plus 32 yards rushing.) There were flaws and detonations aplenty in a 18-for-35, 243-yard passing night, which probably should have been the expectation: Nick Saban and Kirby Smart had a month to prepare for Jones, but Urban Meyer and Tom Herman had a month to prepare Jones for them. If there’s an note to carry into the offseason, it’s that Jones doesn’t appear polished enough to challenge for the starting job in 2015 if Braxton Miller and/or J.T. Barrett return healthy…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Runs Past Alabama in Epic Sugar Bowl
