GAME NOTES: Buckeyes still perfect vs. Oregon

Published 12:00 am Monday, January 12, 2015

• Ohio State added to its perfect football record against the Ducks. The Buckeyes are 9-0 and have outscored Oregon 232-89 in games dating to the 1958 Rose Bowl, won by coach Woody Hayes’ three yards-and-a-cloud of dust team 10-7.

• This was the first time in his five career postseason games that Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota was not the MVP.

• Mariota moved into second place on the Pac-12’s all-time career yards list and became the first player in conference history to reach 5,000 yards in a season.

• The Ducks are 60-8 over the past five years.

• Oregon led 7-0 on Monday, but fell to 7-1 this season after scoring first and 15-1 after scoring first during coach Mark Helfrich’s two years as head man.

• Ohio State lost 35-21 to Virginia Tech in its second game of the season, Sept. 6, then ran the table. The Buckeyes beat five ranked teams in their last seven games: Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon.

• Attendance was announced as 85,689.

• Ohio State finished 14-1, joining TCU — which did not make the four-team playoff — as the only one-loss teams. Texas Christian went 12-1.

• The Pac-12 went 6-3 in bowl games this season.

• All-time in bowl games, Ohio State is 21-24, Oregon 13-16.

• MVPs of the game: Ohio State sophomores Ezekiel Elliott (offense) and Tyvis Powell (defense). Elliott ran for four touchdowns, 14 first downs and 246 yards on 36 carries. Powell, a safety, had nine total tackles.

• With the Ducks minus receivers Devon Allen, Darren Carrington and Bralon Addison and tight end Pharaoh Brown, their leading pass catcher in the title game was former running back Byron Marshall. He caught eight balls for 169 yards and became the first Duck with 1,000 yards rushing in one season (2013) and 1,000 yards receiving in another season (2014).

• Eight Ducks made their 15th start of the season: Mariota and Hamani Stevens on offense, and defenders Alex Balducci, DeForest Buckner, Tyson Coleman, Reggie Daniels, Rodney Hardrick and Tony Washington.

• Ohio State had 84 offensive plays in 13 possessions. Oregon ran 71 plays in 14 possessions.

• The Buckeyes converted 11 of 18 third- or fourth-down plays, while the Ducks were 2 for 14.

• Next game: Oregon opens the 2015 season at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 5 against Eastern Washington.