Last-Second TD Taints Ohio State National Championship Victory

Outside of Buckeye-land, a growing number of fans and even coaches are criticizing Coach Urban Meyer's apparent attempt to rub it in the faces of the Oregon Ducks.

I'm a WSU fan, but was rooting for PAC-12 pride. I always hope the Cougs upset Oregon.  But Meyer's decision to slam in a meaningless touchdown with less than :30 left in the game has left a big stain on the reputation of a coach most considered to be a "stand-up" guy.

Ohio State clearly controlled the line of scrimmage from the second quarter onward, especially offensively.  They averaged nearly 10 yards per carry, scored four rushing TD's, and running back Ezekiel Elliot set a Division I national championship rushing record with 246 yards.  They clearly made a statement.

But the play that has many criticizing Meyer occurred with under :30 left in the game.   With less than 3:00 left,  Ohio State took over well inside Oregon territory after the Ducks failed to convert a 4th down.   The Buckeyes ground the ball inside the Oregon 1 with seconds left.  They were practically already clutching the championship trophy, leading 35-20.  But instead of having quarterback Cardale Jones take a knee,  Meyer had Ezekiel slam home his 4th TD, making it 42-20 as the clock faded away.

Newstalk 870 conducted two very informal polls this morning.   We talked to a random number of people on the street, and of those who watched the game,  65% said that score was not necessary.    A social media poll on Facebook polled a little higher, at least 75% didn't like it, with the rest simply saying it's part of the game.  One fan commented Meyer was "rewarding" Ezekiel for his record-setting performance.  The ESPN commentators also briefly mentioned that after it happened.

But does that make it right?   As Mark put it strongly on the Newstalk 870 Facebook page:

"...Should have just taken the victory formation and left it 35-20.Everybody thinks Urban is such a great guy but he has a lot of Barry Switzer in him.Almost like that last one was "one for the Big 10' and giving the ceremonial finger to the Pac-12."

It's interesting to note that nobody we talked to, or saw comments from,  disputed that Ohio State clearly dominated the game and did their homework.   What they objected to was the apparent attempt to rub it in the face of a team that was led by one of the classiest players in NCAA history,  Oregon QB Marcus Mariota.

Perhaps Meyer could learn a thing or two from the gracious Heisman winner,  who showed college football fans for three years what it really means to be a champion.  That's our take.