Boy, o-h boy!
It was a heck of a comeback win for Ohio State that propelled it into a national championship with Oregon, a 42-35 victory over Alabama .
The Buckeyes rallied from a 15-point deficit, their largest comeback victory since Oct. 28, 1989, when they rallied from 31-0 down to beat Minnesota 41-37.
It was the second-highest-scoring game in Sugar Bowl history (77 combined points). The record is the 81 total points scored by LSU (47) and Illinois (34) on Jan. 1, 2002.
The history
It was the first win in four meetings for Ohio State against Alabama. The Buckeyes have now won 12 straight overall, the longest current winning streak in the country now that Florida State’s 29-game win streak has been snapped.
Cardale Jones is the first Ohio State quarterback to win a bowl game without being the team’s season-opening starter since Troy Smith in 2005.
Alabama fell to 0-3 in Sugar Bowls with Nick Saban as head coach. The Crimson Tide fell to 5-2 in bowl games in New Orleans when ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the AP poll.
Difference-maker
Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott set a Sugar Bowl record for rushing yardage with 230 yards in this win.
Most Rush Yards -- Sugar Bowl History
Elliott is the first player to rush for at least 200 yards in a game against Alabama since Cadillac Williams in 2003.
Elliott now has 1,632 rushing yards this season, the fourth-most in a season in school history and the most since Eddie George ran for a school-record 1,927 yards in 1995.
Elliott's 85-yard TD run is the longest rushing play Alabama has allowed under Nick Saban
Ohio State had more rushing yards in this game (281) than the previous four Big Ten opponents against Alabama combined (255).
Stat to remember: Third-down effectiveness
The difference in third-down performance was a big reason Ohio State pulled out the win.
The Buckeyes were 10-for-18 with two touchdowns on third downs. Alabama was 2-for-13 with two turnovers on third down. The Crimson Tide converted 54 percent of their third-down opportunities during the regular season.
Unsung heroes: The punters
Cameron Johnston and JK Scott probably aren’t known outside of Ohio State and Alabama, respectively, but both had huge games for their teams.
Scott, who would have had a good argument for MVP honors if Alabama had won, averaged 56.4 yards on seven punts with a long of 83. Johnston had one shank but was sharp other than that, averaging 46.5 yards with a long of 67.
Did you know?
In each of the past two seasons, the SEC champion blew a 21-6 lead in its bowl game. Auburn did it last season in the BCS Championship against Florida State. Alabama did it in this game against Ohio State.
