From second-and-26 to Ezekiel Elliott’s “85 yards through the heart of the South” run, ByPatForde revisits the five best College Football Playoff games
Counting them down, from five to one:Ezekiel Elliott’s “85 yards through the heart of the South” run is entrenched in Buckeyes lore as the play that clinched a major upset and propelled toward its most recent national championship. With the Buckeyes holding a 34–28 lead and less than four minutes remaining, Elliott took a handoff left, cut upfield and ran away from the Alabama defense to put the game away.
Still, the Crimson Tide weren’t done. They scored one touchdown to make it 34–28, and a 21-yard Ohio State punt when backed up to its own 2-yard line seemingly set up Alabama to regain the lead. That’s when Sims threw a first-down interception—with Tide fans howling at offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin for not using running back Derrick Henry—and Alabama’s momentum was gone.
Two plays later, Jake Coker hit tight end O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown. That made it 31–24, and the Tide never trailed again. The service break on the onside kick was crucial.John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated He ordered a squibbed kickoff, and Georgia’s Tae Crowder snagged it and fell on the ball immediately near midfield. That gave the Dogs a chance to throw a short pass for field goal position, and Rodrigo Blankenship bombed one in from 55 yards out to change the tenor of the game.
“The paw is flying on top of that mountain tonight,” Swinney said, florid rhetoric pouring forth. “We saw the top of it last year, didn’t quite get there. Tonight we took that next step.”It took a long time to get there. For most of the game the Tide dominated, and Clemson fought to stay close.
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