SmackDown Sport's
With The Smock
Happy New Years to one and all! It’s ya boy DJ Smock ready to give y’all another installment of Smackdown Sports for the start of the year 2015. So much to discuss so let’s get to it! We start off with the college football playoffs. For the first time in history, college football got it right. Instead of leaving it up to a damn computer, they actually came up with a viable playoff by taking the top four teams in the poll this season and saying, ”Go out on the field and handle your business!” So the first national semi-final had a matchup of the last two Heisman trophy winning quarterbacks in battle. The 2013 winner, Jameis Winston, QB of the undefeated defending national champions Florida State Seminoles versus the 2014 winner of the Heisman Trophy, Marcus Mariotta, QB of the University Oregon Ducks ranked # 2 in the CFB playoffs. This one had the star power between the two quarterbacks on the field along with the backdrop of the ”Granddaddy of them all” in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. It started out as an interesting matchup because Florida State started out scoring on their first drive after stopping Oregon to go up 3-0. Oregon however on their next drive went up 8-3 and soon they were up 18-6 before FSU drove down the field to close the gap to 18-13 at halftime. The second half, however, started what would be an onslaught by Oregon which was all created by four FSU turnovers and started with the fumble by freshman running for FSU, Delvin Cook. Before the ‘Noles knew what hit ‘em, they were down 59-20 and Oregon set all kinds of Rose Bowl records: most points, most points in the 3rd quarter with 27, and largest margin of victory with almost 40. Thus the Ducks move on to the championship game in Arlington at Jerry world aka Dallas Cowboys Stadium where they await the winner of the second semi-final at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The #1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #4 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in what would turn out to be the best game of the day. With Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban, leading a talented team with a roster full of NFL prospects such as WR Amari Cooper, who was a huge favorite going into the game against a Ohio State team with the third string starting QB in Cardale “#12 Gage” Jones, certainly the Buckeyes would
not stand a chance in hell, right? It started out that way as Bama’ started out with a 21-6 lead midway thru the 2nd quarter, but then the Buckeyes offense came to life and closed the gap to 21-20 at halftime. The Bucks then proceed to come out swinging in the second half 50 yard bomb for touchdown to take the lead at 27-21. The game then took a major momentum swing which would see the Buckeyes go up 34-21 thanks to defensive tackle Steven Miller’s inception return for a touchdown off Bama QB Blake Sims. Bama fought back to get the game to 34-28 and after OSU’s offense stalled in the late third and most of the fourth quarter, many Bucks fans were going “Oh No, here we go again!” But after a key defensive stop, OSU’s RB who had a career day, proceeded to lock up the win with an 80-yard touchdown run to make the score 42-28. Bama’ scored a later TD to close the gap to 42-35 but were unable to connect on a hail mary pass which was intercepted by OSU, and thus send the Bucks to a date with destiny and take on the Oregon Ducks for the crown of the inaugural college football playoff champion . The National Championship game would be historic for either Oregon or Ohio State because it would allow one of these teams to not just be crowned champion, but the first champion in the history of the College Football Playoff recognized as the first to win it all under the new format. Also, the moniker of the true “Undisputed champion!" That team would in fact be the OSU Buckeyes, with a dominate performance capturing the crown with a 42-20 victory, shutting down the Ducks high powered attack and running what will most certainly be the last college game for the Heisman trophy winner QB Marcus Mariotta. They physically destroyed him and his teammates with the tough running of RB Ezekeiel Elliott, a defensive performance for the ages, The Bucks defense and the star of the show in Glenville High School and Cleveland’s own OSU, QB Cardale Jones, who's fresh off of being a father for the first time and going from the 3rd string QB to being the QB for OSU to winning a National Championship. Mr. Jones is now a household name in every home and workplace in America to having a