Cleveland State falters in the stretch and loses to Valparaiso, 58-56.

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Alec Peters scored 24 points and Valparaiso held on to beat Cleveland State, 58-56, in a Horizon League men's basketball game Saturday night.

Cleveland State led, 54-51, with 2:27 remaining before Peters made three free throws and Vashil Fernandez scored to give the Crusaders a 56-54 lead. Andre Yates split a pair of free throws to pull Cleveland State within 56-55.

Peters threw an inbounds strike past midcourt to Tevonn Walker, who made a layup and was fouled with 9.8 seconds left. Walker missed the free throw, making it 58-55 and giving Cleveland State another shot.

The Vikings' Charlie Lee dribbled into the paint, and dished back to Trey Lewis, who was fouled on his trey attempt with 1.7 seconds left. He made the first free throw but missed the second.

Cleveland State (9-9, 3-1 Horizon League) couldn't grab the rebound on Lewis' intentionally missed third shot, sealing it for Valparaiso (16-3, 3-1).

"I thought we hurt ourselves tonight," said CSU coach Gary Waters. "We didn't execute on offense and we missed nine free throws and too many down the stretch. When we took the lead, we should have closed out the game. But give them credit for coming back."

Anton Grady led the Vikings with 19 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Lee tallied 14 points, a career-best eight rebounds and six assists. Yates added eight points and four steals.

The Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers 31-17 on Saturday night in an NFC divisional playoff game.

SEATTLE (AP) -- This time Russell Wilson did it with his arm, passing the Seattle Seahawks into the NFC championship game for the second straight year with a big assist from Kam Chancellor.

The Seahawks are one step closer to defending their Super Bowl title.

Wilson threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, Chancellor returned an interception 90 yards for a TD midway through the fourth quarter and the Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers 31-17 on Saturday night in an NFC divisional playoff game.

Wilson was nearly flawless in one of the best playoff performances of his young career. He took shots downfield and was hard to stop on third downs.

Wilson threw a 16-yard touchdown to Doug Baldwin in the first quarter, found Jermaine Kearse for a 63-yard TD in the second quarter and capped his night with a 25-yard strike to Luke Willson with 10:26 remaining that gave Seattle a 24-10 lead.

But the capper was still to come, from the most impressive athlete on the field.

Chancellor had wowed everyone by twice jumping over the Carolina offensive line on a pair of Graham Gano field goal attempts at the end of the first half. And he showed that he's a pretty good safety in coverage, too.

With Carolina driving and trying to cut Seattle's 14-point lead in half, Chancellor anticipated Newton's throw. He jumped in front of Ed Dickson and returned his third career postseason interception for a touchdown.

It was the longest touchdown in Seattle's postseason history, topping Percy Harvin's 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in last season's Super Bowl.

The Seahawks (13-4) never trailed and became the first defending Super Bowl champion to win a playoff game the following season since New England in January 2006.

Since that Patriots victory, three defending champions have earned byes only to lose in the divisional round, the last being Green Bay in the 2011 playoffs.

Seattle will host either Green Bay or Dallas next Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl.

Cam Newton threw a pair of touchdowns to Kelvin Benjamin, but Carolina (8-9-1) couldn't overcome three turnovers, two of which the Seahawks turned into touchdowns.

After knocking off Arizona in the wild-card round last week, Carolina was trying to be the first team to reach a conference championship game after having a losing record in the regular season.

Much like the previous three regular-season games between the two teams, Carolina made it difficult on Seattle. The best running team in the NFL this season was held to 100 yards rushing by the Panthers defense.

Marshawn Lynch was mostly a non-factor aside from a 25-yard run in the third quarter that helped set up Steven Hauschka's 37-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But Wilson was outstanding, especially on third down. All three of his touchdown throws came on third-and-long situations. Baldwin beat safety Tre Boston on a double move on third-and-9 on his TD catch in the first quarter.

Kearse got free on his TD reception on a third-and-7. And Willson's catch-and-run TD came on a third-and-10.

And for good measure, Wilson hit Kearse for 33 yards to the Carolina 14 with 2 minutes left, took three knees and moved on to the NFC title game.

Wilson finished with a passer rating of 149.2, the second-highest for any game in his career.

Oregon is still a 5.5-point favorite over the Buckeyes. Should that be the case?

DALLAS -- Ohio State is 5-0 as an underdog in Urban Meyer's five seasons, and the Buckeyes coach has been asked a lot in the last 10 days about getting Ohio State ready to serve in that role again.

Are we sure that makes sense?

With Oregon losing receiver Darren Carrington to a suspension, the Ducks are down two of their top four receivers as well as their best cornerback.

Ohio State is 8-0 against Oregon all-time.

Ohio State practiced in cavernous AT&T Stadium on Saturday, getting a feel for gameday, while Oregon practiced at a local high school.

Ohio State has a history that includes Woody Hayes. I've watched people debate whether Mike Bellotti or Chip Kelly is the best Oregon coach of all-time.

Ohio State has seen and dealt with the Oregon style of attack, and shut it down in the Rose Bowl five years ago in a 26-17 win.

As we sure the correct team is favored?

The Buckeyes are down to their third quarterback, but, as Oregon coach Mark Helfrich pointed out Saturday, have otherwise been pretty healthy this year. Meanwhile, the Ducks are dealing with a recent round of player losses.

The line has moved from Oregon favored by 7 to Oregon favored 5.5 in the last couple day.

So though the Buckeyes were underdogs against Wisconsin and Alabama, maybe that shouldn't be the case now. With NEOMG video guru David Anderson filming the video so we look like movie stars against the Dallas skyline, Ari, Bill and I talked about which team should really be the favorite for Monday's matchup.

Tell us which team you think should be favored in the comments.

Five reasons the Oregon Ducks will beat the Ohio State Buckeyes in Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship.

DALLAS — Five reasons the No. 2 Oregon Ducks (13-1) will beat the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-1) on Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

1. Marcus Mariota: Why get cute with it when we're talking about the best player in college football?

Maybe Oregon receiver Charles Nelson said it best.

"With Marcus on the field, anything is possible," he said.

• 5 reasons Ohio State will win

Of course Nelson would praise his quarterback, but he's not far off. Ohio State has faced Heisman Trophy finalists in this lead up to the National Championship, but now the Buckeyes get the winner.

Mariota is a Heisman winner because he's the kind of player that make things right when they start to go awry. Play breaks down and the Buckeyes get three guys on the quarterback? Mariota has the shake to get free and make a play down field.

He's dangerous. On a team that doesn't have the star power Ohio State saw when it played Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Mariota is the equalizer.

"Our No. 1 concern is their quarterback," Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said. Not the tempo. Not the wear and tear on the players' bodies after 14 games. The quarterback.

"Our biggest concern is the guy receiving the snap every play. I think he's one of the finest that's ever played the game, and that's our biggest issue."

That tempo everyone likes to talk about? It's a real thing and should be a concern, but Mariota is the guy that makes it go. He has his finger on the pulse of the offense and will make teams pay when he smells blood.

"He always wants to go fast," Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. "I think Marcus thinks that's an advantage, he's able to handle and process all that information so fast that he likes go fast a lot."

Oregon will have the best player on the field on Monday night.

2. This isn't a case of two identical offenses going against each other: So throw out any preconceived notions that Ohio State somehow has a leg up on stopping the Ducks because Urban Meyer is friends with former Oregon coach Chip Kelly.

The offenses are similar, but no more similar than Oregon is to Arizona, Arizona State, Nebraska, Indiana or any other team that runs a spread offense.

"I think that's been over-reported," Frost said. "They do their thing, we do our thing."

Watch Oregon play for 10 minutes and decide if you think its offense is the same as Ohio State's. Ohio State doesn't have a triple option element. Oregon does. Ohio State doesn't rely on the bubble as much as Oregon does.

They're different.

When Meyer spent time with Oregon during his stint at ESPN, he did take some things that have influenced his coaching style, namely the tempo aspect. But he didn't copy Kelly's playbook and bring it with him to Ohio State. This is the same offense Meyer had at Florida, just a little faster.

Oregon's offense is as-billed, and if Ohio State slows it down, it will be the first team to accomplish that this year.

3. Bend, but don't break: Yeah you've heard this one before, and Oregon bends plenty. The Ducks are 86th in the country in total defense, giving up nearly 422 yards per game. Here's the rub: Oregon is 27th in points allowed and has allowed 20 or fewer points in its last four games.

View full sizeOregon linebacker Tony Washington, left, knocks the ball away from Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.Associated Press 

Don't be blinded by the yards allowed.

"What does that mean?" Ducks linebacker Tony Washington said when asked if his defense has a bend, but don't break mentality. "To win more games you have to score more points than them, so I guess that's a good thing."

Against Florida State in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks held the Seminoles to two touchdowns in five red zone attempts. They stopped Heisman winning quarterback Jamies Winston on a fourth-and-goal run from the 1-yard line in the second quarter that would've given Florida State the lead.

Is Oregon finesse? Yes. The Ducks will play soft zone coverage and allow you to move the ball between the 20-yard lines. But they're not soft. They'll hit you in the mouth when you get in the red zone.

Ohio State will have to earn points against the Ducks the same way it did against Alabama.

"At the end of the day it comes down to our mindset," Washington said. "If they're on the 2-yard line, it's up to us to decide if we're gonna let them in or not. I think our guys do a great job of stepping up to the challenge. I think that's huge because they can be a big momentum shift."

4. Oregon has a couple Evan Spencers. Freaky athlete-type guys who weirdly excel as blocking receivers? Yeah, Oregon has plenty of those.

They're not all quite as big and buff as Spencer, but the Ducks receivers are effective all the same. Meet Keanon Lowe.

"Keanon Lowe is the leader of that," Frost said. "He's been blocking great for us for three or four years now. He's the lead dog of that group."

Lowe loves blocking. Pay attention to No. 7 on Monday night because he's not afraid to mix it up with the defensive backs and spring his teammates for big gains on bubbles and receiver screens.

"I just like to play physical, play my own style of football," Lowe said. "I don't care how many catches I have, I just like to play football ... "If you're getting smacked every play it definitely has to have an effect on you."

A two-fold effect.

First Lowe, or any of the five other receivers Frost listed as good blockers, get up on defensive backs and push them around. It's all part of the process of wearing down defenses that makes Oregon so effective.

But it's also bait. Once you start jumping the short stuff when guys look like they're going to block, Mariota will throw it over your head for a big gain.

5. Next man up: Three words repeated ad nauseam by every football coach and every football player in America.

But if you believed everything was sunshine and lollipops when Ohio State had to go into the Big Ten Championship with its third option at quarterback, then believe Oregon will be OK with three of its top five pass catchers out for Monday's game.

Receiver Devon Allen? Gone. Injured on the opening kickoff against Florida State. Receiver Darren Carrington? Gone. Suspended for failing a drug test. Tight end Pharaoh Brown? Gone. Out for the season with a leg injury.

Even with those three gone, Oregon still has four players with 20 receptions. Leading receiver Byron Marshall (66 catches, 834 yards) will play. Dwayne Stanford, a 6-5 big target from Cincinnati, will play. Lowe will play. And the speedster Nelson will play.

The Ducks think they'll be just fine.

"We rotate so many receivers in this offense that it doesn't matter who's up, we'll be all right," Mariota said. "Our focus is continuing to play at our level." 

The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes will play the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in the first College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night.

DALLAS — The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes will play the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in the first College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night. Kickoff from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

The game will be televised on ESPN with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Tom Rinaldi and Heather Cox on the call. A full list of Ohio State's radio affiliates can be found here.

The Buckeyes (13-1) reached the championship with a 42-35 win over Alabama in a playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. The Ducks (13-1) beat Florida State 59-20 in a playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State and Oregon will play for the ninth time on Monday night. The Buckeyes have won the previous eight meetings, including the 2010 and 1955 Rose Bowls.

Cleveland.com will have continuing coverage of the Buckeyes in the championship, and our colleagues from Oregonlive.com have you covered on the Ducks side.

Here's a sampling of our Ohio State coverage from Sunday:

5 reasons Ohio State football will beat the Oregon Ducks: An offensive gameplan three years in the making

5 reasons Oregon football will beat the Ohio State Buckeyes: 'With Marcus on the field, anything is possible'

Ohio State football: Who is Rashad Frazier and how could a Buckeyes near-starter be such a big mystery?

Where Braxton Miller still stands tall: Ohio State's QB and a difficult, joyous football season

Ohio State fans rally before the National Championship game against Oregon

DALLAS -- Several thousand fans attended the Buckeye Bash, an event presented by the Ohio State University Alumni Association.

The event was held at the Hilton Anatole, and included the OSU marching band, cheerleaders and former players Bobby Carpenter, Craig Krenzel, Mike Doss and Branden Joe. The Buckeyes will play Oregon in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday.

See a gallery of images taken by Plain Dealer photographers Chuck Crow and Marvin Fong from the rally. 

Cole Blagg earned a hat trick during Parma hockey's 8-1 win against Elyria Catholic on Sunday.

Cole Blagg earned a hat trick during Parma hockey's 8-1 win against Elyria Catholic on Sunday.

Helfrich has won 24 of 27 games at Oregon, but Ducks' up-tempo system is largely attributed to former head coach Kelly

DALLAS — I don't know how widespread the feeling is within the Oregon football team, but I know there are undercurrents of unrest among the players about head coach Mark Helfrich.

Oh, they love the guy.

They just wish he would get his due.

Ever since Helfrich took over the Ducks in January 2013, he has been linked to his predecessor, Chip Kelly.

Helfrich has won 24 of his 27 games at Oregon ... but there always seems to be a qualifier: He's done it with Chip Kelly's system, with Chip Kelly's players.

He has lost only three games, and each time, it proved — some say — that he is no Chip Kelly.

And in the days leading up to the Rose Bowl national semifinal, and Monday's national championship, Helfrich and the Oregon players were peppered with Chip Kelly questions and comparisons.

"It bugs me,'' senior Keanon Lowe said. "Helf ... man, we wouldn't be here without him.''

So on Monday, against Ohio State, some Oregon players say they are playing for more than themselves, and the program.

They say they are playing for Helfrich.

"Our game plan now, on Monday,'' linebacker Derrick Malone said sternly, "is Helf is going to step out of the shadows and come into his own right. He is going to do something that has never been done at the University of Oregon. And it's all going to be a credit to him.

"I think with that,'' Malone said, "people won't be mentioning Chip.''

• • •

There's a delicate balance within the Oregon program when it comes to Kelly and Helfrich.

To be clear, Kelly is still revered inside the Oregon program.

"I will be the first to say, Chip is my hero,'' defensive backs coach John Neal said. "There is nobody I respect, love and admire more than Chip Kelly. Nobody.''

His ways, his plays, and what he used to say are still etched throughout the program, and Eugene.

Win the Day. Next Man Up. Fast. Hard. Finish. All Chip-isms, and all still embraced and utilized.

"I was at a gas station in Eugene the other day and saw a Win The Day sign in the window,'' Neal said. "I took a picture and texted it to Chip and told him 'The spirit is still alive.' And we need to keep it. Because the guy is special. All the coaches believe in it, and fortunately, so does Mark.''

But there also is a growing sentiment, especially among the players, that enough is enough. For how much Helfrich likes to deflect praise and spread it among the program, and for how much the public and media like to still bring up Kelly, the players seem to feel obligated to make this about Helfrich.

After all, Chip Kelly wasn't in that Eugene locker room that cold Thursday night after the Arizona loss, knowing the right words to say, and the right way to say them.

It was Helfrich.

Chip Kelly wasn't on the headsets that fall afternoon against Michigan State, with Oregon trailing by 11 in the third quarter, making adjustments with his coordinators that would end up being a 19-point victory.

It was Helfrich.

Other than one of his old mantras — "next man up" — Kelly had no impact in guiding this team through a rash of unprecedented injuries that forced nine different starting units on the offensive line, and season-ending injuries to stars such as tackle Tyler Johnstone, tight end Pharaoh Brown, receiver Bralon Addison, and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.

And it wasn't Chip Kelly who secured one of the most impactful freshman classes that have come through Eugene in years, with the likes of running back Royce Freeman, utility athlete Charles Nelson, and offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby showing the future is bright, too.

It was all Helfrich.

"I feel like even if coach Helfrich won like five national championships, there will always be talk about how coach Kelly initiated this thing,'' senior linebacker Tony Washington said.

"But I'm telling you,'' Washington said. "You have to give Helfrich credit. What he has done with this is a huge deal."

• • •

Part of what has made Helfrich so successful is he doesn't care about all this talk. He doesn't care who gets credit. He doesn't worry about working in the shadow of his predecessor. And he doesn't care about awards or attention.

"Deep down, everybody probably wants to be in the limelight, but I don't think Mark does,'' said linebackers coach Erik Chiander, who spent time with Kelly at Oregon and with the Eagles before joining Helfrich's staff. "He understands, he know this is bigger than all of us. We just want what's best for the team.

"So people can say all of this is because of Chip, or cast Mark in a shadow, and he's OK with that.''

The reason, his staff and players say, is because Helfrich is the definition of selfless.

"All that talk would bother a guy with an ego; Mark Helfrich doesn't have an ego,'' offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. "Which is why everyone around him likes him so much and will play so hard for him.''

When Kelly departed for the Eagles, and took defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro with him, Neal said the Ducks' long-standing staff all wanted Helfrich to be the replacement.

"That's why when people say after Chip left there was his shadow ... well, good,'' Neal said. "And good that we kept it. That's why we all wanted Mark. We wanted to keep the system. And we felt Mark was the right guy, that we all had enough respect for, to keep this going in the right direction.''

He did it by giving his assistants empowering autonomy. Everybody feels like they have a voice, and a part in the system. And he did it by accepting what worked, while also listening and tinkering with ways to improve.

"I have never viewed this program as Chip's program,'' Helfrich said. "And I have never viewed it as my program. It's all these guys. It's a combination of support. We are kind of on a train that is trying to get more efficient: better, faster, all those things.''

With the players, they noticed the same wit and offensive genius as Kelly, but with Helfrich, there was a more personal touch.

"Everyone knows what Chip did to this program when he took over, and coach Helfrich hasn't changed that much,'' center Hroniss Grasu said. "The only thing he has changed is he has brought this team so much closer together. He kind of made it like a high school team. With coach Kelly it was more about business, about playing football,. With coach Helfrich, he really cares a lot about us as players, as people and he truly loves us. Not saying coach Kelly didn't, but coach Helfrich has taken it to another level.''

And now, the Ducks are on the cusp of a level they have never reached: the national title. Kelly got here in 2010, but he lost 22-19 to Auburn.

Now on Monday night, the players would like to create a distinction between the teams, and the coaches.

"Just to be mentioned with Chip Kelly puts you in a good category,'' Malone said. "But if it was me, I would be a little bothered. That's why Monday, he is ready to come into his own right. And we are going to help him.''

For our final predictions video in Dallas we got outrageous for Monday night's National Championship.

DALLAS -- One last time to be outrageous.

The over-under for Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship between Ohio State and Oregon is 74.5 points, so any game that could be around 41-34 as the final score is going to be pretty outrageous.

If our final Outrageous Predictions are all correct, it should be an outrageously good night for Ohio State.

Doug Lesmerises says Ohio State will block a punt

Urban Meyer's teams are 22-0 in games in which they block a punt. It might be his favorite stat. 

In 2012, the Buckeyes blocked two punts and four kicks for six total blocks.

In 2013, the Buckeyes the blocked three punts.

This season, they have just one block, by Jeff Greene on a Kent State punt.

While the Buckeyes have spent the last 11 days, since beating Alabama, gameplanning their offense and defense, they've also been plotting on special teams, you must think. In what should be a high-scoring game, a blocked punt would be huge.

Meyer loves special teams and knows he may have to take a couple risks to win a game like this. Going after a punt, even though Oregon hasn't had a punt blocked since 2011, would be a smart one to take.

Bill Landis says Oregon QB Marcus Mariota will throw two interceptions

The man who rarely makes a mistake will make two against Ohio State. Mariota has thrown three interceptions all year, his last two-interception game came in a one-point win over Oregon State in November 2013. Here's why I think the Buckeyes will pull off the feat:

Oregon's offense starts with the run, establishing that opens everything else up. Ohio State stopping Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon has me convinced the Buckeyes won't let Ducks back Royce Freeman run wild. Mariota will have to throw it more, which means more opportunities for mistakes. Guys like Vonn Bell, Tyvis Powell and Doran Grant seem to always be in the right spot to pick the ball off in big moments, why would that change now?

Two interceptions doesn't mean stopping Mariota completely, but taking two possessions away from Oregon's offense would be huge.

Ari Wasserman says Ezekiel Elliott will rush for 300 yards 

This prediction would probably have been that Elliott would rush for 200 yards, but he just rushed for nearly 500 in the last two games – including 220 vs. Alabama – so I had to make it outrageous. So 300. 

Oregon beat up Florida State pretty bad, but the Seminoles cut through the Ducks' defense on the ground rather easily. If it weren't for the 10 fumbles in that game, perhaps Florida State would have had a chance to win. 

I like Ohio State's physicality and the way Elliott has grown this season. Because of that, I think Elliott runs all over the place. 

And consider this: If Elliott rushes for 300 yards vs. Oregon, he would be the record-holder for most rushing yards in a season in Ohio State history. Elliott currently has 1,632 yards and Eddie George is the current record-holder with 1,927. 

Watch Ohio State alumni, students, fans and former players rally for a Buckeye’s victory at the Buckeye Bash in Dallas.

DALLAS -- The Ohio State University Alumni Association hosted the Buckeye Bash at the team's hotel to rally for a victory Monday night against the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The Best Damn Band in the Land, the Ohio State Marching Band entertained the crowd along with the cheer squad and Brutus Buckeye.

Then, two-time Heisman Trophy winner, former Buckeye's running back Archie Griffin addressed the crowd.  "This is the one that we have been waiting for, The Bucks against the Ducks.  Everything on the line,"  said Griffin.

"To stop the Ducks, it all start with getting after their quarterback.  That's why guys like Adolphus Washington, Joey Bosa, and Michael Bennett pack camouflage in their bags.  Cause their going Duck hunting Monday night," Griffin added.

O - H - I - O!

On Twitter: @CLEvideos

Andrew Luck has his signature NFL win, and it came against his predecessor, at that.

DENVER -- Andrew Luck has his signature NFL win, and it came against his predecessor, at that.

Hardly pressured all afternoon, Luck threw two touchdown passes and led the Indianapolis Colts past Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 24-13 Sunday.

The Colts (13-5) advanced to the AFC championship game at New England (13-4), which beat Baltimore 35-31 Saturday night.

The Broncos (12-5) are left to deal with the hangover of yet another playoff debacle -- and maybe questions about Manning's future as well as that of coach John Fox.

Manning, who joined the Broncos in 2012 after his release from Indy, has gone one-and-done in the playoffs a record nine times in his otherwise stellar career, including twice in Denver, where he's 38-10 in the regular season, but just 2-3 in the playoffs.

Overall, he's 11-13 in the postseason and this was one of his worst playoff performances ever. He never found a rhythm, constantly overthrew his receivers and finished 26 of 46 for 111 yards, one TD and no interceptions.

It wasn't the kind of bounce-back the Broncos expected after watching Manning throw just three TD passes with six interceptions in December after Denver downshifted its high-octane offense.

Each of his three seasons in Denver has ended in humbling losses, to the Ravens and Colts at home after first-round byes and to Seattle in last year's Super Bowl.

These Broncos were better balanced with a grinding ground game and star-studded defense bolstered by John Elway's signings of Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware and T.J. Ward to a guaranteed $60 million in free agency.

But none of them came up big Sunday and the Broncos were left to deal with yet another wrenching playoff loss.

Luck completed 27 of 43 passes for 265 yards with two TDs and two interceptions that were the equivalent of punts and no sacks.

The Colts stretched a four-point halftime lead to 21-10 when Luck drove the Colts 72 yards in 11 plays, hitting Hakeem Nicks from 15 yards midway through the third quarter.

The Broncos finally got something going after their second interception of Luck, this one by Rahim Moore at the Denver 24.

On fourth-and-1 from the Colts 36, C.J. Anderson eluded three tacklers in the backfield as he spun and slashed his way for 7 yards. But once again, the Broncos stalled and had to settle for Connor Barth's 41-yard field goal that made it 21-13 with 13:50 remaining.

The Broncos' pass rush couldn't get to Luck, who drove the Colts 54 yards in 13 plays, chewing up more than 8 minutes before Adam Vinatieri's 30-yard field goal made it 24-13 with four minutes remaining in the half-empty Sports Authority Field.

The 40-degree temperature at kickoff actually fell in Luck's favor -- he's 5-1 in games 40 and cooler, while Manning is 12-14 in such situations.

Daniel Herron's 6-yard TD run had tied it at 7 early in the second quarter after Manning's fade pass to Demaryius Thomas in the left corner of the end zone put Denver ahead 7-0.

Linebacker Jerrell Freeman recovered the loose ball after Jonathan Newsome's sack-strip of Manning at the Denver 41. Eight plays later, Luck hit tight end Dwayne Allen with a 3-yard strike to put the Colts ahead for good 14-7.

Vinatieri was wide right on a 44-yard field goal try with no wind, and just before halftime, rookie cornerback Bradley Roby intercepted Luck's ill-advised heave at midfield. That led to Barth's 45-yard field goal that cut Denver's deficit to 14-10 at the break.

But Denver's halftime adjustments failed and the Broncos went three-and-out to start the second half, then watched the Colts, whom they beat 31-24 here in the season opener, take control.

Manning was just 7 for 18 for 71 yards in the first half. After completing all three of his passes on Denver's first drive, including a 32-yarder to Julius Thomas and a 1-yard TD toss to Demaryius Thomas, Manning was just 4 for 15. That included seven overthrows and two drops by Demaryius Thomas on screens.

LeBron James to test his knee, back injuries in practice Monday.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Barring a setback, LeBron James will participate in practice on Monday in Phoenix as he inches closes to his probable return from injury this week.

James will not play tonight against the Sacramento Kings, marking the career-high ninth game he's missed (and eight in a row) because of nagging left knee and lower back injuries.

But James accompanied the Cavaliers on their five-game Western trip that began Friday with a target date to return to action Thursday in Los Angeles, if not sooner.

Team spokesman Tad Carper said James would "practice to tolerance" Monday, which means James would participate as long as his body felt comfortable. How much James can do in practice and how he feels the next morning will dictate whether James returns to play Tuesday against the Suns.

James' on-court activity increased each day over the weekend. He put himself through an extended shooting workout before Sunday's game, lasting about 25 minutes.

Cavaliers coach David Blatt was asked Sunday if James would "practice" Monday and he said: "We hope so, yes, we hope so.

"We've been building him slowly but surely and getting him more and more involved in practice," Blatt said. "He still hasn't done live work. Tomorrow we'll see if he can do that."

Asked if he thought James would play Tuesday if he practices Monday, Blatt said "not sure about that."

"We entered this process with the express idea of getting him back 100 percent," Blatt said. "He's ready, that's when he'll play."

Get live updates and analysis as cleveland.com's Chris Fedor and other reporters bring you the latest on the game between the Cavs and Kings.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their fifth straight game on Sunday night, getting demolished by the Sacramento Kings, 103-84. 

Playing without LeBron James once again, the Cavs' offense struggled, shooting 42 percent. The defense wasn't much better as the Kings hit 48 percent from the field.

The Cavs, 19-19, are now 1-8 in games without James, who could return to the lineup on Tuesday when the Cavs play the Suns. 

Scoring Summary:

End of 3rd Quarter - Kings lead the Cavs, 85-64. Kevin Love has 22 points and nine rebounds. Kyrie Irving has added 19 points. Timofey Mozgov, who made his first start for the Cavs, has 14 points and 10 boards. For the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins has a game-high 23 points. Rudy Gay has chipped in with 21 points. 

End of 2nd Quarter - Kings lead the Cavs, 59-44. Kyrie Irving leads the way with 17 points. Kevin Love has added 14 points and six rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins has 17 points for the Kings. Rudy Gay has added 12 points. 

End of 1st Quarter - Kings lead the Cavs, 30-29. Kyrie Irving leads all scorers. Irving has 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Kevin Love has added nine points. DeMarcus Cousins has 10 points for the Kings. 

Game 38: Cavs (19-18) vs. Kings (15-21)

Tip off: 9 p.m. at Sleep Train Arena

TV/radio: Fox Sports Ohio, NBA TV; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS 100.7 FM

Cavs probable starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, Mike Miller, Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov.

Kings probable starting lineup: Darren Collison, Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, Jason Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins.

FREQUENTLY REFRESH this page to get the latest updates. If you're viewing this on a mobile app, click here to get updates and comment.

The Browns were set to interview former 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Monday, but that's 'unlikely' now because he's in talk to join Rex Ryan with the New York Jets.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns offensive coordinator candidate Greg Roman is in talks to become the Bills' offensive coordinator under Rex Ryan, and is "unlikely'' to interview for the Browns coordinator vacancy, a source told Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Roman, who interviewed for the Bills' head coaching job, was scheduled to interview with the Browns on Monday, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.

But things moved quickly for the former 49ers offensive coordinator this weekend after the Bills decided on Ryan as their new head coach.

According to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, the Bills agreed in principle with Ryan on a contract Sunday night, and they were also negotiating with Roman.

Roman, who worked with Ryan and Browns coach Mike Pettine in Baltimore in 2006-07, also interviewed Saturday for the Jaguars offensive coordinator vacancy. Roman, who played for John Carroll University, interviewed with his college roommate and teammate Dave Caldwell, the Jaguars general manager.

Former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan also interviewed for the Jets head coach job, as did his father, Mike Shanahan.

Shanahan is expected to join Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn with the New York Jets as his offensive coordinator if and when he's named their head coach. Quinn is believe to the clearcut frontrunner for the job, but the Jets must wait until Quinn is out of the playoffs. The Seahawks will face the Packers in the NFC Championship Game next week.

The Browns must now turn their attention to other coordinators to replace Shanahan, who was granted permission to leave the Browns on Thursday. Shanahan had two years remaining on his contract, but was unhappy with his situation here.

The Cavs have lost nine of 11.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers lost to the Kings, 103-84, Sunday night at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif. Here is a capsule look at the game from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Three words: Awful. Just awful.

Stumbling and bumbling: The Cavs (19-19) have lost five in a row and nine of 11. They are at .500 for the first time since Nov. 26 (7-7).

LBJ remains sidelined: LeBron James (left knee, back) missed his eighth straight game and ninth overall. The Cavs are 1-8 without him.

When the Cavs do not have LeBron -- and others, including Anderson Varejao and Shawn Marion -- some defeats qualify as understandable. Sunday's was not in that category.

The slumbering Cavs were dismantled, and most would submit embarrassed, by a bad opponent that is on its second head coach this season. Former Cav Tyrone Corbin's Kings improved to 16-21 overall, 10-11 at home.

The Kings owned the Cavs in almost every area, to such an extent that the final score actually did not do the dominance justice. The Kings did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, especially in the paint (40 points). The Cavs compounded their defensive woes by missing numerous open shots.

Fox Sports Ohio analyst Austin Carr said: "The way I see it right now, you can bring eight LeBrons back, but if they don't play defense better than what they're playing, and play more physical, LeBron coming back is not going to help this team. Their mindset has to change....You've got to make teams feel you, and they're not making that happen.''

The Kings had it so easy, and experienced so little resistance, that they committed just five turnovers and 11 fouls.

Their practices almost certainly are more intense.

Inexcusable: The Cavs, in less than half of a season, have lost to the Knicks (currently 5-35), 76ers (7-29), Jazz (13-25), Pistons (13-24) and Kings.  

Stink, stank, stunk: The Cavs were competitive against Sacramento for one quarter in non-garbage time. They trailed, 30-29, after the first.

The Kings took control in the second quarter and led, 59-44, by halftime. They cruised to an 85-64 advantage after three. 

Mercy rule: How bad did it get for the visitors? With 5:07 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Kings ahead, 96-69, Corbin did something rarely seen in the NBA: He subbed out all five players, who happened to be his starters.

The crowd stood and applauded.

Carr said: "They're up quite a few points, but to take all of your guys out like that, with five minutes left in the game, really shows no respect to the Cavaliers.''

And it wasn't as if Carr disagreed with Corbin's decision.

Cavs players probably didn't notice that their faces were being rubbed in it, college-style. They were worn out from complaining to officials about no-calls.

Mr. Cavalier thoroughly disgusted: As expected, Carr had plenty of negative things to say about the Cavs on Sunday night. One of his best monologues came with 4:00 remaining in the third quarter and the Kings leading, 74-54.

Carr said: "Sooner or later, the Cavaliers are going to have to all get together as a unit and they're going to have to say, 'We're not going to allow people to do us like this.' They've had too many games like this, where they just kind of let teams have what they want all the time. You can't worry about how many fouls you get. You just have to go out and play the game hard, because if you don't, teams will do this to you.''

As Carr spoke, Kings forward Rudy Gay easily posted up Joe Harris and sank a jumper in the lane.

Veteran Plain Dealer photographer Marvin Fong has been covering The Ohio State Buckeyes for many years with some help on occasion from The Plain Dealer's Chuck Crow. Follow the links for a look back at the Buckeye's 2014 season and Sugar Bowl victory on Jan. 1, 2015. Fong and Crow will be in Dallas for the national championship game...

Veteran Plain Dealer photographer Marvin Fong has been covering The Ohio State Buckeyes for many years with some help on occasion from The Plain Dealer's Chuck Crow. Follow the links for a look back at the Buckeye's 2014 season and Sugar Bowl victory on Jan. 1, 2015.

Fong and Crow will be in Dallas for the national championship game tonight, so be on the lookout for their photos. 

After the game-action shows directly below, you can find other slideshows that relate to this past year's Ohio State football season; galleries on Cardale Jones, Urban Meyer, Joey Bosa ... and even the Ohio State band and a look back at the 2014-season fans.

OSU vs. Navy

OSU vs. Virginia Tech

OSU vs. Kent State

OSU vs. Cincinnati

OSU vs. Maryland

OSU vs. Rutgers

OSU vs. Penn State

OSU vs. Illinois

OSU vs. Michigan State

OSU vs. Minnesota

OSU vs. Indiana

OSU vs. Michigan

OSU vs. Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship Game)

OSU vs. Alabama (Sugar Bowl)

Some other galleries of interest

Michael Bennet

Cardale Jones

Cardale Jones as a high school star

Ezekiel Elliot

Joey Bosa

Urban Meyer

The Ohio State University Marching Band

The always colorful Ohio State fans

Cleveland Cavaliers admit the effort level wasn't there after losing to the Sacramento Kings.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – What happened at Sleep Train Arena on Sunday night was disturbing.

The Sacramento Kings were not supposed to manhandle the Cleveland Cavaliers that way, resulting in a 103-84 rout.

Cleveland (19-19) had just come off of a game where they fought tooth and nail with the Golden State Warriors until things unraveled late in the fourth quarter.

They showed life, promise and the willingness to never quit. But on Sunday, it was an inexcusable amount of exertion placed forth and that simply will not do.

"It wasn't a good performance by us, honestly," head coach David Blatt said. "You can't sugarcoat that...That was not the performance we hoped for."

When the Kings built a significant lead, shoulders started to slump, heads were hung down and tempers flared. Players started to behave out of character. Not pleased with the lack of calls, Kyrie Irving chased down referee Leroy Richardson as both teams were headed to the locker room for halftime.

Teammates intervened before the All-Star could pick up a cheap technical and it would have been his first ever technical, a sign of how irate he was at the time.

"The emotions," Irving said. "Like I said, I'm usually composed, but my emotions just got the best of me going into halftime."

DeMarcus Cousins talked trash and he backed it up, bruising the Cavaliers' frontcourt for 26 points and 13 rebounds. Rudy Gay dissected Cleveland's defense with an array a midrange jumpers to end with 23 points on an efficient 9-for-14 shooting.

Sacramento, a team that was six games under .500 entering the game, made it look easy and that's because it was easy.

"We didn't have the best effort," Kevin Love admitted. "We missed some good shots but all in all, it wasn't there for us tonight." He later said, "In anything that you do, that's unacceptable. We have to compete and compete every single night."

Irving agreed wholeheartedly.

"For us, what it really boils down to is just our effort on a consistent basis," Irving said.

One must keep in mind that Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith have only accumulated a few hours of practice time with their new team. They haven't even memorized 20 percent of the playbook. They're playing on instincts alone.

Not to mention arguably the best player in the game is out of commission. This team has its issues, but they need time to become whole again.

"We're going through a lot of stuff right now," Blatt said. "A lot of trials and tribulations, a lot of changes, a lot of adjustments on the fly. As I said tonight, it was not a step forward as it was the other night."

Cleveland is 1-8 with James on the sideline. The roster was structured in a manner to where they could withstand an injury or two. So far, they're not living up to their talent base.

Can the Cavaliers win without James?

"It's very disappointing," Love said. "We hoped that we would be able to go at least .500 with him out. We feel like we have enough talent, but we've just had a tough go without him.

"We just don't want to put a lot of pressure on him thinking that if he's out or in foul trouble that we can't win a basketball game because we have enough talented enough guys that do enough things that we can win."

The good news is the Cavaliers could be close to full strength come Tuesday in the desert. There's a distinct possibility that James and Shawn Marion will be made available against the Phoenix Suns.

However, James won't be the answer alone. They were struggling with him too.

"I'll be a lot happier if we can have a bad game when we have our old team," Blatt said.

Cleveland has lost nine of its last 11 and has dropped five in a row. They are 0-2 on this five-game road trip. The soap opera continues.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their fifth straight game on Sunday night, getting routed by the Sacramento Kings, 103-84.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their fifth straight game on Sunday night, getting routed by the Sacramento Kings, 103-84.

The Cavs, playing without LeBron James for the eighth game in a row, didn't have nearly enough offense and the defense was far too generous once again.

Cleveland, now 19-19 and sixth place in the Eastern Conference, is 1-8 this season without James, who could make his return to the lineup on Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Kevin Love recorded his 20^th double-double, scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a losing effort. Kyrie Irving added 21 points on 7-of-18 from the field. Timofey Mozgov, making his first start for the Cavs since coming over in a trade, had 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Here are five observations from the Cavs' most recent loss:

Stat that matters – There are two white boards hanging near the entrance of the Cavaliers' locker room at Quicken Loans Arena. One has the standings. If the Cavs were at home they would be able to easily see they have fallen to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, behind Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Washington and now surprising Milwaukee as well.

The other one keeps track of field goal percentage defense, which is a statistic that has been vital for championship contenders in the last decade plus.

Top 10 is the goal. San Antonio was in that range last year. Miami was there the two years before that. Even Dallas, when it upset Miami, was ranked sixth in the category.

The Cavs are currently ahead of one team this season: Minnesota. Ouch.

It's the Cavs lack of consistent defense, allowing opponents to shoot 47 percent, which has many questioning their legitimacy.

The Kings shot 48 percent from the field on Friday night and got far too many open looks. DeMarcus Cousins bullied his way to 26 points and 13 rebounds. The Cavs are now allowing 19.7 points to opposing centers this season, which ranks 23^rd in the NBA.

The Mozgov addition should help. So, too, should the return of James. But even earlier the Cavs' defensive weaknesses were apparent.

"Cavs run into a lot of teams that shoot the ball well," Cavs analyst Austin Carr said during the broadcast.

That's not it. Sacramento is not a great shooting team. They are averaging 45 percent from the field this year. The reason so many teams shoot well against the Cavs is because their defense is that bad.

If things don't improve then the season, which was expected to end in celebration, will instead end in disappointment and an off-season of questions.

There's time. It's still January. But the defense needs to get turned around. Fast.

Wrong side of history – Speaking of the Cavs' record, they have now put themselves in an unenviable position where they need to make history.

According to Elias, no team has never won an NBA championship that's been at or below .500 38 games into a season as the Cavs are.

Also, this is the latest a James team has been at or below .500 since James' second season when the Cavs were 40-40. 

No matter the adversity, injuries or other trials and tribulations, this is not what things were supposed to look like after the exciting summer in Cleveland.

David Blatt has a difficult job, but it's on him to make things work.

Lacking effort – The Cavs have lost eight of their last nine games, and the only win during that stretch is against the Charlotte Hornets, nine games below .500. But it's the way they are losing that's most alarming.

The Cavs have lost the eight games by an average of 14 points. Mixed in is a 23-point home loss against Detroit and a fourth quarter collapse against the putrid Philadelphia 76ers. That doesn't even include the 19-point loss to Sacramento, a team that was 6-13 since the calendar flipped to December.

They don't fight when things start to go the wrong way. They don't contest passes consistently or fight through screens. They haven't been able to force turnovers and get out in transition. The Kings turned the ball over five times in Sunday's game. They average nearly 15 per game. That low total on Friday is because turnovers are oftentimes forced. Without tenacity, miscues won't happen as much.

Then there's the transition defense where there were too many times certain Cavs players didn't even get beyond halfcourt as the Kings were scoring. The Kings had 17 fast break points and 22 points off turnovers. 

It's understandable when the Cavs lose to Atlanta, Dallas and Houston without James, but the Cavs still have two max players, Irving and Love, and are too talented to have these kinds of losses on their resume.

The players have to realize they need to play harder without James. It doesn't appear they see it the same way. They were supposed to be able to stay afloat without James. That's why the Big Three was put together. That's why the Cavs gave up two first-round picks for Mozgov and made the three-team trade with Oklahoma City and New York.

Instead, the Cavs have continued to drop in the standings without their leader and have, in turn, made the climb to the top incredibly difficult.

J.R. Smith Experience – No, it's not a rollercoaster at Cedar Point, but "The J.R. Smith Experience" will feel like it at times. Smith will go through plenty of ups and downs. That's been the story of his career, and that's been the story of his brief Cavaliers tenure.

In his debut, Smith played 18 minutes, and failed to score for the first time since Jan. 2013 when playing at least 10 minutes. He quickly made many forget about that by scoring 27 points against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, helping keep Cleveland in the game until the final minutes. But Sunday night, Smith was nonexistent once again. In 31 minutes, he went 2-for-10 from the field, scoring as many points (four) as he had turnovers.

When Shumpert returns from injury, Smith will shift into a Sixth Man role, but consistency will be important and Smith has struggled with that this season, even before getting a fresh start in Cleveland. 

Offensive woes – The Cavs came out hot, scoring 29 points. Irving and Love did most of the damage. Irving scored 14 points. Love added nine. But without James, the Cavs didn't have enough to keep up with the Kings, and that has been the case during the last eight games, averaging 90.6 points without James.

There has been one game (against Atlanta) where the Cavs have topped 100 points without The King. They got to the century mark in 16 out of 29 games with him. His absence has been at the root of the offensive struggles.

With the defense struggling the way it has all year, the Cavs were expected to use a potent offense to carry them through tough times. That hasn't happened. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers got run out of the gym as the Sacramento Kings earned the 103-84 win.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Frustration is setting in as the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped their fifth consecutive game with an 103-84 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

Sacramento big man DeMarcus Cousins pulled down a defensive board and drove the length of the court to draw a foul on J.R. Smith. While walking to the line for two free throws, he yelled to Smith, "You thought you were going to rip me."

Cousins and the Kings did whatever they wanted and the Cavaliers showed little resistance.

Cavs guard Kyrie Irving is typically composed, but he was livid in the second quarter with the lack of fouls being called. As the Cavaliers were entering the locker room at halftime down 59-44, Irving chased down referee Leroy Richardson to voice his displeasure.

Teammates got in between the two to prevent Irving from getting hit with a technical. It only got worse from there.

A disoriented Cavaliers squad came out in the third only for the Kings to extend their lead to 25. Cleveland's defense was nonexistent, allowing Sacramento (16-21) to run its sets with no pressure. Eventually, the Kings pushed the lead to 27.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with a game-highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Rudy Gay added 23 points.

Cleveland (19-19) has coughed up nine of its last 11 games. The Cavs are 0-2 on this five-game road trip.

Irving scored 14 of his 21 points in the first quarter. Kevin Love had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Timofey Mozgov got the start at center in his second game with the Cavaliers and provided 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Help could be on the way

LeBron James took part in a strenuous 25-minute pregame workout. He increased the level of intensity in the final 10 minutes. His shot was a little off, but he moved extremely well.

Head coach David Blatt is hopeful he will be able to practice on Monday. They are 1-8 with James sidelined.

Bench update

Sacramento outscored Cleveland 24-17. Reserve Carl Landry registered 12 points for the Kings.

Who's on deck?

Cleveland will travel to the desert to meet the Phoenix Suns for the first time this season on Tuesday. Phoenix (22-18) is holding down the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference.

"Cardale has always had talent," Meyer said, "but something happened in the last couple months. Everybody has a chance to push restart ... and he pushed restart and he hit the right button."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ohio State's world crashed down and everyone knew it but Cardale Jones. He was blissfully unaware, too busy living on his own planet. 

In Jones' world, it was appropriate to flamboyantly cheer during the "Carmen Ohio" celebration less than an hour after J.T. Barrett broke his ankle in the Michigan game; to dance during pregame of the Big Ten Championship; to say he didn't care about reversing the Big Ten's inferiority complex after slaying SEC megapower Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal. 

This is a third-string quarterback who overthrew a receiver so badly during spring football that the ball bounced off the back wall, yet somehow he remained bigger than a situation that should have swallowed him. 

No moment has been too big for the 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore who giggles in the face of doubt, so why would the National Championship be any different? It wasn't.

Still living on his own planet and playing outside the realm of reality, Jones lifted the Buckeyes to a 42-20 win over Oregon in an AT&T Stadium that resembles a base in outer space. 

Now Ohio State is on top of the world Jones didn't even know existed.

The whole "living out a dream" storyline is so played out, so forget about that even if it's true in Jones' case. What happened in his three starts this season isn't something that's scripted, something that's dreamed of or something that's even joked about. 

View full sizeCardale Jones' physicality helped lead Ohio State to the sixth national title in program history. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer 

Jones was the joke. He was a misfit from Glenville who had to go to prep school for a year before coming to Ohio State. Jones is the player who Urban Meyer said had a "one way bus ticket out" when the coach took over the Buckeyes' program in late 2011. 

Do we even need to bring up the "I didn't come here to play school" Tweet? That's played out, too, but that's a part of the old Jones persona. 

And through all of Meyer's talk about Jones' progression, the transformation he made from that lost cause, it may not all be as accurate and as recent as you think. 

Defensive back Tyvis Powell, Jones' roommate, said Jones missed a tutoring session the week of the Michigan game and his penalty was losing two tickets for his family. His reaction? Who cares, he's not going to play anyway. 

Then Barrett - who broke the Drew Brees' single-season touchdown record to put Ohio State back in the College Football Playoff picture - snapped his ankle and was immediately lost for the season. Jones entered the game he never thought he would play, closed it out then dramatically sang "Carmen Ohio" like nothing was wrong. 

Six weeks later he did this vs. Oregon: 

• Threw a 1-yard touchdown to Nick Vannett late in the first quarter. 

• Ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter. 

View full sizeOhio State's Cardale Jones celebrates as teammate Ezekiel Elliott runs for a touchdown during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Oregon Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. AP 

• Trucked Oregon defenders at least three times when he was stopped short of the first-down marker, pushing through to get the first downs to keep the Ducks powerful offense off the field. 

• Threw only one interception, but it doesn't even really count because it was only picked off because wide receiver Jalin Marshall juggled it into a defender's hands. 

• Shrugged off a costly fumble after Oregon recovered his loose ball inside the Buckeyes' 25. After Ohio State's defense held the Ducks to three – making the score 21-20 midway through the third quarter, Jones orchestrated another Buckeyes touchdown drive. 

• Accounted for 242 passing yards, 38 rushing yards and two touchdowns. 

• Oh, and here's the best part: He out-classed Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota – the Heisman Trophy winner – while leading the Buckeyes to a national title. 

"Cardale has always had talent," Meyer said, "but something happened in the last couple months. Everybody has a chance to push restart ...  and he pushed restart and he hit the right button." 

Winning football games for Ohio State in Ohio cures everything. It's all that matters. 

Jones is 3-0 as a starter, and all three of those wins were crucial in Ohio State history for their own reasons. 

Beating Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship meant that Meyer led the Buckeyes back to the top of the mountain in its own conference, something that was in doubt after they got dethroned by Michigan State last year. 

Beating Alabama meant that Ohio State belongs in the national conversation as an elite program. That was basically fact since Meyer, then the head coach at Florida, walloped the Buckeyes in the 2006 national title game in Phoenix. 

Beating Oregon makes Ohio State champions. Nothing more needs to be said about that. 

And they did it with a third-string quarterback who happened to win the three games he had to play. 

He's still third-stringer. 

But now he's a Buckeye legend.