Oregon ends Noles’ streak, rolls into title game
Marcus Mariota and the Ducks cruised in a romp over the defending champs. (USATSI)Oregon put an end to Florida State’s 29-game winning streak by absolutely steamrolling the Seminoles in the second half in the first-ever College Football Playoff semifinal. By the time the dust had settled in Pasadena, Oregon emerged with a 59-20 victory.
The 59 points scored by the Ducks marked the first time a team scored 50 or more points in the Rose Bowl and was therefore the most scored by any team in Rose Bowl history — by 10. The previous high of 49 was reached three times.
Story of the game: The first 30 minutes of this game were interesting. They really were. Both Oregon and Florida State showed moments of the greatness that brought them to this point but also displayed small flashes of the kind of nerves you’d expect from two teams on such an important stage. And it looked like we were going to get a very entertaining game when the two teams went to the locker room at halftime with Oregon holding on to an 18-13 lead.
And then the second half started.
Florida State would turn the ball over five times in the second half, and the Ducks would make them pay for each and every one of those miscues. It went from a close game to a slaughter quickly. It was the kind of quick destruction that we’re used to seeing from Oregon, but the kind of collapse you just don’t expect from Florida State.
Jameis Winston and Dalvin Cook were the biggest culprits for the Seminoles. Winston was picked off once, and then had a fourth-down fumble returned for a touchdown as well. Cook was responsible for the Noles’ first two turnovers, and while you can’t afford to turn the ball over five times against anybody, if you do it against Oregon you’re going to suffer a quick and flashy death.
And that’s how Florida State’s title reign ended. Now Oregon will have the chance to face the winner of the Sugar Bowl in hopes of beginning their own.
Player of the game: What if I were to tell you that Marcus Mariota didn’t even look like himself for an entire half of this game — his accuracy was off, and he made a few really questionable decisions — yet he still managed to finish the game completing 26 of his 36 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns? Well, he did. And he also rushed for another 62 yards and a touchdown, shrugging off any talk of a Heisman Trophy letdown.
Highlight of the game: This one Winston fumble was a perfect encapsulation of how the entire second half went for both teams.
My favorite part of it was the referee. You see him fall down in the video, but what you didn’t see was the look on his face after he got back up.
@TomFornelli Referee after he got up. pic.twitter.com/oMp6zRHDhs
— Jason Hanes (@jhaneshisway) January 2, 2015
It’s good to be able to laugh at yourself.
Tweet of the game: I have to admit, I didn’t mind not having to hear it a billion times.
The best part of Oregon’s hurry up offense is that FSU’s band has no time to play the Tomahawk Chop
— Bobby Big Wheel (@BobbyBigWheel) January 2, 2015
Grade: B. It had the makings of a classic early, but things fell off really quickly in the second half. Still, I’m giving it a B simply because Oregon played so well, and the significance of Oregon’s win (both for the Ducks’ national perception, and for the end of Florida State’s win streak) is worth at least that much.
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