Let Ohio State’s stunning win inspire more greatness in state

We are talented, resilient and most importantly, we are champions of the nation.

In the sizzling afterglow of The Ohio State University’s crushing 42-20 defeat of the University of Oregon in the first-ever College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night, all Ohioans regardless of their ties to OSU stand tall as proud Buckeyes today.

We heartily congratulate OSU Coach Urban Meyer and his talented squad for raining honor on their team, their university and their Buckeye Nation of enthusiastic fans. Through its talented play, its gritty determination and its willingness to rise up from disheartening setbacks, the football squad’s performance on the football field before 90,000 spectators in Texas served as a stunning display of the qualities that transcend the sport and put the “Great” in the Great State of Ohio.

Consider the team’s talent. Behind their booming backup quarterback Cardale Jones and the relentless running prowess of Ezekiel Elliott, the Buckeyes (14-1) completed a remarkable season and an unexpected dominating performance over the despairingly deficient Ducks (13-2).

Elliott, a sophomore, ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries. In the last three games against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon, Elliott had 696 yards rushing. Jones passed for 242 yards and a touchdown and proved himself to be a formidable match for Marcus Mariota, Oregon’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

Second, consider their resilience. On Monday night and throughout the season, this superlative Ohio State squad powered itself on energy and determination seemingly on loan from the Little Engine that Could. It could and did recover, despite many Monday morning quarterbacks’ laments otherwise, after the loss of star quarterback Braxton Miller in August. It could and did recover from its crushing defeat by Virginia Tech at the Horseshoe earlier this season in Columbus. And it could and did recover from the loss of shining backup quarterback J.T. Barrett, when he, too, was benched from injuries in November.

In short, as coach Meyer proudly proclaimed Monday night, “This will go down as one of the great stories in college football history.”

Great state of Ohio

Truer words were rarely spoken. We also side closely with Meyer, now a three-time national championship coach, in his assessment of the glory this national championship bestows upon Ohio. “I’m not shy about the love I have for this great state. To bring now a national title to the great state of Ohio, it’s almost surreal.”

And if football imitates life, the surreal honor and achievement duly earned on the gridiron will spill ripple effects onto all quadrants of the Buckeye State.

Let this proud and historic championship inspire the Ohio State community and all Buckeye State residents to grasp onto the same raw materials used by the team — talent, grit and resilience — to score success and honor on any and all fields of endeavor in our state that’s now freshly and undisputably heralded as No. 1 in the USA.