Elliot plays last game in Columbus

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ezekiel Elliott played his last game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. Carrying the ball 12 times during a wet and windy last-second loss was not how he planned to go out.

Elliott ran for 33 yards of Ohio State’s paltry 132 yards and the second-ranked Buckeyes had their hopes of repeating as national champions crushed in a 17-14 loss to No. 9 Michigan State on Saturday. Michael Geiger kicked a 41-yard field for Michigan State on the last play of the game.

“This is my last game in the Shoe,” said Elliott, who spent a couple of day in the hospital this week being treated for staph infection. “I mean there’s no chance of me coming back next year. I got to make the most of my time left.”

Junior quarterback Cardale Jones also suggested, strongly, on Twitter that this was also his last home game for Ohio State.

That Elliott intends to turn pro after this season is no surprise. He is one of the best backs in the country and has little left to prove in college. That it came after such a crushing loss and was delivered while being critical of Ohio State’s play calling was startling.

The junior said he was lobbying coach Urban Meyer for more touches and that he deserved more than he got.

“I really do. I can’t speak for the play calling. I don’t know what was going on or what they were seeing. It didn’t work out. It wasn’t working,” said Elliott, who has his streak of 15 straight 100-yard rushing games snapped.

The Buckeyes ran 45 plays, had five first downs and their two touchdowns came after Michigan State turnovers game them a short field.

“I call a lot of the plays anyways,” Meyer said. “So finger will be pointed right here. And I have to do better.”