How Urban Meyer helped author Ohio State's storybook upset of Alabama

NEW ORLEANS – As soon as Ohio State was selected as the fourth and last seed for the College Football Playoff, sent to play Alabama in Alabama's backyard, Urban Meyer began preaching to his players, to his coaches, to anyone who was willing to listen and come along with him.

Just believe, he kept saying. Just believe.

"The mind," Meyer said, "is a fragile thing."

Believe, he said, that the Buckeyes are every bit as good as the guys they are lined up across, better in some cases. Believe they are every bit as well coached, better in some cases. Believe this is Ohio State – THE Ohio State University – and Ohio State isn't some underdog outfit that can't stand with anyone.

Believe it was possible to author the story that Meyer and his surging program would here Thursday: a scoreboard reading OSU 42-35, scarlet and grey confetti fluttering to the Superdome floor, the Best Damn Band in the Land blaring to a delirious fan base drunker on euphoria than anything even Bourbon Street could concoct.

This wasn't just going to be an X's-and-O's clinic – although that was part of it. This was going to be a coaching masterpiece and a program revival. Meyer knew the Tide from his days at Florida, knew how they could just roll over people, intimidate kids, cause panicked play calling, you name it. You're beat before you know what hit you.

His Buckeyes, he knew, would back down from no one. That isn't the program he built here anyway, with its own aura of championship inevitability courtesy of its own grand history and fueled by how Meyer carries himself with complete confidence.

If he could just get everyone to remember that, even in the face of a pregame onslaught of hype that focused on how great Nick Saban was and how bad the Big Ten was. Or even when Meyer found himself a bit rattled after reading again and again about Ohio State's record of late against the SEC … 0-10.

"Oof," Meyer said.

Doesn't matter, he quickly reminded himself. That was then. This is now.

"I've got pretty darn good players," Meyer said. "They can play anywhere in the country."

On New Year's Day they could even play an imperfect game and still win. That was next level "believe," but a most important one too. The Buckeyes could make mistakes, they could blow chances, they could trail 21-6 and there'd never need to be a reason to panic as long as they believed. Not the players' faith in each other. Not the coaches' faith in the players.

"A brotherhood of trust," defensive tackle Adolphus Washington said as he wrapped his arm around linemate Michael Bennett.

A month of Meyer in their ears was plenty, but the coach wasn't going to miss a final chance to pound his message home one final time on Thursday afternoon. At the pregame meal word came through that Wisconsin, a team Ohio State had mauled 59-0 in the Big Ten title game, had just beaten Auburn of the SEC 34-31 in overtime.

"Maybe the Big Ten's not that bad," Meyer said.

"That was a major, major moment for us getting ready for this game," he continued. "…We talked about how strong belief can increase your level of play. Bad belief, or poor belief, can also lower your level of play."

This was a masterwork of a master motivator and it meant Alabama was in for the fight of its life.

Lifted by confidence, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Steve Miller had a 41-yard pick-six. The defense forced four three-and-outs in the first half alone. The Buckeyes piled up 537 total yards of offense.

Ohio State overcame two early turnovers and despite trailing, told each other on the sideline that, You know, we're actually playing better than those guys. Then they ripped off 28 consecutive points to test Bama's will.

And, maybe most importantly, there was Cardale Jones, the burly sophomore quarterback who had become some kind of caricature … a third-stringer. As in, how good could a third-stringer be?

This isn't the NFL, however, where salary-cap constraints limit depth. They don't recruit bad players to Columbus, and Jones sure isn't one of them. He'd start most places, perhaps even in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Maybe he isn't better overall than the injured Braxton Miller or J.T. Barrett, but Ohio State might be better with him … or at least differently better.

That much Saban had noticed on film. Jones’ ability to throw the deep ball meant a defense has to cover more of the field, which opens rushing lanes. It also allowed Ohio State's skilled receivers to shine deep against Wisconsin in a way they didn't with Barrett.

"The one thing that [Jones] does is he has a tremendous arm," Saban said. "And they have some very talented receivers. And [that] became very apparent in the last two games because of the quarterback.

"Now, they were a little different [under Barrett]," Saban continued. "[He] was a great runner and he was a good passer. But it wasn't so obvious when you watched the film all season long that they had these great skill players that could really make plays down the field."

Jones threw for 243 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown. He rushed for 89 more (discounting sacks), bulldozing linebackers and cornerbacks. Meanwhile Ohio State's swift receivers darted through the Tide secondary. SEC speed? SEC skill? They can run in the north, too.

"There's a perception out there that we're not [good enough]," Meyer said. "…You know, all of a sudden you get down against a team like that, that's No. 1 in recruiting every year for the past six, seven years. Our guys know that. You see it on film.

"Great team. But we're pretty good too."

Better than pretty good. The Buckeyes now head to Arlington, Texas, for the Jan. 12 title game where they'll again be a touchdown or so underdog, this time to Oregon, which annihilated Florida State on Thursday.

Whatever. Ohio State has its mojo back. The bully of the Midwest isn't apologizing for anything, isn't afraid to step to whomever is in the way. Don't like the Big Ten? Deal with it. Doubt their ability? Turns out they can play a little in Cleveland and Cincinnati, in Massillon and Middletown.

They just knocked mighty Alabama out of the playoff, just drove a stake through the heart of the SEC that won't, for the first time in eight years, have a team in the national title game.

"We want Oregon," the Buckeyes fans chanted, the way they once had for 'Bama. This time it came with more oomph as players just waved their arms to make it louder and louder, the soundtrack of this brilliant night.

"We've got a lot of great guys, too," said safety Vonn Bell. "We've got top athletes too. We'll take ours anytime."

Believe? Oh, the Buckeyes believe. Big time.

'Bama down, Ducks next, business not finished. Urban Meyer's coming full-throttle now, coming for it all, with the whole dang state hanging on his every word. Believing will never again be a challenge.