COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ezekiel Elliott’s eyes saw running room ahead. It was what was behind him that concerned him the most.
As the Ohio State back scissored through a hole around left end and broke into the clear down the sideline in the Sugar Bowl, he knew he had no one in front of him. Just in case, he glanced up at the gigantic video board above the end zone to make sure no one from Alabama was gaining on him.
“I’m looking up at the Jumbotron and seeing the guys behind me, if they’re close enough so I could slow down a little bit,” he said, grinning.
They weren’t. Elliott’s stunning run, covering 85 yards with 3:24 left, proved to be the padding the Buckeyes needed in a 42-35 victory that pushed them into the Jan. 12 national championship game against Oregon in Arlington, Texas.
It’ll be hard for Elliott to spy on his pursuers at AT&T Stadium, because the video boards are overhead and not at the ends of the field.