It wasn't too little, but it was too late for Ohio State

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ezekiel Elliott spoke his mind again. In the aftermath of another emotional game, the Ohio State running back didn't hold back.

"We came in here to the Big House," he said, "and dominated."

A 42-13 victory against Michigan on Saturday was exactly that. Given the context — a week after a loss to Michigan State that Urban Meyer called devastating, "a kick in the stomach" — the Buckeyes' performance was at once impressive and disappointing.

Finally, the Buckeyes were who we thought they were. And it's probably too late.

"This was definitely our most dominant win," senior left tackle Taylor Decker said. "It shows we have talent all over the field, we just haven't put it together completely. … This shows a lot of our capability."

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It showed their tantalizing potential, if they'd only gotten back into the College Football Playoff. Instead, the Buckeyes will spend the next week hoping for chaos. Failing that, they'll spend the offseason wondering what might have been.

Their fourth consecutive victory against Michigan, all under Meyer, meant the Buckeyes each earned another pair of those coveted little gold pants earned for beating the Team Up North. But as the final minutes played out in a rout, Ohio State fans chanted, "Go Penn State! Go Penn State!" — a reference to Michigan State's opponent. The Buckeyes departed Ann Arbor for a three-hour bus ride back to Columbus, Ohio, hoping for help.

They didn't get any. Michigan State won easily, 55-16. The Spartans will play Iowa in the Big Ten championship game, with a berth in the Playoff almost certainly going to the winner — which means the Buckeyes need a lot more unlikely good news from a lot more unlikely places to have a shot at defending their national championship.

"You live and you learn," sophomore quarterback J.T. Barrett said. "We just didn't play very well."

Barrett was referring to the Buckeyes' struggles all season, which until Saturday were largely a string of underwhelming performances even in victory — but mostly, he meant the loss to Michigan State. Decker said it "lit a fire under us." In response, the Buckeyes simplified the game plan, emphasizing physical play and the run game. Ohio State ran on 54 of 69 plays and piled up 369 yards, a 6.8-yard average.

Which brings us to "the whole 'Zeke' thing," as Meyer called it afterward.

Elliott popped off after the loss to Michigan State, questioning the coaches' play-calling after he only got 12 carries in a 17-14 loss.

"I feel like we just weren't put in the right opportunity to win the game," he said. "We weren't put in the right situations to win this game."

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Saturday, Elliott might as well have been calling the plays. He got 32 touches , including 30 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns. And then he opened post-game interviews by apologizing.

"I really let my emotions get the best of me," he said. "I regret everything I said. I want to be the ultimate team player. That's what I strive to be. When you turn on the film and watch me play, I hope you see that. I didn't want to distract from what our goal was."

By Meyer's count, the apology would probably have been the 38th or 39th time. The coach insisted they were all unnecessary, that Elliott had "banked investment with the Meyer family, with the coaches, with the team," and that he'd had Elliott over for Thanksgiving dinner for the third consecutive season.

When we watched Elliott on Saturday, we saw a very talented player — and this truth: Though he was wrong to call out the coaches, he wasn't incorrect in his assessment. Elliott is Ohio State's best option. Saturday, he was the catalyst as the Buckeyes shredded a Michigan defense that was ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense and No. 4 in rushing defense.

For another tangible reason for the offensive surge, try the move of co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner to the press box. Meyer said he made the decision last Tuesday, because the Buckeyes needed a change.

"We had to make a move," he said. "We were not getting the game called."

Combined with a conscious intent to play uptempo — the idea being to keep Michigan in a base defense — it produced devastating results. Ohio State's defense has not been an issue, all year. Finally, the offense did its part. The Buckeyes wore down the Wolverines in the second half, turning a four-point lead into a laugher. Elliott carried 20 times in the second half. The biggest statement was a 16-play, 84-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes.

"We couldn't make tackles, especially on No. 15," Michigan defensive tackle Chris Wormley said. "A guy like that takes more than one person to tackle him.

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Afterward, Meyer made a pitch: Zeke for Heisman. The running back demurred.

"I just want to repeat," he said. "I pray for the opportunity to go out and repeat. I don't think there'd be any award that would rival holding up that gold College Football Playoff trophy."

That possibility seems highly unlikely, even though Ohio State could conceivably get into the Playoff with upsets in other conference championship games. For now, a dominant victory against their biggest rival will have to be enough. Considering the chatter going into the game, it might have been especially sweet. Michigan's rebuilding appears under Jim Harbaugh appears ahead of schedule. Many expected the Wolverines to win.

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In retrospect, a lot of that chatter was related to the Buckeyes' underwhelming performances all season and especially against Michigan State. Many questioned how they would respond. Their answer was emphatic.

"Crazy, huh?" Barrett said. "This just shows how resilient this team is."

Yeah, crazy. Because too late, it also showed how good this team can be — and what might have been.

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