Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott were instrumental in the Ohio State Buckeyes' run to the national title last year but are unlikely to get another shot to repeat their College Football Playoff heroics.
The Buckeyes’ title aspirations took a serious blow with Saturday’s 17-14 loss to the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans, and both Jones and Elliott indicated they won’t be back next year.
Jones announced his plans on Twitter, while Elliott revealed his intentions to ESPN.com’s Austin Ward:
The untimely announcements appear to have come out of frustration following the Buckeyes’ first loss since Sept. 6, 2014, which came against Virginia Tech. It’s rare to see underclassmen declare their departures following a contest, even after bowl games.
But Elliott was apparently upset with Ohio State coaches, according to Dan Wolken of USA Today and Rick Pizzo of the Big Ten Network:
Elliott had just 12 attempts for 33 yards against Michigan State—his lowest output since the Buckeyes’ last loss. Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports indicated Elliott’s argument may be warranted:
Elliott is in the midst of another remarkable season. He has 1,458 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 232 attempts with one regular-season game remaining. At 6'0" and 225 pounds with an impressive track record, Elliott should thrive at the next level.
Jones, however, remains a mystery. He went from being backup to leading the Buckeyes to last year’s national title and returned instead of entering the NFL draft, hoping to repeat—this time as the full-time starter.
But Jones struggled to find his 2014 form and eventually lost his job to J.T. Barrett, whom he replaced last year when the incumbent went down after suffering a season-ending injury.
Jones didn’t play a snap Saturday—which was perhaps the push he needed to indicate his days in Columbus are numbered.
Angst is expected when a champion goes down, but the Buckeyes weren’t mathematically eliminated from the Big Ten Championship Game. If Penn State upsets Michigan State next week and the Buckeyes beat Michigan, Ohio State could return to controlling its destiny.
But taking internal resentment public in the wake of adversity is alarming, especially for a defending champion.
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