2020 National Championship (1)
#. January 11, 2021
#-1. Miami, Florida, United States
#-2. Hard Rock Stadium
00 – 00 Georgia (1)
00 – 00 Ohio State (3)
Something big happened this morning.
Not on our side.
On the other side — Ohio State.
According to ESPN, the first outlet to report it, thirteen players would be unavailable for the game, including two of Ohio State's starting defensive linemen and their first- and second-string kickers.
They didn't attach any particular explanation, but everyone knew it was because of COVID-19.
Ohio State had been fighting COVID all season long — at one point, they played a game with just 43 available players.
Whether they were uniquely unlucky or their management systems were simply broken, I couldn't say. Either way, it wasn't an excuse they could lean on.
In an era like this one, keeping COVID from spreading through your team is a competency of its own.
So on the field, absolutely no mercy.
That's what we have to be.
"I don't care whether they're missing thirteen players or thirty!! What we have to do hasn't changed!! We go out on that field and pour out everything we've got!! And we win!! This is the last game of the season!! Leave nothing behind!! Pour it all out — and fill the empty space with the feeling of victory!!"
If there's something you want to say before a game.
Anyone on the team can say it.
Just like I did a moment ago.
After that, Zamir and JJ each threw in a few words of their own, and Coach Dan Lanning and Coach Todd Monken passed along the things they wanted to impress on us.
The head coach's rousing speech was, as always, superb.
And with that, all the preparation was complete.
We were waiting for the moment we'd step onto the field.
Soon the locker room doors swung open, and the squad of 84 players moved out behind the head coach leading the way.
Voices erupted down the corridor.
All of it — every shout — was a way of driving out the fear.
Of stoking the fire for battle.
And as always, we didn't forget to raise a little hell, either.
WOOF!!
The line that had been waiting at the end of the tunnel filtered onto the field, and I — standing at the very back — pulled my helmet on and bounded out with light, springing steps.
Fireworks and pyrotechnics shot up on all sides, and the marching band in the stands rang out between the bursts.
The National Championship Game was beginning.
(Chris Fowler) — ESPN Play-by-Play
"Good evening, everyone. This is the 2020/21 College Football National Championship Game, live from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. No. 1 seed Georgia and No. 3 seed Ohio State are set to clash for the right to call themselves the best team in college football this year. I'm Chris Fowler, and alongside me is my broadcast partner, Kirk Herbstreit. Kirk — what's the biggest thing to watch for in this one?"
(Kirk Herbstreit) — ESPN Analyst
"It has to be the quarterback. Never mind the Heisman Trophy winner Dwayne Moi Stone — Justin Fields is the best quarterback in the Big Ten. Both of these guys are terrifying when they get rolling, so I think the opening drives will be enormously important."
(Chris Fowler)
"As you can see from the aggregate numbers, Dwayne Moi Stone has been dominant — though to be fair, Ohio State only played seven games this year. Even so, the numbers Dwayne Moi Stone is putting up are remarkable."
(Kirk Herbstreit)
"He's already locked up the greatest freshman season in college football history. His excellence from the pocket has drawn evaluations that it would translate immediately to an NFL team. If football worked like other sports — if you could turn pro after a year or two — this kid would have rewritten the record books there, too."
As I ran out onto the field and went through my warmups, I turned toward where my parents were sitting and made a big heart with both arms.
"Ohh! That's your folks, isn't it, Mr. Stone!!"
"Where's your family at?"
"Over there. See that big crowd of people?"
"Yup."
Same as always.
Jordan's cheering section was a whole army.
"You're hilarious, you know that? You've got way more people than I do."
"Most of them aren't even family, though."
"Same thing, honestly. Same thing."
"Anyway. Ready to ball out?"
"Born ready."
We ran through the handshake routine we'd prepared together.
Then we sprinted side by side toward the bench.
And as we ran, I took in the scenery of the stadium.
There was no denying it — NFL stadiums felt more like home to me.
In my past life, a college bowl game had been played every year at the stadium here in Miami, and in this life, the Orange Bowl — one of the six New Year's Six games — is held here as well.
Not that this place feels familiar to me because of my time here as a player. It's the memories of standing on these sidelines as a head coach.
"Damn it all."
"What?"
"This doesn't feel anything like a National Championship."
"Cut the crap and focus, will you."
Shiiit.
Zamir shook his head and wandered off, grumbling.
I understood exactly what he meant. One hundred percent.
A National Championship Game is supposed to be savored for its lavish pregame pageantry, the A-list singer performing the national anthem, the celebrities dotted across the stands and the VIP boxes.
This year, with COVID hanging over everything, none of that existed.
The pregame festivities had been scrapped entirely.
Even the anthem was a recording.
To be sure, all of that could take some of the edge off the spectacle. But in my view, it was all beside the point.
There was nothing we could do about it anyway.
So what are you going to do?
You accept it and move on.
The coin toss came up.
We would have the ball first.
"Remember — the middle is going to be soft."
"Yes, Sir."
"Stay locked in, but you can cut loose a little more than usual."
"Yes, Sir."
Among the Ohio State players sitting out today, the most critical losses were starting defensive tackle Tommy Togiai and placekicker Blake Haubeil.
Both had tested positive in the morning COVID screening, conducted according to the game-day protocols the NCAA had mandated.
So Ohio State's D-line and their kicking game in clutch situations would be weakened — and that's exactly where I planned to dig in.
(Chris Fowler)
"Both teams' special units are out on the field. When this kickoff goes up, the 2020/21 National Championship Game will officially be underway. With Blake Haubeil ruled out under COVID protocols, freshman Jake Seibert steps in as the starting placekicker. Here's the kick."
"Looked kind of short, no?"
"It was short, period."
From what we'd checked earlier, Jake Seibert had only appeared on the field in two games all season.
Placekicker is the position where you lose the least when a starter goes down — but botch a kickoff or a field goal in a moment like this, and you hand your opponent all the momentum.
Just look at that kick.
Short.
It came down around the 28-yard line?
Considering that the returner called a fair catch and the drive started at the 25, that kick by itself was a three-yard gift to us before we'd even run a play.
And naturally, in a situation like that, you don't call the fair catch. You run it back and see what you can get.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Football is a sport where grown men bleed and sweat for the sake of a single inch — an inch, shorter than a yard. Watching a kick like that land short was enough to sap the will right out of a defense.
(Chris Fowler)
"A strong start for Georgia on the kickoff return. They'll open their drive at the 37-yard line."
Twelve yards, handed to us practically for free.
Thinking about it that way put a little fire in me.
The play call had come in from Coach Monken well in advance, and for now I intended to run it as designed and get a feel for the flow of the field.
We skipped the huddle and lined up straight away.
We were expecting Ohio State to bring the blitz and come after the pocket aggressively.
Their defensive front was a 4-3.
And then.
···
Whoa. Whoa.
They're really going to be this obvious about it?
Normally, in a 4-3 front, you space the front four evenly in the early drives.
○-○-○-○
Something like that.
But right now it looked like
○-○---○-○
this.
You could read it as an attack on the gaps left and right of the O-line where the center stood alone — but honestly, it looked far more like they were planning to send a linebacker shooting through that middle.
What my eyes told me agreed.
Number 32.
That guy was probably their defensive captain.
I remembered him turning in a performance against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl good enough to earn defensive MVP honors.
Anyway.
Hey there.
How about showing a little patience?
The snap call hadn't even been made yet, and somehow 32 was already standing well ahead of his first position.
And number 47.
He'd be the one taking the blind side.
Normally the right end — number 0 — would handle the first pressure off the blind side, but with a blitz scheme this naked, you had to assume the two linebackers were responsible for the rush.
This is way too easy already, isn't it?
Right?
"KITTY!!"
Shotgun formation.
Today's Jet Sweep was an audible.
Our original first play had been a quick-strike pass to catch them off guard, and Hello Kitty had been the call.
"Ready-!! HUT!!"
Snap!
The ball shot back to me.
Bodies collided in a heap at the line of scrimmage.
Just as expected, Ohio State's 32 and 47 executed the blitz — and when I faked the handoff to Zamir and sent him sprinting right, number 0 began tracking him over there.
Now Ohio State's defensive design was coming into even sharper focus.
One play could never reveal everything, but I could safely infer that when they blitzed, the MLB's assigned man would take over the pass rush.
And one more thing.
This one I was certain of.
This play was going to work.
(Chris Fowler)
"37-yard line, first and ten. Dwayne Moi Stone waits for the first snap of his National Championship career. Play fake — Moi looks left quickly! It goes to McKitty! The middle is wide open! Past the first-down marker — and he's tripped up by the tackle! Too Easy!"
(Kirk Herbstreit)
"Todd Monken has designed Georgia's offense beautifully all season long. Watch it again — McKitty runs the Jet Sweep to the left, and they send the running back to the right. That's what drags Jonathan Cooper out of the play. Justin Hilliard crashes in on the blitz, and Ohio State's right side of the defense is left completely vacant."
(Chris Fowler)
"The first pass of the National Championship Game goes for 21 yards. Georgia picks up a fresh set of downs."
Second snap of the game.
We came out in 1-2 PG with two tight ends lined up on the left side of the O-line, and we wanted to see how number 32 would react to that look.
These probes and confirmations had all been arranged with the coaches beforehand — once the drive ended, we'd trade notes again.
"TWO-O!! TWO-O!!"
Reading the formation, 32 pointed left and barked "TWO-O" — which, I gathered, was just a jersey number.
The left linebacker was number 20.
So — was that guy the one coming?
Eh.
Didn't matter.
It changed nothing about this play either way.
With two tight ends parked on the left, the defense assumes you're going to use them as slot receivers, or as blockers to run the ball over there.
But it was neither.
Today's target was X.
George Pickens.
Shotgun again.
The reason we were opening the game in shotgun rather than under center was simple: we expected Ohio State's blitz and pass rush.
"Ready-!! HUT!!"
Snap!
The ball arrived on the clap, I ran the play action same as before, and then fired a pass aimed at George.
After that, I immediately turned my head.
I wanted to see exactly where number 20 — the guy 32 had called out — was positioned, and check the rest of the D-line too, in case anything differed from what we'd scouted.
Nothing special, though.
Other than Ohio State's number 20 sprinting up right behind me and slapping the back of my helmet for absolutely no reason.
That stung a little.
I pointed at him right away.
"Come on now, that's not the move, buddy."
"What?"
"You just hit me in the head. I already threw the ball — you don't go smacking the back of a quarterback's helmet like that. Consider that one noted. Next time, I'm cussing you out."
"Do what you gotta do."
This kind of psychological warfare between the front seven and the quarterback.
In football, it's just daily life.
Even without landing a direct blow with a tackle or a sack, rattling the quarterback's nerves like this pays real dividends.
Which is exactly why a quarterback can never let it shake him.
Me? I'm long since a master of this particular art.
Anyway.
The pass attempt gained nine yards.
Second and one.
The second first down was right in front of us.
(Kirk Herbstreit)
"Just look at this — at how remarkable this is. Two passes, and Georgia has already picked up 30 yards. Barely one minute and six seconds into the first quarter, and they're approaching the red zone. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Passing accuracy. Tempo. In these areas, Dwayne Moi Stone is something very special. This kid truly understands football — and the quarterback position itself."
This time, 2-2 PG.
Only one wide receiver on the field.
In exchange, we'd compressed both sides of the formation into a tight, condensed look — the goal, first and foremost, was to grind out one more yard and move the chains.
The play was called in the huddle.
And this time, I lined up under center.
"Red 80!! Ready-!! HUT!!"
With the crash of the line of scrimmage at my back.
I ran the fake.
I sold the handoff to Zamir as he came charging toward me, then flipped a screen pass to James Cook, who had been flowing right, away from the line.
And there, in front of him, was Jordan Addison.
While Jordan — playing blocker instead of receiver — sealed off the defense, James Cook strolled forward untouched and picked up three yards.
The 30-yard line now.
That was the distance to the end zone.
I glanced at the bench for the signal.
Then I huddled the offense up and relayed it.
"Y-Trips···."
From here on, this wasn't midfield — it was danger territory.
The red zone starts at the 20.
But the ten yards before it are the first line of defense.
Most football teams start running entirely different defensive schemes from around the 30, and right now Ohio State's defensive line was stretched out in nearly a straight, even line.
I sent James Cook in Jet Sweep motion.
And I watched number 5 move at number 20's call.
Number 5 was in man coverage.
He had James Cook.
Since we had no intention of using James Cook as a receiver on this drive anyway, number 5 might as well not have existed.
Number 32, who had been making the calls all game on early downs, was now on the sideline — Ohio State had pulled him the moment we lined up four receivers without a single tight end.
Great at charging forward.
Weak on the back end — that was the proof.
"Ready-!! HUT!!"
Snap!
The ball was away, and the line erupted into motion.
Y-Trips.
We'd stacked three receivers on the left.
Each had a route assigned, all of them stored in my head, and I stood calmly in the pocket, watching how Ohio State's D-line moved.
Unlike their earlier, passive approach, both of Ohio State's ends were now charging in with enormous fury.
Pass rush.
It seemed they'd been preparing to blitz in their own territory and at midfield, then switch to a pure pass rush when they got backed up.
Peter and Zamir picked up their 9 and 0.
And in that instant — a seam split open in the middle.
I'd anticipated the gap between the O-guard and O-tackle softening under a pass rush and had already started slicing toward the edge myself, but the crucial thing was this: right now, nobody was guarding the middle.
It would've been a different story if number 20 had committed downhill, but he was dropping back into coverage, and the space in front of me kept widening.
I gave up on throwing.
And took off.
The line of scrimmage flashed past.
I saw Jordan coming across from the left.
No defender anywhere near him — so I flipped the ball over with a soft push, and Jordan tucked it in, sprinting down the right sideline until he was pushed out at the 7.
Having confirmed all of it.
I clenched my fist and let out a roar.
"That's it!! Right there, that's it!!"
(Chris Fowler)
"Dwayne Moi Stone's magic just keeps rolling on!! He takes off running — and then flips it out with the lightest touch!! First and Goal, Georgia!! What an eye-opening sequence!!"
(Kirk Herbstreit)
"I don't believe that was the play Georgia drew up. Moi took off on a scramble, made his decision without a moment's hesitation, and delivered the pass to Jordan Addison. It was a short throw — but make no mistake, it was anything but an easy play."
The moment my celebration was done.
I gestured straight to the bench.
A basic 1-1 PG with three wides, using the five O-linemen as blockers to secure the pocket, then sending the four receivers — running back included — into the end zone.
It was a bold move, emptying out the backfield, but with the momentum we had, I was certain we could manufacture a touchdown through the air.
From this distance, after all.
Even the defense couldn't afford to attack aggressively.
The best they'd manage was the basic movements of the D-linemen — so if I made Darnell fake his block and then slipped him into the end zone, I figured we could pull in two or three defenders with him.
That's the most common way to deploy a tight end near the goal line, so I expected the defense's eyes to follow him there.
If we could tie up two or three defenders that way, then one of the receivers who crashed in was bound to come open.
"Red 80!!"
From the very first play of the drive.
I was completely consumed by the game.
Nothing in my head but moving forward, and I raised the pace, hoping that hunger of mine would carry to my teammates.
"Ready-!!"
Damn it all.
I love football so much.
Out on this field, I could be more myself than at any other moment in my life — could show the brightest version of who I am.
"HUT!!"
Under-center snap.
Turn, play fake.
Trusting my O-line, I set my feet calmly and scanned the end zone — and the moment I confirmed three defenders clustered around Darnell, my eyes flicked right and my arm whipped through.
George, wearing number 1, leapt for the bullet that screamed across the field, and the instant he came down with the ball and carried it out onto the field, the official standing nearby thrust both arms high into the air.
(Chris Fowler)
"TOUCHDOWN—!!"