Eastern High's Apple is 'fantastic' in Ohio State's victory

ARLINGTON, Texas - What might be the final pass of Marcus Mariota's storied college career finished in the hands of Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple, a Voorhees native who enjoyed his ultimate experience Monday night.

The interception sealed the Buckeyes' 42-20 upset of Oregon in the national championship, a resounding victory that gave Apple a title to bring back home.

"This is something I dreamed of since I was 11, 12 years old," Apple said in an emotional postgame locker room. "This is something I told my friends about, and they all laughed at me. . . . I'm sure everybody's very proud."

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer admitted he did not expect the Buckeyes to be national champions entering the season, and he credited how quickly the class of second-year players developed. The first name that Meyer mentioned was Apple, a heralded recruit from Eastern High School who redshirted his first season. Meyer cited Apple even before star running back Ezekiel Elliott, who won the offensive MVP.

Apple finished third on the team with seven tackles against Oregon. He recorded the defense's lone interception and also had one pass breakup. Apple made a key play in the third quarter when he pushed Oregon tight end Evan Baylis out of bounds in the back of the end zone to keep the Ducks from a touchdown. Had Baylis caught the pass inbounds, Oregon would have taken the lead.

"I thought he played fantastic," cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said. "For a kid who's a redshirt freshman to be out there on that stage and compete like he did, I'm really, really proud of him. And his best days are ahead."

Apple said that during the game, he asked Mariota when the Heisman Trophy winner would throw him the ball. Mariota had only three interceptions this season entering the game. The fourth came as time expired.

"He threw it right to me," Apple said.

If that was the end of Mariota in one of the many Oregon uniforms, then his career will be remembered for being one of the most prolific players in college football history but one who finished without a national title.

"On the outside, there's that thing that you have to win a national championship to solidify everything, and I don't know if that's necessarily true," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. "I think Dan Marino was a pretty good player, and some of these other guys that have legacies [don't] have a national championship.

" . . . I think you could certainly argue that this was the best - if not, certainly one of the top two or three greatest - season in college football history. And then if you add in the person and the legacy that he has from that standpoint, there has never been one greater."

Mariota said he will meet with his family in the coming days to discuss whether he will enter the NFL draft. He will likely be one of the top picks. The deadline is Thursday. Mariota said the result Monday would not be a determining factor.

"I'm sure it will weigh in a little bit, but there's a lot of other things that have to play into that decision," Mariota said. "There's starting grad school, coming back for another year to improve, there's a lot of other things that could bring me back. It's just not specifically this loss."

Cardale Jones, the winning quarterback, also will have a decision to make about the NFL. That would have seemed far-fetched just two months ago, but the Buckeyes' third-string quarterback entered the lineup and won the Big Ten title game over Wisconsin, the Sugar Bowl over top-ranked Alabama, and then the national championship.

"It's very odd," Jones told reporters Tuesday. "I'm going to be starting three games in three years, and you know, guys play their whole career to have that buildup and have that motivation to play in the NFL. In my personal opinion, I'm not ready for that level yet."

Jones, who is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, has attempted only 94 passes in college. But the dual-threat quarterback shined in his three starts, and the Buckeyes' quarterback depth chart is crowded again next season with the return of J.T. Barrett and potentially Braxton Miller. So his stock might never be higher than this moment.

"I mean, it's kind of cool to be sitting here using the word NFL next to Cardale's name," Meyer told reporters on Tuesday. "I will tell you this: He could play in the NFL. He certainly has a talent. Is he ready right now? That's a chat I guess we'll go have at some point."

Meyer's stock is also rising, similar to most of his coaching career. He has won three national titles and became the second coach to do it at two schools. At least for now, Meyer plans on staying in college to chase more. With developing players such as Apple, the Buckeyes are already favorites to repeat.

"Not right now," Meyer said about the NFL. "I've got a commitment to Ohio State and these players. I love what I'm doing. Not right now."