( CNN ) In a national title game where most of the pregame focus was on the starting quarterbacks , it was a determined running back who was the star . Ohio State sophomore tailback Ezekiel Elliott continued his record-setting running with 246 yards and four touchdowns as the Buckeyes rolled to a 42-20 victory over Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship on Monday . It was the third consecutive game in which Elliott ran for more than 200 yards . After a record 220 in the Big Ten championship in December and a record 230 in the Sugar Bowl on New Year 's Day , he set a mark for the national title contest ( including the BCS title games ) by making Oregon use multiple players to bring him down . And even that did n't always work . At a school that produced the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner -- Archie Griffin -- and many other star running backs like Keith Byars and Eddie George , only Elliott has rushed for 200+ yards in back-to-back-to-back games . `` We knew ( coming into the game ) that our O-line was bigger and more physical than their D-line , and we just had to punch them in the mouth , '' he said , referring to his blockers . `` The line came out and played their butts off . They paved the way for me . '' Oregon vs. Ohio State : Score , Reaction from 2015 College Football Championship . He told CNN 's Rachel Nichols all he had to do was to run through the holes his line opened and break a couple of tackles . `` I give all the credit to my boys , '' he said . `` I knew that we were going to be unstoppable . '' Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich gave Elliott credit but also pointed to the big guys who blocked for him . `` He is an exceptional player as is their offensive line , '' Helfrich told reporters . `` A lot of credit to ( all ) those guys . '' Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer , who became the second coach to win national titles at multiple schools , said Elliott is the most underrated running back in the country . `` He 's one of the best post-contact yard guys I have ever been around , '' he said . The quarterback duel between Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of Oregon and Cardale Jones , who only became Ohio State 's starter in their 13th game of the season due to an injury , was a bit of a stalemate . Mariota had more passing yards ( 333 ) and two TD passes to one for Jones , but the Ohio State quarterback also helped steady his team , particularly in the first half , with some key runs . His receivers struggled to get open early but the young Buckeyes ' offensive line eventually overpowered their Ducks ' defensive counterparts as the game wore on and Oregon wore down . That meant open holes for Elliott to exploit and time for Jones to throw . Ohio State ( 14-1 ) overcame four turnovers , including two mistakes that led to 10 points in the second half as Oregon ( 13-2 ) closed an 11-point halftime deficit to just one . But Oregon could n't stop Elliott , who carried the ball 36 times . Meyer said he would never have imagined after spring practice that his team would have been in the national title game . `` But I did n't quite understand the improvement these guys could make , '' he said , also thinking back to early in the season when Ohio State was embarrassed by a home loss to a Virginia Tech team that ended up in the Military Bowl . Mariota , who would likely be a top pick in the NFL Draft should he choose to leave school early , said he was going to take a `` couple of days '' to make a decision on whether to stay . `` Obviously ( losing ) hurts , ( and ) I 'm sure it 'll weigh in a little bit but there 's a lot of other things that have to play into that decision , '' he said . `` There 's a lot of other things that could bring me back and not just this loss . '' LeBron James Celebrates Ohio State Victory , Hugs Cardale Jones After Game .
Ohio State held Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota to just two TD passes . The Buckeyes had a balanced offense led by running back Ezekiel Elliott , who scored four touchdowns .