Adversity has been the definition of the Ohio State Buckeyes’ season.

Ohio State has dealt with it, thrived in it and, on Monday night during the national championship versus the University of Oregon, they survived it.

Despite four Ohio State turnovers, the Buckeyes managed to stave off the Oregon Ducks’ high-octane offense long enough to squeak in a 42-20 victory.

After a quick first quarter score, the Oregon offense went quiet while Ohio State’s heated up behind the leadership of sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones.

Jones, who threw for 242 yards and rushed for 38 more, came up big in the game’s most pivotal moments, particularly during a pair of goal line scores.

The Buckeyes entered halftime with a 21-10 lead, but it looked like they might cough it up at the start of the second half. Oregon shifted the momentum of the bout with their 10 points in the third quarter.

Kent Celebrates OSU Victory from KentWired.com on Vimeo.

But midway through the fourth quarter, after Ohio State sophomore Joey Bosa laid a hit on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Ducks’ attempt at reviving their championship hopes unraveled. Mariota left the game with an injury to his throwing shoulder after Bosa slammed him to the ground.

Mariota would return to the game, but by then, the havoc had already done its toll on the Ducks. The Buckeyes managed to run out a large chunk of the remaining clock, and in doing so, the Buckeyes ended Oregon’s chances at staging a comeback.

The final stop that mattered came at the 2:45 mark, as Mariota and his offense couldn’t muster enough on fourth and long.

While the defense did its part to step up, ignoring running back Ezekiel Elliott’s tremendous night would be an absolute injustice: The sophomore punched in four scores and tallied 246 yards before the contest’s end. Elliot finished just 68 yards behind Ohio State’s all-time single-game leader, Eddie George, who had 314 against Illinois in 1995.

The championship marks head coach Urban Meyer’s first in Columbus, and his third in his 13-year career.

Contact Jimmy Miller at [email protected].