DALLAS, Texas – Moments before a game starts, redshirt senior defensive back Dior Mathis will start to clap his hands. He’ll subsequently move into the center of a circle, surrounded by his teammates, and the rest of them will begin to clap in unison.

Then, Mathis breaks from his regularly soft-spoken and vibrant character.

“How y’all feel!” Mathis shouts.

“Fired up!” The team replies.

The script isn’t always the same. Redshirt freshman defensive back Chris Seisay remembers one particular statement his current roommate made that amplified the collective energy.

“He’ll yell one thing before the game like, ‘they can’t play with us,’” Seisay says, as he adds a subtle upbeat to his tone.

He provides what redshirt senior defensive back Troy Hill refers to as an “extra incentive” and a type of intensity that defensive backs coach John Neal compares to the Hulk.

For the last two seasons, Mathis has been the figure vocally rallying every player before a game. Given the position from former Oregon running back Kenjon Barner, the Detroit, Michigan native began his career as the Ducks’ “hype-man” in the 2013 spring game and has had a tight grip on the role ever since.

“When (Kenjon) used to do that I was like, ‘man I want to do that here,’” Mathis said Saturday at the National Championship Media Day. “It looked so exciting and he told me you’re up next. The year he left, the spring game I just took over and everyone gravitated towards me to do it.”

But there’s a noticeable difference between Mathis and Barner. Barner was the leading rusher on a Ducks team that won the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. Mathis has never held a permanent starting position during his collegiate tenure.

Although that is what has made his impact so profound. The redshirt senior was once a four-star recruit coming out of high school, but has since only made marginal impacts at Oregon.

But it hasn’t changed his mentality in the slightest.

“I wake up just every day just happy and when you’re feeling down you just got to realize, I’m a graduate, I’m playing on one of the best teams in the country,” Mathis said days before the Rose Bowl. “There’s really nothing to be mad about.”

It’s a credit to his disposition, according to Neal. In a world where college athletes are constantly transferring, looking for a place where they can start, Mathis has remained at Oregon without a hint of regret. Mathis says its because he’s truly “blessed.”

“He’s got nothing but respect for the team,” Hill said. “So when you see players like him that don’t get the every-down snaps and stuff and he still cheering you on, that’s big. You know then that everyone is all in.”

It’s rubbed off on everyone around him. As his roommate, Seisay says he’s received a large dose of inspirational messages from Mathis. In addition, redshirt senior safety Erick Dargan uses the word “powerful” when describing his speeches.

Those pregame talks come with a certain preparation. In the days leading up to a game, Mathis tries to understand the vibe of the team. Before the Rose Bowl, as Mathis recalls, the intensity was at a peak. And right now, he sees the excitement beginning to reach a maximum.

“I always think about it the day before a game,” Mathis said. “Like how am I going to coach it, what I’m going to say. Every week is different.”

His rallies have become a spark in numerous ways, whether it serves as inspiration to a freshman like Seisay or just that added juice to a veteran like Hill.

But more so than anything, he’s acted as an ignition to a team that finds itself in Dallas for the National Championship.

“He gets guys going,” Neal said. “Sometimes you have to fake it. And then all of a sudden it does become contagious. And then before you know it you get a catalyst that gets some energy moving and he’s been really good at it.”

After Monday, Mathis will leave behind both the role as the “hype-man” and Oregon football altogether. However, when he flips on the television in the lead up to next season he alludes to the fact that he’ll be seen as the one inside the pre-game huddle, hyping his teammates.

It’s the thing everyone will see, and an impact Mathis is glad to have left.

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Wherever he’s been, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has won. He led Florida to multiple BCS National Championships and in his short tenure in Columbus, has lost just three games. He spoke Saturday during the National Championship Media Day about the Oregon defense, Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones’s efficiency and the transition of moving on from a game last week versus Alabama.

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In the days leading up to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship, the Emerald will take a unit-by-unit look at Oregon and Ohio State, determining which team has the edge going into the showdown on Jan. 12 in Dallas. Today, we’ll look at each team’s wide receivers.

Oregon 

Before the Rose Bowl, offensive coordinator Scott Frost pointed out that he was “freaking out” about the wide receiver position back in August. But he was sure to say that the unit has become a strength of this Oregon team and a reason why its in the current position it sits in. Each setback this year seemingly played no negative effect, and the semifinal matchup against Florida State served as another example. Devon Allen left with an injury on the game’s opening kickoff, however Marcus Mariota connected with six different players for 338 yards in a 59-20 win.

Darren Carrington led the group with seven receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll make zero impact on the game Monday though. Carrington made headlines Friday after it was released that he was suspended due to a failed drug test.

Now, Oregon will be without both Allen and Carrington. Keanon Lowe and Dwayne Stanford, who combined for just two receptions for 21 yards on Jan. 1, will provide the only experience Ducks’ receivers have out wide. Elsewhere, Byron Marshall and Charles Nelson will take on an even higher ante.

Ohio State 

Devin Smith is the nation’s number one deep threat. That’s what the numbers say at least. Smith leads the nation with 16 receptions of 20 yards or more and has accounted for 709 yards and 10 touchdowns on those plays. In the Buckeyes’ 42-35 Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, the senior caught just two passes, but for 87 yards and a touchdown.

On the season, Smith has averaged 27.3 yards per catch and has exposed virtually every secondary he’s come across.

Elsewhere, sophomore Michael Thomas leads the team in catches with 50 for 746 yards. Yet, the wide receiver production mostly drops off outside of those two.

Advantage – Ohio State 

Oregon is now going into this game without two of its most versatile options at the wide receiver position. Carrington put to rest any reason to think Allen’s injury wouldn’t be overcome, however his absence causes even more doubt. For Ohio State, the big-play ability that Smith has is unlike any threat that an Oregon wide receiver poses.

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As it turned out, the Rose Bowl became a routine game day for Oregon. The audience was larger and the stakes, which included the first ever College Football Playoff semifinal, were certainly magnified. However, Oregon served a beatdown just like it had done in 12 of its previous 13 games, amounting 639 total yards of offense on its way to a 59-20 win over Florida State.

And for Keanon Lowe, as far as the statistical line was concerned, the game was like many that had come before it as well. He finished the game with 0 receptions.

It was the third time this season the senior wide receiver was held without a catch and the sixth time that he had been limited to two receptions or fewer.

But according to head coach Mark Helfrich, Lowe “dominated” in all other facets of the game. Especially blocking, where the Portland, Oregon native played an immense factor in sealing off the perimeter on screen passes.

“I think our offense really gets rolling when we have that inside game working, when we can throw it out to the perimeter,” Lowe said on Tuesday. “I feel like that starts with me and I was looking to dominate and I did my job.”

It’s a simple formula for Lowe whether it is a practice, meeting or the 2015 Rose Bowl: “go out and play as hard as I can.”

It’s a demeanor and work ethic that has been scientifically proven to be one of the best on the team. And it is one that has undoubtedly influenced the rest of the wide receiver corps. Plagued by injuries all season, the unit hasn’t skipped a beat and now appears to be one of the strongest on the team.

One of those receivers coming into his own is redshirt freshman Darren Carrington. In his last two games, he’s caught 14 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. However, being at a place like this as the season culminates seems to be directly correlated to Lowe.

“He’s always there just helping us, making sure that we know what we’re supposed to do better than him,” Carrignton said. “When you have a leader that wants you to be better than him. Man your group’s going to be pretty good.”

Carrington refers to Lowe as the “godfather.” Although wide receivers coach Matt Lubick has a more fitting term to describe his leadership.

“He’s a coach,” Lubick said. “Our guys see how he works, they see his toughness and that’s all someone they want to be like and emulate.”

Lubick added that Lowe’s presence in a room is so commanding that he has the senior give the majority of the pregame talks. As the longtime assistant says, it’s one thing for a coach to emphasize it, it is another for a player to continually display it.

“Lowe has just brought our wide receivers group a long way,” Carrington said. “We definitely have playmakers all around the board but just to have that type of leader and to see what he’s doing just makes you want to follow in his foot steps.”

Now, there’s one guarantee heading into Oregon’s bout with Ohio State for the National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas: it will be Lowe’s final game. But his signature is still the same.

“I just want to win,” Lowe said.  “That’s what I’m about, I could care less if I catch one ball or ten.”

It’s a mindset that’s rubbed off on everyone around him.

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In the days leading up to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship, the Emerald will take a unit-by-unit look at Oregon and Florida State, determining which team has the edge going into the showdown on Jan. 12 in Dallas. Today, we’ll look at each team’s tight ends.

Oregon

Oregon tight end Evan Bayliss’s upside was on full display at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. In a season where his activity was minimal, the sophomore caught six passes for 73 yards while also making an impact as a blocker. In addition, his 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame caused fits for Florida State defenders who had the challenge of bringing him to the turf following a catch.

It was a drastic transition for Bayliss. In the preceding 13 games leading up the Ducks’ College Football Playoff semifinal matchup, he had four receptions for 45 yards and one touchdown. Despite being the starter for the final three games of the season, including the Pac-12 Championship, his numbers did not increase. That changed last Thursday.

The potential for a performance like that in Dallas is not out of the question, and Bayliss will at least be someone that Ohio State’s secondary must account for.

Ohio State

For the Buckeyes, the outlook at the tight end position appears to be optimistic. Jeff Heuerman, who has spent the majority of the season battling a foot injury, is listed as probable. The chances of him playing Monday seem even higher than that according to his Twitter.

I'd have to be dead to miss the National Championship Game.. And even then I'd find a way to make sure we win #GoBucks

— Jeff Heuerman (@JHeuerman86) January 6, 2015

Heuerman has missed the last two games for Ohio State. He’s amassed 17 receptions for 217 yards and two touchdowns this season. His addition will undoubtedly serve as a boost in both the run and pass games for Ohio State. A senior captain, Heuerman is listed as 6-foot-6, 255-pounds.

With Heuerman battling nagging injuries for the better part of the season, Nick Vannett has accumulated 211 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Which means that Ohio State could have two viable options at the tight end spot by game time.

Advantage – Ohio State

As far as output is concerned, Ohio State has two formidable options at the position. As for Oregon, Bayliss has the potential to duplicate the type of performance he had in his last game. However, his lack of experience and the lack of depth Oregon has compared to Ohio State is evident.

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Roman Sorkin, a 6-foot-9 native of Israel, officially enrolled at the University of Oregon, according to Oregon 247 Sports. 

Sorkin is expected to join the Oregon men’s basketball team and will be eligible to play immediately. The freshman averaged 14 points and 9.9 rebounds per game  in the U18 European Championships B division this past summer.

His addition will undoubtedly help the lack of size this year’s Ducks roster possesses. Currently, the team boasts a lineup with just two players that are 6-foot-9 or taller.

Oregon head coach Dana Altman is scheduled to speak with the media Wednesday.

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– On Jan. 1 Oregon won the 101st Rose Bowl. The storyline of the Ducks demolishing Florida State 59-20 in its College Football Playoff semifinal matchup has rose atop the news stream since. However, Oregon heads into 2015 with a typical game week ahead. They’ll have a business plan as usual prepared for Ohio State in the National Championship. 

– Lost in the attention that Oregon’s historic matchup brought, was Oregon basketball starting Pac-12 play. Behind Joseph Young’s 27 points, the Ducks defeated Oregon State 71-59 to improve to 12-3 and 1-0 in the Pac-12. 

– Oregon women’s basketball struggled right from the start in its game versus USC. The Ducks trailed 23-6 within nine minutes of play and it proved to be too big of a deficit to overcome, losing 70-54 in its first matchup in conference play. 

– Oregon may be at arms at the quarterback position by the time spring football comes around. Fans got a look at the possible future at the position Saturday during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Travis Waller, a four-star Ducks QB commit who has already enrolled for classes this winter, led three scoring drives while behind center. 

– The only negative note from the Rose Bowl victory came from the actions of certain players on Oregon in the celebration. A video was taken of those individuals taunting Jameis Winston following the win with a “no means no” chant. Head coach Mark Helfrich did state that the players will be disciplined. 

– Oregon’s uniforms for the National Championship were displayed.

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PASADENA – With the score 18-13 when the third quarter began, Oregon and Florida Sate looked to be headed into the type of back-and-forth battle that its billing had hyped. The first half was defined by both teams responding to each connected punch. No matter what it was – the goal line stand from Oregon, the response to a 12-point deficit from Florida State – the first 30 minutes followed a direction that the premise of the College Football Playoff was predicated on.

Florida State then opened the second half on a march down the field. Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston connected on a pair of downfield passes and the offense entered Oregon territory. On second-and-10 on the Ducks’ 41 yard line, freshman running back Dalvin Cook jetted near the left sideline past the waning arms of Oregon linebacker Derrick Malone. Cook cut up field for what would be a 10-yard run. However, staying with the play, Malone forcefully yanked the ball from him as the two went to the ground.

“He got by me,” Malone said. “But what we pride ourselves on is, it’s fun when you keep running to the ball. So I kept running to the ball and magical things happen when you run to the ball.”

Six plays later, Oregon running back Royce Freeman was breaking free for a touchdown and a quarter later – 0ne in which Oregon’s defense forced four turnovers – the game was all but over.

Did the first turnover forced by Malone serve as a spark?

“A little bit,” the senior linebacker said.

Oregon’s defense, one often scrutinized as the weakness of the team, opened the floodgates on Thursday. It needed a little over 30 minutes to do it. But once Malone forced a turnover, a feeding frenzy followed. One in which everyone wanted to be a part of.

“We compete,” safety Erick Dargan said. “I see Derrick Malone make a play so I want to make a play. We (are) all pushing each other towards greatness.”

Two drives later, Dargan forced a fumble of Cook again. The senior defensive back would also cap the quarter off with an interception.

But the game was over even before Dargan got both hands on a football. On the drive prior to that, Winston, while dancing around the pocket, lost his balance and the ball at the same time. Outside linebacker Tony Washington subsequently picked it up and ran 58 yards for a touchdown. 

It was a part of a second half in which Oregon scored 41 points – 34 of which came off turnovers. As Dargan said, the team got caught in the act of “being ourself.”

In doing so, the unit disproved more ramblings that it’s too soft and provided another affirmation about its capability. Despite giving up some edge runs and missing too many tackles, according to Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum, the defense held firm throughout the day.

“I think the best thing our kids did was we played better fundament football up front,” Pellum said. “I think we played really well. We got better today.”

As for a statement, this was just one of the many that Malone says the group has made all year. The conversation has followed a path that he already knew what narrative would build up the National Championship.

“I feel like if Ohio State wins (the outside world) is going to say Oregon’s going to win,” Malone said. “If we play Alabama, they’re going to say we’re too small.”

He’s right. Oregon is already listed as a seven-point favorite against an Ohio State team that beat Alabama 42-35. It’ll be a physically oriented offensive attack that gained 281 yards in the Sugar Bowl that Oregon will be up against. A level of doubt about how the Ducks can stack up against an imposing offense like the Buckeyes’ is expected to ensue.

But just as it has taken on the question for an entire season, Malone symbolized how the team continues to conduct itself in the locker room Thursday night.

“No matter what we do, we are going to be doubted,” Malone said. “But it doesn’t matter.”

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PASADENA – It was the third week of August and Darren Carrington displayed the simple mentality he possessed. After redshirting his first season at Oregon, he wanted to be a part of something. He wanted to contribute.

“Honestly, I’m not even just saying this, I’m just trying to be the best teammate and help wherever I can,” Carrington said just a week before the 2014 season kicked off.

Almost an entire football season later, and playing on the biggest stage of his collegiate career, Carrington then said something to wide receiver Devon Allen following the opening kickoff. Allen had limped off the field with an apparent knee injury and his day was already over. Carrington wanted to let him know what he’d do in his absence.

He wasn’t just going to contribute, he was going to dominate.

“When Devon went down, I told him I said it’s all good I got you,” Carrington said.  “That’s my brother… I just wanted to put him on my back and ball out today.”

Carrington led all receivers Thursday with seven catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown grabs of 56 and 30 yards, respectively,  in the third quarter played a large part in Oregon’s sudden breakaway from Florida State.

Behind 34 points off turnovers and an electric offensive pace, Oregon defeated the Seminoles 59-20 in front of an announced crowd of 91,322 at the Rose Bowl. It is a game that now sends Oregon to a place it has only been once before. And Carrington played one of the biggest parts.

“You can see it on the field, he’s a reason why we won tonight,” Bralon Addison, who missed the entire season due to injury, said.

It’s a progressive and steady rise that the 6-foot-2, 191-pound redshirt freshman has taken throughout the Fall. Through the first 12 games of the season he had just 19 catches and a single touchdown to his name. But, his raw capabilities among his teammates and coaches were well known.

Better yet, Carrington never stopped working.

“Our slogan I really take to heart,” Carrington said. “Even when you’re tired, you just got to go out there and win that day.”

He’s defined that mantra during Oregon’s postseason run. In the Pac-12 Championship and on Thursday, he’s combined for 14 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns.

“We always knew he had the talent,” senior wide receiver Keanon Lowe said. “He can do a lot of things and he had that mindset where he wanted to contribute.

“His transition was now he wants to dominate.”

As Carrington’s father says, “big time players step up in big games.” It was the exact thing he said to his sister DiJonai the night before the game and acts as an example to the type of player he’s become in a Duck uniform. With the most on the line, he’s come through in the most vital ways.

As he spoke after the game, he called the feeling “amazing” and a “blessing.” But he also said that he was just lucky to be in the position that any one of his teammates could have taken advantage of. He just had to do his job, and when Marcus Mariota put it in the air, he “had to go get it.”

“Darren’s grown up a ton this year,” offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. “He’s starting to realize that potential. I can’t wait to see where his career goes.”

Right now, his career is at a point where everything he was visualizing coming into this game came together.

“I was dreaming all week,” Carrington said, letting loose an infectious smile. “It all came true.”

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Oregon moves fast. That was clear before the game even began, but after a half of football against Florida State in the 101st Rose Bowl, it’s become magnified.  With scoring drives of 73, 75 and 88 yards while only taking 9:56 off the clock, the Ducks offense keyed an 18-13 lead the team takes into the half.

Oregon amassed 286 yards of total offense, using a balance of 157 yards through the air and 129 on the ground. Thomas Tyner, after missing the last three games of the season, leads all Oregon ballcarriers with 7 rushes for 55 yards.

Although, Florida State matched Oregon drive-for-drive. The most firm indicator being when the Seminoles responded to a Ducks touchdown in under two minutes with a touchdown of their own. Florida State has ran the ball for 137 yards, and freshman running back Dalvin Cook is only 10 yards shy of passing the century mark.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is 13-of-21 for 136 yards.

Three things to watch for in the second half:

Can Oregon stop the Florida State ground game?

Dalvin Cook and the Seminoles were running at ease against the Ducks in the first half. Cook finished the first half with 90 yards on 12 carries. Senior Karlos Williams also had a 10-yard touchdown run late in the first half. To Oregon’s credit, they’re allowing Florida State to move the ball, but the Ducks are capitalizing when it matters most.  Oregon had tow big goal line stops in the first half.

How does the loss of Devon Allen affect Oregon?

The Ducks seemingly lost Devon Allen for the game after he was injured on the opening kickoff. Allen was later seen being taken off the field in a wheelchair. In the return game, Charles Nelson has stepped in. Nelson has two punt returns for touchdowns on the season. On offense, the Ducks have shown their depth this season, and this game, at the receiver spot.

Will Florida State make another second-half comeback?

The Seminoles are a second half team. They’re undefeated, but they’ve trailed at halftime in five of their games this season. Winston has thrown four interceptions in the second half in comparison to 13 in the first. We’ll see if the Seminoles can comeback from their five-point halftime deficit.

Key plays:

– After Florida State moved the ball 48 yards on 10 plays, Oregon was able to hold on a pivotal third down. Seminoles kicker Roberto Aguayo tacked on three points though with a 28-yard field goal, making the score 3-0.

– Oregon quickly responded. A nine-play, 73-yard drive was capped by a Royce Freeman run from just a yard away. It didn’t stop there however. Taylor Alie hooked up with Christian French on the two-point try to put the Ducks ahead 8-3.

– On its next possession, Oregon got the ball at Florida State’s 40 yard line. It moved to Florida State’s 22 and faced a fourth-and-five. Mariota dropped back to pass, but faced a swarm of pressure. His desperate pass to Byron Marshall fell incomplete and Florida State took over.

– Florida State had four chances to score near the goal line. It culminated on a fourth-down run from Jameis Winston that appeared at first to be a Seminoles touchdown. However, a replay indicated Winston’s knee was down before the ball extended past the plane. Oregon takes over.

– After a pair of field goals made the score 11-6, Oregon got back in the end zone. This time on a Thomas Tyner run from a yard out to make the score 18-6. Tyner rushed the ball for 24 yards on the drive alone.

– Just under two minutes after that, Florida State had already matched it. Seminoles running back skirted through a wide open hole and marched 10 yards into the end zone. The score made it 18-13.

Oregon passing

Marcus Mariota – 18-of-26 for 157 yards and one interception

Florida State passing 

Jameis Winston – 13-of-21 for 136 yards

Oregon rushing

Thomas Tyner – seven carries for 55 yards and one touchdown

Marcus Mariota – seven carries for 39 yards

Royce Freeman – seven carries for 21 yards and one touchdown

Florida State rushing

Dalvin Cook – 12 carries for 90 yards

Karlos Williams – seven carries, 45 yards and one touchdown

Oregon receiving

Byron Marshall – five receptions for 20 yards

Darren Carrington – three receptions for 39 yards

Evan Baylis – three receptions for 31 yards

Florida State receiving

Karlos Williams – three receptions for 37 yards

Jesus Wilson – three receptions for 35 yards

Travis Rudolph – 2 receptions for 37 yards

Oregon total offense – 286 yards

Florida State total offense – 273 yards

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Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt