Vintage 2020: The Rose Bowl in Texas
Can the Irish exorcise their Playoff demons or will the Tide roll on to yet another title game?
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Brian Kelly and the Fightin’ Irish Catholics are on a mission to exorcise their CFP demons.
Traditional blue bloods...the quest for a national title...concerns that this could be a mismatch...and a coach claiming his team has nothing to prove in this game...welcome to national semifinal game #1, where top-seeded Alabama faces off against the 4th seeded Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl game...in Dallas.
The iconic teams have only met seven times, with the Irish winning five of them (the last win for the Irish over the Tide was in 1987, when Lou Holtz’s team topped Bill Curry’s Bama squad 37-6). The last time the Tide and Irish met, Bama had their way, topping the Irish 42-14 to win the 2012 National Championship. Irish coach Brian Kelly claimed earlier this week that lessons learned from that game propelled the program to its second playoff appearance in three years, and furthermore made the claim that this result will be different and that his team has “nothing to prove.” Many in the national media are burying Notre Dame, predicting a Tide rout on Friday afternoon. No doubt, Coach Nick Saban and the Tide have heard the noise from those willing to push the Tide forward to the National Championship game. But rest assured that Alabama players are having none of that talk (rat poison!) and Bama will get Notre Dame’s very best. To add to the “rat poison” that Bama coach Nick Saban and company has had to deal with leading up to the game, the 2020 Tide boasts 8 all-Americans, three of the top five Heisman Trophy vote-getters, and the AP Player of the Year. Enter Vern...my goodness.
Most Biscuits & SEC readers may not be as familiar with Notre Dame, so allow me the opportunity to introduce you to the Fighting Irish: they are very good. Upon close examination, this 11-1, ACC runner-up Notre Dame squad is talented, experienced, and dangerous. The Irish boast 17 starters who are seniors, and are led by a battle-tested quarterback that is ready to leave his mark on Irish lore. Senior Ian Book is having a banner year, completing 64% of his passes for 2,600 yards, 15 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions. In addition, Book has the ability to improvise and create outside the pocket as he has rushed for 430 yards and 8 touchdowns. Complementing Book is a solid running game that can control the clock and move the chains. Sophomore tailback Kyren Williams leads the way with 1098 yards and 12 touchdowns. The receiving corps is solid, yet lacks the explosion of a Florida or an Ole Miss (the two teams that gave the Tide defense the most trouble). Senior wideouts Javon McKinley (40 receptions, 697 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Ben Skowronek (25/398/5) have had productive campaigns, and freshman tight end Michael Mayer (35/388/2) has emerged as a nice option.
Photo: Michael Dwyer, AP
The Irish go as Ian Book goes - they’ll need a stellar performance from #12 on New Year’s Day.
The strength of the Irish offense is a strong, veteran offensive line that is led by senior 1st team All-American guard Aaron Banks, 2nd team All-American tackle Liam Eichenberg (senior), and 3rd team All-American Tommy Kroemer (senior guard). In many ways, the line mirrors Alabama’s in talent and production, although they did give up 6 sacks to Clemson in the ACC Championship game. We will chalk that up as a hiccup. Overall, the offense finished the regular season 4th in the ACC and ranks 22nd nationally, averaging 454 yards and 35 points per game. Their 217 rushing yards per game and 237 passing show the balance the Irish attack has displayed throughout the year. It’s best performance of the year occurred when the Irish topped Clemson in double overtime, 47-40, in game #7 where Book threw for 310 yards and Williams rushed for 140 (his season-high was a monster night on October 10th against Florida State, when Williams racked up 180 rushing yards). Senior placekicker Jonathan Doerer has hit on 15 of 22 attempts with a long of 51 yards. Sophomore punter Jay Bramblett from Tuscaloosa has had a solid season, averaging 42 yards per punt.
The Irish defense finished second in the conference, behind only Clemson, and 21st nationally, giving up 18.6 points and 334 yards per game. The unit is led by senior 1st team All-American linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (55 tackles), sophomore 3rd team All-American safety Kyle Hamilton (56 tackles), and senior defensive lineman Adetokundo Ogundeji, who leads the team with 6.5 sacks. The unit's best performances have come against Louisville (a 12-7 win) and over a talented North Carolina squad (31-17) where they frustrated the talented Tar Heel offense all day.
Standing in the way of the Irish moving on to their first national championship game since 2012 is the mighty Crimson Tide of Alabama. The unbeaten, SEC Champion Crimson Tide enter the contest 11-0 and are coming off their most challenging game of the 2020 campaign, a gutsy 52-46 victory over the potent Gators from Florida in the SEC title game. The Tide offensive juggernaut, orchestrated by Broyles Award winner (top college assistant coach) Steve Sarkisian, has been unstoppable and is led by the power trio of 1st team All-Americans who also just happened to finish in the top 5 of the Heisman balloting. Quarterback Mac Jones has passed for 3,739 yards, 32 touchdowns against 4 interceptions and is completing an amazing 77% of his passes. Leading the way on the ground is senior Najee Harris, who has logged 1,262 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns. Harris is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, as he has 32 receptions for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns (Irish, take note...all receiving TDs were scored in the second quarter of Alabama’s SEC title game victory over Florida). Perhaps the most dangerous weapon in Sarkisian’s arsenal is senior wideout, DeVonta Smith. The AP Player of the Year (the first Alabama player and wideout to ever win the award) and Heisman favorite has hauled in 98 passes for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns. Like the Irish, the Tide has a stout offensive line that is led by senior 1st team All-American tackle and people-mover Alex Leatherwood. Also earning 1st team honors was senior center Landon Dickerson, who is the emotional leader of the team and suffered a season-ending knee injury late in the victory over Florida. Veteran senior and part-time starter Chris Owens takes Dickerson’s place at center, and it will be interesting to see if there is any dropoff with Owens in the lineup. Sophomore placekicker Will Reichard has hit on all 12 of his kicks with a long of 52-yards and is one of the nation’s best. Senior punter Charlie Scott, #85 from Colorado, is averaging 38 yards per boot. Overall, the Tide offense finished the regular season as the top unit in the SEC and ranks 5th nationally, averaging 49.7 points and 544 yards per game (354 passing and 190 rushing).
Photo: via @AlabamaFTBL
#6 is a bad, bad man.
Defensively, the Tide has had its moments, both good and bad. The unit finished 2nd in the conference and 33rd nationally, surrendering an average of 351 yards and 19.5 points per game. 1st team All-American lock-down corner Patrick Surtain III leads a secondary filled with talent, yet they have struggled at times to corral potent passing offenses (Ole Miss put up 48 points and Florida registered 46). Senior linebacker and team leader Dylan Moses and sophomore stud linebacker Christian Harris (4.5 sacks) lead the team with 68 total tackles each. Fellow linebackers Chris Allen (31 tackles and 5 sacks) and freshman sensation Will Anderson (43 tackles and a team-leading 7 sacks) have come together to create a formidable unit capable of dictating the pace of games. Their weakness has been in pass coverage, where opponents have been successful in creating mismatches between their receivers and this linebacking corp. The line is anchored by sophomore 3rd team all-American Christian Barmore (27 tackles, 6 sacks).
In order for Notre Dame to have a shot in this one, several things have to happen. Book and company will need to control the ball on offense, keeping the chains moving (which is possible against Alabama, as evidenced by Florida’s 9-11 conversions on 3rd down in the SEC Championship game, including a crucial 3rd and 17 conversion in the third quarter that extended a touchdown drive) and by keeping the Alabama offense off the field. Drives for the Irish need to culminate in touchdowns instead of field goals (ask Ole Miss), Williams and the offensive line will need to control the ball on the ground, and a few timely penalties against the Tide defense would help out as well. Book will need to extend plays with his legs and pick up some critical unconventional first downs. In addition, Alabama’s offense will need to help out the Irish with a few turnovers and failures on 3rd down, and it wouldn’t hurt if Bama receivers would drop a pass or two along the way.
Photo: via @AlabamaFTBL
Christian Harris, along with Dylan Moses, lead a solid Tide defense that will look to give the ND offense fits.
It is true that the Bama defense gave up major points against Ole Miss and Florida, but they were entirely different animals on offense compared to Notre Dame. Although solid, the Irish lack the playmakers on the outside to consistently threaten the Bama corners, and the Irish receiving corps ability to stretch the field will be a key to their offensive success. Alabama will score often, as no defense has been able to slow this unit in 2020. If Mac and company stay grounded after the flurry of individual awards that have come their way in last week, and if they stay to script and focus on the legendary Alabama “process,” it may be hard for the Irish to keep pace.
Brian Kelly has done a terrific job building the Irish into what the program is today, as evidenced in the fact that for the first time in Notre Dame history, the Golden Domers have won at least 10 games in four straight seasons. Yet despite what Coach Kelly says, the Irish have something to prove and the Domer Nation knows it. The last time Notre Dame qualified for the playoffs in 2018, they were blasted by Clemson 30-3. As mentioned earlier, their last trip to the National Championship game ended with a 28-point beatdown at the hands of the Tide. On Friday afternoon, Book and company have the chance to change the narrative around Notre Dame.
They are a solid program, certainly one of the nation’s best. Yet in order to enter the elite club at the top of the hill that is currently occupied by Alabama, Clemson, and possibly Ohio State, Notre Dame needs to win a championship. With the world telling the Irish they have no chance against the Tide, I think they will play an inspired game that will push Alabama and will keep it close for a half. Yet, in the end, the boys in Crimson and White will prove to have too much offensive firepower for the Golden Domers, and Alabama advances to the 2020 national championship game against the survivor of the Sugar Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson.
#1 Alabama 41
#4 Notre Dame 23