Historic finish in sight: Tide and Buckeyes for the National Championship
A historic National Championship game is shaping up in Miami.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Photo: Alabama Athletics
No matter who wins Monday night’s national championship football game in Miami, the contest is an absolute celebration of the resilience and spirit of all who helped make the 2020 season, perhaps the most challenging one in the books, possible. Just two months prior to the start of the season, there were serious questions about whether or not there would be a season at all. Now we stand at the final stretch with two deserving teams reaching a historic finish line. There is little doubt that two of the very best teams in the country are the ones that remain...one was expected to be here while the other, maybe not so much as most believed a team by the name of Tigers would be taking the field. Welcome to the title game between the 12-0 SEC champion Alabama Crimson Tide and the 7-0 Big 10 kings Ohio State Buckeyes.
Contrary to the fact that Bama and OSU are among the true bluebloods in the sport, the two programs have only met on the gridiron four times, with Alabama holding a 3-1 edge. The last time the Tide and the Buckeyes met was the national semifinal in 2014 when heavily under dogged and 4th seeded Ohio State shocked the top-seeded Tide, 42-35 on their way to the program's last national title. Tonight seems to be trending towards another close contest.
Ohio State enters playing their best football of the year. After having three games canceled due to COVID-19, the Bucks have hit their stride as evidenced in their national semifinal domination of Clemson, 49-28. Junior quarterback Justin Fields has had a banner year and leads a potent offense that ranks 4th nationally, averaging 544 yards and 43 points per game. Fields is connecting on 73% of his throws for 1,906 yards, 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. In addition, he is dangerous with his legs and can extend plays when the pocket collapses (Fields is averaging 4.2 yards per carry for 316 yards with 5 touchdowns). Despite playing with injured ribs, Fields is coming off of his best performance of the year, having torched Clemson for 385 passing yards and 6 touchdowns.
Photo: Chuck Cook, USA Today Sports
Fields health will be watched closely tonight, but his dominant performance against Clemson put the Tide on notice.
Joining Fields are backs Trey Sermon (868 yards and 4 touchdowns ), a senior transfer from Oklahoma who is a bruiser and is averaging an astounding 7.5 yards per carry, and steady sophomore Master Teague III, who is averaging 4.2 yards per touch and has picked up 316 total yards and 6 touchdowns. The Buckeyes have a dangerous receiving corps led by speedy junior Chris Olave (42 catches for 660 yards and 7 touchdowns), sophomore Garrett Wilson (40/673/5) and junior tight end Jeremy Ruckert (12/115/5). The Buckeye offense is anchored by a tremendous offensive line. Led by junior first-team All-American guard Wyatt Davis and Rimington Trophy (top center) finalist, junior Josh Myers, the front five has spent the season pushing opposing defensive lines around, as evidenced in their dominant performance against a stellar Clemson defensive line. Senior placekicker Blake Haubell has had a solid season, hitting on 5 of 7 attempts with a long of 43 yards.
On defense, the Bucks are ranked 41st in the nation, giving up 370 yards and 22 points per game. They are led by senior All-Americans Shaun Wade (1st team corner) and Haskell Garrett (2nd team defensive tackle). Leading tackler, senior Pete Werner, anchors a solid linebacking corps and fellow senior, defensive end Jonathan Cooper, leads the team with 3.5 sacks.
Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide of Alabama has had a dominant season as well, as records have fallen and wheelbarrows have been necessary to carry all of the awards won by Tide players back to Tuscaloosa. Since the last preview of the Notre Dame game, recent Tide awards have included:
Alabama Offensive Line: Joe Moore Award for the nation’s top offensive line
Alex Leatherwood: Outland Trophy for the nation’s top interior lineman
Landon Dickerson: Rimington Award for the nation’s top center
DeVonta Smith: Maxwell Award for the player of the year and Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver
Mac Jones: Davey O’Brien Award for the nation’s top quarterback
Najee Harris: Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top running back
Patrick Surtain II: finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year) and the Jim Thorpe Award (top defensive back)
Will Reichard: finalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award
Photo: via @AlabamaFTBL
Known as the “Slim Reaper” to teammates, Heisman winner DeVonta Smith gives Bama a big advantage on the perimeter.
The Alabama offense is a study in efficiency and dominance. The unit is currently the nation’s 6th best, averaging 535 yards and 48.2 points per game. The power trio of Mac “Daddy” Jones (4,036 yards, 77% completion percentage, 36 touchdowns and 4 interceptions), Najee Harris (1,387 yards for an average of 6.1 per carry and 24 rushing touchdowns) and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith (105 catches for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns) has had a season for the ages. Additionally, the offensive line has opened gaps for the backs to scuttle through all year and has put the person who cleans Mac Jones’ jersey after games out of work. Sophomore placekicker Reichard has been perfect, connecting on all 13 attempts with a long of 52. Only once this season has the unit been held under 35 points (semifinals against Notre Dame when they scored a mere 31).
With such a potent offense, the Bama defense hasn’t needed to be stellar, yet it has still performed well. The unit has surrendered an average of 351 yards and 19.5 points per game, which currently ranks 32nd in the nation. Senior linebacker Dylan Moses (team-leading 74 tackles), sophomore Christian Harris (73 tackles), sophomore defensive lineman Christian Barmore (team-leading 7 sacks), and junior corner Surtain lead the unit. Against traditional attacks, like Notre Dame, they have performed well, yet against diverse attacks with dynamic quarterbacks, like Ole Miss (gave up a whopping 647 yards and 48 points) and Florida (462 yards and 46 points), the Alabama defense has struggled.
That being said, anyone who believes the Tide will run away with this one is, in my opinion, far off base. Ohio State is good...really, really good, especially on one side of the ball and they absolutely have the horses to match Alabama’s stable of athletes. The Buckeye offense is the most balanced and dynamic the Tide will have faced. The Bama defense has not seen the likes of Sermon and Teague...or Fields...and this will be, by far, the best offensive line they have had to deal with. Even with the steady improvement of the Tide defense, the OSU offense should find success and if they can establish the run early, it could be a long day for the Tide defense.
On the other side, the strong Buckeye defense has not seen the likes of Alabama’s offense, which may go down as one of the very best in college football history. The Bucks will need to pressure Jones and make him uncomfortable in the pocket, which may result in some uncharacteristically poor throws (and perhaps...wait for it...a possible Jones force that results in an interception). Also - if the Ohio State front seven can get a push against the Tide offensive line (much like they did against Clemson, which resulted in Tiger star tailback Travis Etienne gaining only 32 yards on just ten carries) they may make things difficult for Harris and create a situation where the Tide offense becomes one dimensional. Yes, with Smith, John Metchie, Miller Forristall, and possibly a limited but still dynamic Jaylen Waddle, who may be available after suffering an ankle injury against Tennessee on October 24th that was supposed to sideline this tough kid for the season, that one dimension is still very effective. Yet doing so gives the Buckeye defense the chance to get enough stops that could bring the game deep into the 4th quarter with the result still in doubt.
It’s my belief that the stars on both sides of the football will have great days, and points will be scored in abundance. The storylines are deep and fascinating and this game will be decided in the trenches...who can push who around? Both teams are particularly good at converting 3rd downs (Ohio State is 6th nationally as their conversion rate is 50% and Alabama leads the nation, converting an astounding 59%). Can one of these talented defenses force the opposing offense into a few punts, or even a field goal attempt or two? Which secondary will make a few plays that will change the momentum of the game? Both teams protect the ball well, as Alabama has turned the ball over 11 times while the Buckeyes have only 9. Which defense will be opportunistic and get a key turnover? Can Ohio State's corners and linebackers hold up against Smith, Metchie, Forristall, and possibly Waddle? Can Alabama’s front seven slow down the Buckeye offensive attack? Will Fields’ ribs be healed enough to not be a factor? Will Broyles Award winner Steve Sarkisian’s last game on the Bama sidelines (he was named the University’s of Texas’ new head coach) end in a blaze of glory as Alabama’s best offensive coordinator in the storied history of the program? Can Nick Saban complete his second undefeated season with the Tide, which would allow the Tide coach to pass the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant for most national titles for a college football coach with # 7? Can Ohio State coach Ryan Day win his first national title in only his second year as the captain of the Buckeye ship?
To quote Led Zeppelin, “All will be revealed” (Kashmir...one of the greatest tunes of all time) on Monday night, and this title match has the potential to be truly special. After the year we all have had, college football deserves a donnybrook, a game for the ages. So many thanks to the Crimson Tide, the Buckeyes, and the “college football gods” for giving us one more game. Here’s saying that this one is going to be a classic, and I do believe the Crimson Tide offense will make a few more plays than the Buckeyes. The end result will be another Bama national title...and the Crimson Tide nation rejoices like never before.
Alabama 45
Ohio State 41