Tide dominance: Alabama steamrolls Ohio State 52-24 for the title
Alabama showed no mercy in a drubbing of the Buckeyes in Miami.
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
It’s said that the outcome of a football game typically comes down to three or four plays...the ones that turn the tide of a hard-fought contest and the plays that are immortalized for the ages in the hearts and minds of fans. In Monday’s national championship game between Alabama and Ohio State, pick your turning play:
Was it when Buckeye senior bruiser Trey Sermon went out of the game injured following his one and only carry on the first play from scrimmage?
Was it when the Buckeye defense realized, on DeVonta Smith’s first touch of the game, that they could simply not cover the Heisman Trophy winner?
How about Mac “Daddy” Jones’ floater to Najee Harris in the second quarter that Harris took to the house to break a 14-14 tie?
Was it before the game, when the Buckeyes learned that they would be without several starters and their placekicker for the contest?
Was it when the Alabama team buses failed to get lost in Miami and showed up at the stadium?
Take your pick or add your own, as the top-seeded Crimson Tide had themselves a night and dominated the third seed and ultra-talented Buckeyes from Ohio State, 52-24, to win the program’s sixth national title in the last twelve years and 18th overall. In a game that was supposed to be close, an epic battle for the ages turned into a slaughter at the hands of a menacing, dominating, rolling Tide. The championship script played out like the twelve previous Crimson Tide victories this season...talented teams succumbing to a college football beast that not only refused to be tamed, but went about its business with the utmost class, showing up each game like they had something to prove, not only to the college football world but to themselves. The end result was yet another victim whose hopes, goals and dreams would be dashed on the gridiron. Needless to say, the final chapter of the 2020 Alabama football season may have been this squad’s very best. Let the debate over whether or not this Tide team will go down as the very best in Crimson Tide football history begin. After all, they did finish unbeaten and conquered a record 11 SEC teams, and only trailed once in the second half all season (against Georgia). Insert a Verne “oh my” right about here.
The absolute wizardry of the Bama power trio of Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and DeVonta Smith (I will not mention the awards they have won this year, as they have been included in prior articles and there simply isn’t enough room to mention them all again), and behind a line that dominated the vaunted and celebrated Ohio State defensive front, Bama’s offense rolled on to the tune of 621 total yards, 33 first downs, and they possessed the ball for 31:23 on their way to yet another typically dominating performance. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who coached his final game as Bama’s OC before taking off to Austin to try to revive the Texas Longhorn program, called a masterful game, using motion, formations, and match-ups that kept the Buckeye defense on its heels much of the night. They became only the second team in the BCS/CFP era to surpass the 50 point mark in a title game (the other was USC in 2004 when they topped Oklahoma 55-19) and ended the season averaging an astounding 49 points per game. Simply put, it was a unit that could not be, and wasn’t, stopped.
Photo: via @AlabamaFTBL
On the flip side, the Tide defense played perhaps its most complete game of the season, holding the high-powered Buckeyes and star quarterback Justin Fields to 24 points, 341 total yards, and 19 first downs. Similar to the OSU defensive line, the Buck’s celebrated offensive line was pushed around all night by the likes of Tide defenders Christian Barmore (5 total tackles, 1 sack, and a membership in the Buckeye backfield HOA, as that is where he spent much of the evening), Christian Harris, Dylan Moses (both with 6 tackles), and stud freshman Will Anderson (3 tackles). After struggling against the likes of Ole Miss and Florida, the Tide D not only held its own but set the tone by forcing the Buckeyes to punt five times and stopped the Bucks twice on 4th down. In addition, the unit held Fields to 193 yards in the air and gave up a combined 123 yards rushing to the entire OSU team.
After forcing Sermon out of the game and stopping the Bucks on a 3 and out on their opening possession, Jones and company marched the Tide offense 78 yards on 12 plays, culminating in a one-yard Najee Harris run on 4th down that opened the scoring. Ohio State answered with an impressive 8 play drive ending on a Master Teague 8-yard touchdown run that knotted the score at 7. The early back and forth contest went according to the expected script, as Alabama responded with an 11 play, 75-yard drive that lasted 5:02. The Jones to Smith combination connected on 4 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown toss early in the second quarter. The Tide defense answered by forcing Ohio State into their second punt of the evening, and the Bama offensive machine looked to score yet again and begin to create space between them and the Bucks. That plan ended on the second play of the drive, as Ohio State sent linebacker Baron Browning on a blitz that not only got to Jones, but Browning knocked the ball from Mac’s grip that was recovered by OSU on the Bama 19 yard line. After a defensive pass interference call moved the ball to the Tide’s 4, Teague scored his second touchdown of the evening on the next play and the contest, now knotted at 14, was shaping up to be what many of us expected it to be...tight and one that would go down to the wire.
A grown man touchdown.
Mac Jones and company responded with a quick 5 play, 75-yard drive that lasted only 2:43. Alabama scored on a 26-yard Jones to Najee Harris screen pass as the Buckeyes sent Browning on the same blitz that caused a turnover on the previous drive. This time, Jones identified the blitz and while moving backward, lofting a pass to Najee, who calmly snagged the pass that was slightly behind him, dodged a defender, and crossed the goal line for six to take a 21-14 lead. The Buckeyes attempted to strike back, yet their drive stalled on the Crimson Tide 6 yard line and they had to settle for a dreaded 23-yard field goal from back-up kicker Jake Seibert. Bama answered with its third touchdown of the quarter as Jones found DeVonta Smith for a 5-yard touchdown toss. With time running out in the first half, the Bama D stepped up to the plate and forced the Buckeyes to go three and out. After receiving the punt at the Bama 40, it took the Tide three plays as Jones found Smith matched up against senior middle linebacker Tuf Borland on a seam route for a 42-yard touchdown, Smith’s third of the quarter, to stretch the lead at halftime to 35-17.
This wasn’t a fair fight.
Throughout the season, the Alabama offense had struggled with their first possession after emerging from the tunnel to start the second half. That trend did not continue, as the Tide marched 75 yards in 16 plays, eating up 7:13 that ended with a Will Reichard (who finished the season a perfect 14 for 14 on field goal attempts) 20-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 38-17 midway through the third quarter. It was a costly drive, as Smith’s night would end after an index finger injury, but not before he set championship game records for receptions (12) and receiving yards (215).
The Buckeyes would give their fans hope by responding quickly with a three-play, 75-yard drive that took a mere 1:02 and culminated in a 20 yard Justin Fields to Garrett Wilson pass that cut the lead to 38-24 with 7:47 left in the 3rd. The Bama offense, minus Smith, eased any anxiety the Tide defense may have given the Crimson Tide Nation by answering with their best drive of the night, an 8 play, 75-yard, 3:53 masterpiece that ended with wideout Slade Bolden’s first touchdown catch of the season, a 5-yard strike from Jones that extended the lead to 45-24 and essentially put to rest any question who would ultimately win the contest. The Tide would add a one-yard touchdown run from Najee Harris early in the 4th quarter to end the scoring and give us the final 52-24 result.
Thus ends one of the greatest seasons in Alabama history, handing Saban his second unbeaten season (the other was in 2009). The title was Nick’s 7th, which surpassed the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant’s six, giving Saban sole possession of the most national titles for a college coach. It is true that the Buckeyes played shorthanded, missing numerous players due to COVID-19 protocols, including two starters on the defensive line and their starting placekicker. It is true that Justin Fields may not have played at 100% due to a rib injury suffered during Ohio State’s semifinal victory over Clemson, and the Buckeyes are to be commended on a terrific season and great championship game effort. This program under the direction of second-year head coach Ryan Day is here to stay and their best days are yet to come. Yet, despite it all, the Crimson Tide dominated this game as they have dominated each game this season. It is well documented how dedicated this team was, and how hungry it was to make up for last year's “failure” to reach the college football playoffs. This team’s drive, ambition, and love for one another and the Crimson Tide program created a dynamic that simply could not be threatened, and created one that will serve as a blueprint for others to emulate in the future.
Is there anything better? Revel in the glory of the latest Bama championship and think about what it’s going to be like when this team is presented their rings in front of a full house at Bryant-Denny…
Hopefully, we will never see a season like this again, and as was stated in my preview of this contest, no matter what the result was, Monday night was a total celebration of the sport, the heroes that made each college football game that was played happen, and the coaches and players that sacrificed so much to bring those of us that love college football some much-needed joy. However, we may never see the likeness of this Alabama team again. Even though they had the nation’s best player, quarterback, running back, interior lineman, center, offensive line, assistant coach, and the best coach in the history of the game, this team still amazed us each and every time they stepped on the field, and they made us proud by playing with class and humility.
I’m not sure we could ask for anything more.