ARLINGTON, Texas – Yes, Notre Dame has hit another big hit. But you know what? Just like everyone else.
Anyone except maybe Clemson or Ohio State – and whoever wins that College Football Playoff semifinal better tie it up on Jan. 11 or they just might be Alabama’s next casualty. The 2020 Crimson Tide thresher could be so powerful that no one stands a chance against it.
The first three possessions of this transplanted playoff game were an overwhelming display of the Alabama attack – this could be a recreated Rose Bowl, but the Tide is real. Scoring 21 points on 18 plays, they rip through the Fighting Irish with deadly speed and precise execution. This was Najee Harris flying, DeVonta Smith sprinting, Mac Jones spreading – and the Notre Dame chase. And never catch.
Final score: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14. What seemed inevitable before the game became inevitable shortly after kick-off.
Najee Hariss’s big day involved harassing an Irish defender at one point.
Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports
Alabama needed seven plays to go 79 yards for its first touchdown, never once against a third and only twice with a second down. His next possession was a 97 yards shot by the Irish in just five games, culminating in Harris hurling Nick McCloud into the corner of Notre Dame on a 53 yards run. “That’s what he does on the regular,” Smith said of Harris.
That piece marked the talent gap between the two teams – the Crimson Tide soared at a higher level than the Irish. Before the game was 11 minutes old, it was 14-0 and essentially over.
After the second possession of the game, Notre Dame never had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead. Even after a long, slow drive to score its own touchdown, the Irish defense immediately surrendered another TD. This was a speed mismatch on the outside and a talent mismatch at the quarterback.
“They made the plays today,” said Irish coach Brian Kelly. ‘They made them on the edge. Their skill players showed up today, as they have all year. We just haven’t made enough plays. “
Kelly was bristly as a wire brush after the game as media inquiries hinted at Notre Dame’s repeated shortcomings against elite competition. He needed to know the questions were coming, and he was willing to forcefully push back the first two.
“The margin isn’t the problem,” said Kelly. “Losing is losing. I don’t really know what the inference is. This soccer team fought. And they played on the perimeter a few more times. I don’t really know what the question is. You know, if you lose football games, you have to play a few more times.
“We had the opportunity. You watched the match. I watched the game. … This was not a matter of being hit off the ball or not having enough players to compete against Alabama. … I’m sorry if you don’t like it or if the national media don’t like it, but we’re going back to work. We will continue to recruit and we will put ourselves back in this position. “
We all watched the game. And it was more than just a few plays here or there. Alabama just has much better and much faster players in making positions. Where Notre Dame barely tried to throw the ball at its wide pedestrian receivers, Jones was aiming for the best in years and a slew of other confident athletic freaks out in the open.
“We thought we could get that a little bit better and box,” Kelly said of the defensive game plan. And it didn’t happen. … We were a bit hesitant. We closed our feet. And you cannot do that against highly skilled players. You have to be aggressive and attack those skillful players in space. If you close your feet for a moment, they are gone. “
That’s what happens when the other team recruits at a higher level. Notre Dame players are good; The Alabama players are better. That certainly includes the quarterback position, where Ian Book has had a very good career, but had no chance to match the throws that Jones can make.
And so this result, combined with 34–10 by Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, definitely says that Notre Dame remains well below the best. But while killing the Irish may feel good for much of America, the big picture is also being overlooked: whoever was fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings would be smoked in this game.
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports
The first from this field of four teams was Texas A&M, and the Aggies were also blown away by Alabama. The score of that: 52–24. Do you want to see a rematch of that?
Should Cincinnati Feel Sad? Absolutely. The Bearcats earned far more respect and attention than they received from the selection committee, and cleared themselves well in the Peach Bowl, despite beating many of their key players. But let’s face it, does anyone think Cincinnati wouldn’t be clubbed by this Alabama team too?
Oklahoma? The Sooners had improved greatly by the end of the season, but losing two games – one to a Kansas State team that finished 4-6 – didn’t take them seriously. And it should be.
The fact is that this remains a three-team sport. That’s a serious, chronic issue that has undermined some of the national interest – far too many programs have no legitimate hope of competing for a national title, or even a berth for the playoffs. The lack of diversity and depth creates boredom.
But in 2020, this could eventually be a one-team sport. Alabama may be a cut above everyone else. The Tide will be the preferred choice in the national championship game on January 11th.
Between now and then, one of the Alabama players could win the Heisman Trophy – Smith and Jones are two of the four finalists for the award, which will be presented next Tuesday. A reporter asked them if they would take some time over the next few days to work on acceptance speeches, and Jones gave a response to warm Saban’s super-focused soul.
“That’s a question about rat poison,” Jones said, echoing Saban’s term for media trifling that can cause complacency.
Jones went on to say that Alabama’s offensive goal is to “score one more point than the other team.” But honestly, it’s never been closer to this group. The SEC Championship was a six-point game against Florida, but the Gators never had a realistic chance of winning after trailing 18 at half time. Bama’s average profit margin was 30 points that came into this game.
The Irish thus outperformed the average Alabama opponent and also exceeded the gamblers’ expectations. This was a 20 point spread, the largest in CFP history, and Notre Dame managed to score a late touchdown to cover that. Compared to many Fighting Irish flops over the years, this was a better show.
That doesn’t mean it was a tight-knit, competitive game, though. This was not a play-here, play-there situation. This was that Alabama was much better than Notre Dame, and now the Tide are another win, from rolling to an unbeaten national championship. Maybe they should finally sweat out a close game in the final, but maybe not.