The Crimson Tide drowned the rival and was named the champion of college football
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – DeVonta Smith was unobtrusive, Najee Harris unstoppable and Mac Jones impeccable. With a yield that was both surgical and explosive, the sowing No. 1 Alabama won the National Championship Game 52-24 against No. 3 Ohio State Monday night
The final game of the collegiate season in the midst of the pandemic, a campaign that was unknown whether it would be played and riddled with victims in the fall, ended in the most predictable way: Alabama (13-0) champions for the sixth time in the past 12 years under Nick Saban.
For Saban it was his seventh championship, break the tie with Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant and become the head coach with the most collegiate championships.
Ohio State (7-1) just couldn’t keep up. Justin Fields played what would be his last game before going to the NFL, passed 194 yards and a touchdown. Whether Fields was 100% after a brutal semi-final blow to Clemson, it’s hard to know for sure.
In the first offensive stage, the Buckeyes lost to Trey Sermon running back with an injury, in a race where they had to run at full speed as they faced one of the best fouls in recent memory. The Ohio State has never allowed so many points in a bowl game.
Fans will be able to argue about the best team in the Saban era, but none will be more memorable than this one. The Tide ended perfectly during a season marked by COVID-19 that forced teams into quarantine and endless trials and uncertainties every week with games in largely empty stadiums.
Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith caught 12 balls for 215 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half as the Crimson Tide beat the opponent 35-17.
Jones, who finished third in the vote for Heisman, completed 36 of 45 for a record of 464 yards in a National Championship Game. and five touchdowns, operating behind an attack line that rarely pressured him. Harris finished 158 yards from the scrimmage with 29 carries, scoring three times to give him the SEC rating of 30 touchdowns in the season.
Smith did not play in the second half due to an injury. He returned to his team’s sidelines in the fourth period with his left hand tied.
Smith and Harris surprised everyone by returning to college football for their senior season.
Boy, was it worth it! Together with Jones, another member of Class of 2017, they will leave Alabama as leaders of a team that managed to make a painstaking journey through the pandemic seem easy.