Rapid Reaction: No. 1 Alabama rolls into CFP final with Rose Bowl romp over Notre Dame
Alabama is getting yet another shot at a national championship.
Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith, Alabama’s Heisman Trophy finalists, made sure of that in Friday’s College Football Playoff semifinal at the relocated Rose Bowl in Arlington, Texas.
The duo hooked up for 3 touchdown passes and the Crimson Tide defense limited the Fighting Irish offense as Alabama defeated Notre Dame 31-14 in front of about 16,000 spectators. Southern California is on lockdown and the actual Rose Bowl in Pasadena would not have allowed any fans, so the game was moved out of the venerable stadium for just the second time.
Alabama moves on to the national championship game on Jan. 11, where Nick Saban will try to win his 6th championship at Alabama and 7th overall. The Tide will face the Clemson-Ohio State winner.
Jones finished with 4 TD passes and 303 passing yards.
Smith took the national lead with 20 TD catches this season with his 7-yarder early in the third quarter to give Alabama a 28-7 lead. That total also tied the SEC record set last year by LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase.
In the fourth quarter, Will Reichard remained perfect on the season with a 41-yard field goal for a 31-7 Crimson Tide lead. Notre Dame drove deep into Tide territory later in the fourth quarter but had a touchdown wiped out by a penalty and was denied on 4th down from the Alabama 13-yard line.
Earlier in the second half, Christian Harris picked a great time for his first career interception. The Crimson Tide’s sophomore linebacker grabbed Ian Book’s pass intended for tight end Michael Mayer to end Notre Dame’s opening drive.
On the next play, Jones hit John Metchie on a short pattern that Metchie took toward the left sideline for a 40-yard gain. Smith led the way, waving to Metchie to follow his block. That set up the 3rd Jones-to-Smith touchdown connection, a perfect pitch-and-catch just inside the pylon.
Kyren Williams, who rushed for 1,065 yards in the regular season plus the ACC Championship Game, got Notre Dame on the board with a 1-yard run on 4th-and-goal early in the second quarter, getting the Irish within 14-7. But the Crimson Tide struck right back, with Smith catching a short crossing pattern and running the rest of the way for a 34-yard score.
Jones, whose 76.5% completion percentage led FBS, found Smith for a 26-yard TD and a 7-0 Crimson Tide lead less than 5 minutes into the game. Smith caught a swing pass, tiptoed up the left sideline and got a big block downfield from Metchie on his way to the end zone. Smith came into the game leading the nation in catches (98) and receiving yards (1,511). He was second with 17 TD catches but took the lead from Jaelon Darden (19) of North Texas on Friday.
Bama’s second drive showed everything that this offense, averaging nearly 50 points a game coming in, can do. The Crimson Tide started on their 3-yard line after a Fighting Irish punt. But Najee Harris gained 17 yards in a first-down run, Smith caught a 9-yard pass, Slade Bolden caught an 8-yard pass, then Harris hurdled a defender on his way to a spectacular 53-yard run. Jones capped the drive by hitting tight end Jahleel Billingsley for a 12-yard score. That was 97 yards in 5 plays, taking 2:11, against a defense giving up just 18.6 points per game.
Drew Pyne came in to replace Book at quarterback for a drive in the 3rd quarter with the Irish trailing 28-7. But very little that Notre Dame tried on offense really worked against a Tide defense that had clearly shaken off a tough outing against Florida in the SEC Championship Game.
Bama’s offense was missing center Landon Dickerson (out injured) and running backs coach/associate head coach Charles Huff, who didn’t make the trip.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s best linebacker and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, wasn’t much of a factor as Jones found several receivers and Najee Harris ran for more than 100 yards.
Good game with no injuries I believe. Got a little sloppy at the end with ND getting the onside kick..
Bama needs one more win..
Good win. Smith should have locked up the Heisman.
Change your focus Bama, looks like the Buckeyes will be in Miami since they are blowing Climpsin out at the half.
Why was this game that close?
Because they weren’t playing the Vols…
Unnecessary
Yes your post is….
It was completely uncalled for to roast the Vols. This trash ND team shouldve lost by 30+
It’s not uncalled for at all… The Vols is Bama’s rival so I’m not going to pay them on the back like you do Florida…
Fu(k off..
Pat*
Thinking my opinion is dumb means you have an opinion about my opinion, meaning you care about my opinion
I have an opinion about you… That opinion is you’re a dumba$$…
Your posts just help turn my opinion into fact…
An opinion is never fact, that just shows how dumb you are.
Yet an opinion can be supported by facts.
Something that starts out as an opinion can also end up being a fact…
Dumba$$
Great job getting it done. Game ended as expected. Can’t say I love Alabama’s constant dominance but they look fantastic and I’ll take them again over Ohio State or Clemson
It really was not that close. ND got a late touchdown during garbage time and then recovered an onside kick. When you are up 24 points much of the game, it can be hard to finish the blowout. ND was not in Bama’s league, but if you give them an inch, they will make you pay.
Congratulations Tide !
Can’t help but compare to the first game of the season:
1/01/21 Alabama 31 Notre Dame 14
9/26/20 Alabama 38 Missouri 19
two points difference
Also congrats to Georgia for a big comeback win agains the Bearcats.
Yes missouri lost to Bama again this year… Congratulations
Obviously you didn’t watch the game it wasn’t close at all. Alabama throttled thier offense down in the second half Wich I believe was Sabans respect for Brian Kelly. This is way Bama karma and winning continus because we don’t try to run the score up. The last ND score was a junk TD… thank you Vol fan
Nich shut it down a little early, but he has another game to play.
Nick
DieselNova, if you have nothing positive to say, then go elsewhere.
He’s upset Florida got beat..
I thought Alabama would win 41-3 ND sucks. It’s not negative, it’s a question
The go look it up.. Nobody cares what you thought…
Apparently you do or you wouldn’t be commenting
I’m commenting on an article about Bama.. You’re being a dumba$$ like always…
If you didnt care about my thoughts you wouldnt have commented.
Your replies to me show me how mad you are at a simple Vols fan giving his opinion
I’ve told you before I don’t mind point out you’re a dumba$$… Has nothing to do with give a $hit about your thought…
Props to both defenses, they both played really well. Bama’s fire power was too much at the beginning but cooled off. Notre Dame covered while Vegas said 80% of the money was on Bama so that back door cover was a steal.
ND: thank you Alabama for teaching us humility.
Man I wish I would have grown up an Alabama fan. Enjoy watching a well coached team play
My kingdom for a pass rush!
I’m glad no one was injured after Kelly decided to continue trying to score in those pointless final moments that accomplished nothing beyond reminding everyone that Notre Dame had no business being in the playoffs and probably should have played Cincinnati instead.
BK was doing his best to make it not look like total domination but 31-7 with under 2 minutes to play said otherwise..
Why shouldn’t they try to score?
As a Bama fan you just worry that someone is going to get hurt with a game left to play… The game was over… Calling a timeout with 1 second?
Then pull all the starters/significant players out
Well I can’t do that .. Like I said as a fan. I didn’t see Saban complain about it at all…
Thanks for posting nonsense though…
You can’t do that? Figured you were on the sideline coaching. My bad.
Also the game wasn’t over if there was a second left
I figured you could read… Guess we both were wrong.
They’re down 31-14… The outcome of the game was already determined..
Sure it was determined but it wasn’t over. They have every right to score. All I’m saying is if I’m a fan of Bama then I would want the starters out when the game is decided.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.. I will give it the same consideration I do the opinion of most Auburn fans..
You’re welcome. Anytime, BT.
They certainly CAN try. They also had 59 minutes to do it.
That onside kick BS was very poor sportsmanship from a team with a well deserved inferiority complex.
Guys, even when you have no chance, you play to the final whistle. I think we can all agree that if the score had been reversed, Saban would have coached until the end and Bama would have tried to score with one second left.
Seems like a couple of years ago when the Tide got schooled by Clemson, they still didn’t quit.
Nope. I’m trying to remember if they tried an onside kick with a minute left when down by multiple touchdowns before taking a timeout with one second left, too.
I’m 70 years old. I guess I was taught to play the game a different way. I guess I coached it a different way.
I’m not much younger. Again, we agree. Like I said, it’s completely fine to onside kick in the final minute of the game when down by more than two touchdowns in the exact same way it’s fine to call it out as petty behavior.
And don’t get me started on this up-tempo bull**** that has swept the nation. :)
Okay my friend, I agree with you on the whole “tempo” thing. We’ll just agree to disagree on the other.
They held you to your season low points scored by a good margin. 18 points below your season average. Texas AM, OU, Florida, UGA and Cincy wouldn’t have done much better.
Yeah I don’t know why people complain so much about ND being in the Playoff.. They deserved it as much as anyone else you wanted to put in their spot..
You’re offense is too good, no one can stop it, all year it was that way. It didn’t matter who they put in there. ND didn’t do that bad on defense and you’re defense played really well. People have opinions but their opinion that Texas AM or any other team deserved it over ND is just idiotic.
A&M wouldve done much better
If only Bama and TAMU had played a game this season…
Go be a dumba$& somewhere else…
He’s a UT fan and the SEC bias is strong with him. Forgive him.
That was week 2. Teams change over the course of the season in case you didnt know
And A&M was still better in that game than ND was
You’re stupid….
A&M scored twice as many points against Alabama as ND did, A&M has been much more impressive against better competition
Yeah, and all that without a girl kicker. STF up and go to the bowling blog, I think ya’ll won a Naty in that.
Oh a Gator fan, I thought you were in hiding until next year.
7 below Bama’s lowest. Bama had bigger fish so I am satisfied.
I think the Aggies improved a lot over the season, no way they are the same team that played in Tuscaloosa in week 2. We also got 500 yards against them in the first matchup. ND was just terrible. They couldn’t score, they looked mostly inept on defense. They held on to the ball and shortened the game. Good for them, they beat the spread. It was 34-7, they were never a threat.
Both teams played really good defense. This should definitely help Alabama in the championship game.
Never seen Bama go that conservative all year on offense. They were just running into 8 man boxes all 2nd half but I guess it doesn’t matter if they now they’re going to the Natty anyways. Good clean game otherwise
Fantasyfootballgod 6 HOURS AGO
That 20 points is free money… geaux irish!
Now take clemson to cover…
And then take clemson to skull drag bama…
You are welcome
I got my money on the NCAA skull dragging LSU…
Easy money..
(looks for defending national champion’s bowl game start time this season)
Why do you hate Bama so much? I feel like you could at least admit they are a good team, seeing as you lost by about 40 to us.
Has nothing to do with my feelings towards Alabama, and everything to do with my vastly superior sports betting knowledge. Clemson has the better qb, and the better coach. Take em to the bank!
Trevor daddy is 34 and 1 as a starter… his only loss was to the best team in the history of college football… 36 and 1 loading…
The better coach??? You must be trolling, as no one on earth would take Dabo over Saban right now, especially with the dominance Saban’s team has had this year, all because of fantastic coaching.
Dabo has won the last two national championship games vs saban in a row… 44-16 ring a bell?
Bama beat Clemson 24-6 in the playoff the season they beat UGA for the NC…
Clemson didn’t make it to the NC game that season…
Oh and while I’m thinks of it.. LSU is trash LMaO..
Just because Clemson beat us the last time we played doesn’t determine who the better coach is. Clemson was just flat out better than Bama that year. Everyone says that Saban is the best coach because of the sustained dominance over about 10 years. No one has come close to unseat him as the best coach and probably won’t for a long time.
“Has nothing to do with my feelings towards Alabama, and everything to do with my vastly superior sports betting knowledge. Clemson has the better qb, and the better coach. Take em to the bank!”
So you must be a broke a$$..
Again.. LSU sucks.. why are you commenting on the subject of football ?
Fantasy why you even talking about football LSU sucks ..
Bill Hancock is a dewsh….but good win Bammers! Even with allowing garbage time points…
As soon as Clemson is done wiping their backside with the OSU WorthlessNuts it will be clearly evident the CFP should have been Bama, Clemson, Texas A&M and Florida. And before all you ignorant UGA fans start bumping your gums, we beat you and took Bama to the end of the game.
BAHHHAHAHHAHAHHAHA Florida would half the team “opt out”?
Obviously those guys wouldn’t opt out if they were in the CFP. Don’t act like you weren’t scared when we stretched you to the end of the game
LMAO… congratulations on your 8-4 season…
LMAO…. Florida didn’t deserve to be In the CFP..
when they didn’t play Pitts and lost to LSyaw that should have been a sign it was a dog and pony show
Congrats on playing Bama competitively. The Gators are without a doubt the best 4 loss team in the country.
We have held that honor for the last decade lol
LOL. I salute your honesty.
Nice
Florida had 3 losses and in no way deserved to be in the CFPs. Their bowl proved that.
Can a Bama fan bump their gums since y’all didn’t beat them? You lost to LSU which is exactly why you didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Close losses are still losses.
Rule one of winning a championship is that you have to win the games you are supposed to win to get in a position to play for that championship. Saban gets this better than anyone. I’ve never seen them get caught looking ahead.
Bama beat Florida. They were the better team, a recurring theme this year. A&M and especially LSU are inexplicable. A loss in the Cotton Bowl was understandable given the situation, but they turned it into a complete embarrassment. Mullen isn’t ready for that stage.
100 percent not agreeing with that. 3 loss Florida doesn’t get to jump the line over 0 or 1 loss teams because they played ‘bama competitively.
Certainly not one loss teams that beat them.
Knothead Dame wasting another spot
Who else would have done better that hasn’t got crushed by Bama already? Don’t worry I’ll wait.
aTm
Got demolished. Next answer.
Might have been a better game, but we got our chance and muffed it. At least it was tied at one point other than 0-0. Notre Dame got their butt whooped the whole game.
Apparently you didn’t watch the SEC Championship, probably to busy scouting the next girl kicker for Vandy.
I’m sure people watched Florida lose their 3rd game..
Trask is a joke without Pitts
I watch you give up 50+ points in 2 straight games and lose on national tv. That’s a shame.
You can have a say when your program fields a legit football team, till then focus on your stellar bowling program.
Since we’re just making up $hit let me try…
As a Florida fan you can have a say when you team actually makes the playoff.. Until then STFU..
So what Gtr4life…you give a 3 loss team another shot because they didn’t get beat as bad as other teams did?
Had Florida just won the games they were supposed to win (LSU and A&M), they’d have been in and gotten that rematch. But by the LSU game Mullen was fat off that Rat Poison. 3 loss teams don’t get another shot because that third loss was a close game.
Why are you here? You, your school, I would say team but you have a bunch of panty wearers who put on pads, are a bunch of pathetic SEC welfare recipients. You should have been close to RV Christmas morning.
And Vanderbilt helps skew the Bell Curve on GSR for the rest of the SEC in football, so I would say the do earn their ‘welfare check’s as you so crudely put it
Pretty sure we have the most recent national championship than UGA or MSU. It isn’t all about football. “But, baseball doesn’t count, this is a football conference”.
Hey Black and yellow. See below you f I guess loser.
How about having a team loser
I’m replying to disgrace black and gold but posts go to bottom.
UsmcDawg, until you GED brain figures out how to type in one post, please just do us all of us a favor and take a break for a while. Pretty sure your grandma knows how to type better than you.
You’re a salty little winless kid. Your opinion on football is worthless.
You beat a winless team by 5 and should have loss. Let’s just see after the UNC game, talk is cheap.
They deserved to be there.
wonder if Mullen and Orgeron are using these days to recruit or to devolope a different plan from last year?
I was on the phone during the first half during Traskify. I was stunned. He threw a pass straight at a defender. Hmm maybe need to check the bookies
Florida is a coach and 5 years away. I didn’t realize that he was a nut. Really? A brawl, his wife “consoling” players before the games…..hard to write that stuff. Jorts will win every time
Wow, I just read on another site that Notre Dame didn’t attempt a deep ball in the entire first half.
At one point he had like 20 completions and 150 yards.. Lot of underneath play.
It was pretty clear that ND didnt come to win this game. They just wanted to keep it respectable and not get blown out. Sad really.
Elliot not being there is the biggest question mark in this game.
How in the world can start times for the biggest games of the year be so inaccurate, BTW?
They were TV times and not start times. They don’t always tell the truth. Gives them more time to sell ads.
Cool. Looks like Bama gets to beat up on Ohio State.
Much closer than I though it would be. Bama seemed like they lost interest in the second half.
After this site wrote article after article about how elite ND was and how their QB was this unheralded super star, it’s nice to see the game go about how I expected.
I may hate Alabama (in a rivalry sense), but I hate ND through and through for constantly being arrogant and overrated. In their defense, it is probably difficult not to be when every media outlet blows smoke up their butts every single season.