CFP CHAMPIONSHIP: Historic Tide dominant in win over Ohio State
Coach Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide hoist another championship trophy after the win over Ohio State on Monday. (Unv. Alabama Media Relations)
By TIM GAYLE
Alabama completed its dominant run through the 2020 season with an impressive 52-24 win over Ohio State in the CFP National Championship Game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday night.
The Crimson Tide (13-0) never trailed against the Buckeyes, completing a historic run that included 11 Southeastern Conference rivals, fourth-ranked Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals and the third-ranked Buckeyes in the finals. In fact, Alabama defeated five of the top nine teams in the final CFP rankings this season, including No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 7 Florida and No. 9 Georgia.
The 2020 squad marked the second undefeated team coached by Nick Saban at Alabama, joining the 14-0 squad that beat Texas in the Rose Bowl.
“I think (this team deserves special mention) especially in this year, with all the disruptions, no spring practice, really no summer ball at all of any sort to develop players, no (non-conference) games where you could play other players and develop players on the team,” Saban said. “Based on the circumstances, this team has really accomplished a lot.
“To me, this team accomplished more almost than any team. No disrespect to any other teams that we had or any championship teams, but this team won 11 SEC games. No other team has done that. They won the SEC, went undefeated in the SEC, then they beat two great teams in the playoffs with no break in between (the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff semifinals). I think there’s quite a bit to write about when it comes to the legacy of the team.”
And unlike other championship-caliber teams that lost games during the regular season, such as the 1973 and 2015 teams, the 2020 squad’s historic run puts it in a conversation as one of college football’s all-time greats.
“We set this as a goal, to potentially be the greatest team to ever play,” Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones said. “I think we made a valid statement in winning the national championship tonight. I think we’re the best team to ever play. There’s no team that will ever play an SEC schedule like that again.”
Alabama played each of the top 11 teams in the conference, avoiding No. 13 South Carolina and No. 14 Vanderbilt, to play the toughest conference schedule ever while averaging a Southeastern Conference-record 48.5 points per game and have three of its players -- winner DeVonta Smith, third-place Mac Jones and Nagee Harris -- finish in the top five in Heisman Trophy balloting.
Smith, who set four championship game records with 12 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, finished his time in Tuscaloosa as the Tide’s single-season record holder in yards (1,856) and touchdowns (23), breaking records set by Amari Cooper in 2014. He also holds career records in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns.
The record Smith is probably proudest of is 3-0, the record of Alabama Heisman winners in national championship football games. Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015) won titles as well.
“We had a mission,” Smith said. “Everybody wanted to end things the right way. We just all came to work every day and just put in the work. We got the result that we wanted.”
The guy throwing him the ball set three records and tied two others as Jones passed for 464 yards and five touchdowns, giving him the single-season record for completions (311, breaking Jake Coker’s 2015 record of 263), yardage (4,500 yards, breaking Tua Tagovailoa’s 2018 record of 3,966) and completion percentage (77.4, breaking the mark of 70.9 set by Greg McElroy in 2010).
“You’ve got to give Alabama a lot of credit,” Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland said. “They have great players and a great scheme and they execute it really well. They played extremely hard and that's the result that you see. That's why the scoreboard was the way that it was. I don’t know (if high scoring offenses are) a trend. Obviously offenses these days are spread them out, throw it all over the place, extremely explosive. But they're unique. What makes them unique is the caliber of players that they have.”
That talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, was on display in the second quarter as Jones threw three touchdown passes to Smith and another to Nagee Harris, turning a 7-7 tie into a 35-17 halftime lead. By the time Harris scored again on a 1-yard run with 13:15 remaining, it was 52-24 and Alabama was rolling to its 18th national championship.
With a championship game record 33 first downs, with 621 yards of offense and a 6-for-6 performance in the red zone, Buckeye players offered no excuses for the whipping they received.
“I felt pretty good coming into the game,” Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields said. “We had a good game plan planned out, but they executed better than we did. Bama is a great team. You have to give them their respect. I feel like they did a good job executing on defense. Of course they have great players, great athletes and they have a great defensive coordinator, so they did a good job doing that.”
The 52 points and 621 yards are the third most in championship game history. The points trail only Nebraska’s win over Florida (62-24 in 1995) and USC’s win over Oklahoma (2004 BCS), while the yards trail Nebraska (629 in 1995) and LSU (628 in last year’s championship game).
Saban, meanwhile, elevated his team and himself into rarefied air in the process. Alabama becomes the first team in history to win six titles in 12 years -- the previous best was Alabama winning six in 19 seasons (1961-79) -- and Saban passed Paul “Bear” Bryant with his seventh national championship. The pair had been tied atop the coaching record book with six championships each.
“I don’t think anybody really compares to Coach Bryant,” Saban said. “In the era that he coached, the era that he won, he won a lot of different ways. He won throwing it. He won running a wishbone. He won it running conventional offensive formations. His legacy lasted over a long, long period of time. We all have to adjust with the times. Obviously things are a little different now. The challenges are a little bit different with the spread offense, the things that make it more difficult I think to play good defense in this day and age. I think Coach Bryant is sort of in a class of his own in terms of what he was able to accomplish, what his record is, the longevity that he had and the tradition he established.
“If it wasn't for Coach Bryant, we would never be able to do what we did. I mean, he's the one that made Alabama and the tradition at Alabama a place where lots of players wanted to come. We've been able to build on that with great support.”
Jones hears the arguments, but he’s voting for Saban as the greatest of all time.
“Of course he is,” the Alabama quarterback said. “How could he not be? He does it the right way. He recruits well, but more importantly develops great players and young men. I'm just so blessed that he gave me a chance to come here along with all my teammates. I wouldn't trade it for anything. He's the greatest to ever do it. He'll be the greatest for a long time.”