Alabama brings home Nick Saban’s seventh national championship in Ohio State beatdown
On a night with many Heisman candidates on the field, DeVonta Smith showed why he was the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner and the first wide receiver to do so since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. Smith, playing in his third national championship game, played a pivotal role in bringing the CFP national championship trophy back to Tuscaloosa, Ala. College football fans will still remember his game-winning 41-yard touchdown catch from Tua Tagovailoa in the 2017 CFP National Championship game against Georgia. Little did they know, the true freshman would become a Heisman Trophy winner and the true differential against the Justin Fields-led Ohio State on the biggest stage of college football.
The first half opened with an Ohio State drive, one marred with a game-ending injury to starting running back Trey Sermon. Alabama didn’t take time to open the scoring, driving 78 yards down the field in 12 plays capped by a 1-yard k run for the game’s first touchdown. Ohio State immediately responded with a touchdown of their own, an 8-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt sophomore Master Teague III set up by huge receptions by wide receiver Chris Olave and tight end Jeremy Ruckert. The touchdown drive highlighted a huge problem that bugged Ohio State all night long. The 75-yard drive took 3:12 to complete, as opposed to the previous Alabama drive that took up 5:32 of the game clock. In the next drive, Alabama held the ball for 5:02 that ended with a 5-yard touchdown by DeVonta Smith, his first of three in tonight’s game.
After a three-and-out by Ohio State on the next drive, two plays into Alabama’s drive, Buckeyes linebacker Baron Browning knocked the ball loose from Mac Jones’ hand when the former’s blitz didn’t get picked up by Alabama tight end Jahleel Billingsley. The turnover put Ohio State in the red zone and after Josh Jobe’s pass interference penalty on Jameson Williams, who dropped an easy touchdown pass, Master Teague III ran in it to tie the game 14–14. From then on, the Crimson Tide was in the driver’s seat while the Buckeyes dragged behind. Alabama scored three more touchdowns, two coming from DeVonta Smith who had 12 catches and 215 yards in the half while holding Ohio State to a field goal before the first half ended with the score at 35–17 for the Crimson Tide. The second half was no different than the first as Alabama controlled the game clock, scoring two additional touchdowns on the way, while only allowing a touchdown to Ohio State.
The Buckeyes were too reliant on big plays and despite scoring in multiple trips to the red zone, unable to maintain long-enough drives to give their defense rest. Alabama had 37:26 of ball possession, 15 more minutes than Ohio State. During that time, Alabama had 33 first downs, compared to Ohio State’s 19. Justin Fields, as impressive as he was against Clemson, didn’t look like himself. The rib injury he received against Clemson was definitely bothering him, as Fields stayed in the pocket most of the time. The Ohio State staff might’ve also refrained from calling run plays for Fields to not risk him getting knocked out of the game. But in a game against Nick Saban’s Alabama, even a fully healthy Fields might not be enough for the Buckeyes to win. Justin Fields and the Buckeyes offense were simply outfired by the Crimson Tide’s offense.
The Crimson Tide’s offense, which has looked unstoppable this season, was too hard to contain even for Ohio State’s defense. The Buckeyes were already gassed in the second quarter and simply couldn’t keep up with the explosiveness of DeVonta Smith, Najee Harris, and Jaylen Waddle who surprisingly came back after fracturing his ankle on Oct. 24 against Tennessee. Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian punished Ohio State’s zone coverage heavily with play-action and screen passes, exploiting the Buckeyes’ bend-but-don’t-break defense. Even without Smith, who exited the game in the second half, the Crimson Tide was still able to drive down the field with ease and score. It also didn’t help that Najee Harris showed why he is projected as a first-rounder in the 2021 NFL Draft. Harris showed both power and elusiveness in his run. Even when Ohio State committed to stopping the run, putting in four linebackers on 4th-and-1 late in the first quarter, Harris still got three yards to set up a 1st-and-goal that ended with DeVonta Smith’s first touchdown to open the second quarter.
In a season full of uncertainty and ups and downs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nick Saban and his Alabama team once again showed why they are still at the top of college football. Winning their first national championship since the 2017 season, one might not realize it has been three years since they last brought the trophy home to Tuscaloosa. Their dominance transcends time and in tonight’s beatdown of Ohio State, it doesn’t seem to be ending soon. Even with the departure of Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, Najee Harris, and a number of other upperclassmen to the NFL, expect the Crimson Tide to still be in the CFP next year because, for Nick Saban and Alabama, there is no such thing as a rebuilding, they simply just reload.
