Sugar Bowl: Ohio State Surprises Clemson.
That was nothing short of a crazy New Year’s Six weekend. In a year of blowout bowl games, we did have a few exciting ones. But, unfortunately for us viewers, we didn’t get the rematch that we were hoping for in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, based on the 2019 matchup. In 2019, Clemson vs Ohio State was beyond exciting, and expectations were high for this year’s game, but it quickly disappointed. Clemson’s defense was practically nonexistent, allowing Ohio State to light them up with 639 yards of offense. Ohio State running back Trey Sermon could not be contained, either. He rushed for 191 yards on 30 carries, while adding 61 yards in the air on four receptions. The difference maker was wide receiver Chris Olave, who kept getting separation from the Clemson secondary and finished with 132 yards on six receptions and two touchdowns. Justin Fields showed why he should be considered for the #1 draft pick, throwing for 385 yards and six touchdowns. One of the touchdowns came right after suffering a rib injury, which he played through for the rest of the game.
After starting strong in the first quarter, Clemson’s offense grinded to a halt. Travis Etienne finished with just 32 yards on 10 carries. Ohio State constantly pressured Trevor Lawrence, picking him off once and recovering a fumble that he coughed up. Lawrence was held to -8 rushing yards, and the Clemson offense amassed just 444 total yards, 400 of which came in the air. During the season, the difference maker in this Clemson offense was always Etienne, and Ohio State exposed that when they limited him. What separates the playoff teams from the rest of the college football slate is that playoff teams are typically not one-dimensional. When you make them one-dimensional, they become very ordinary, so it was no surprise that holding Etienne in check would be the answer Ohio State was looking for. During his long career at Clemson, Trevor Lawrence suffered just two losses as a starting QB, both coming in the New Orleans Superdome.
Rose Bowl: Alabama Embarrasses Notre Dame With Ease.
The Rose Bowl was exactly what everyone expected. Alabama dominated Notre Dame every step of the way, and now they’re headed to the National Championship for the fifth time in seven years. The final score, 31-14, indicates a much closer game than it was. Through much of the game, it felt like Alabama was just going through the motions in a very workmanlike manner. With Alabama leading by 24 points in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame scored a garbage-time touchdown long after the game was put away. Alabama would have easily covered the 20-point spread if it weren’t for this backdoor cover. Notre Dame was regarded as one of the best defenses in the country before this game, and the talented Alabama trio of Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, and Najee Harris tore them to bits. Jones finished at an impressive 25 of 30 for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Smith showed up bigtime and caught seven passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns, while taking home the Rose Bowl’s offensive MVP award. Harris was featured on sports shows around the country as he hurdled a defender on his 53-yard run, and finished with 125 yards on 15 carries.
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book completed 27 of 39 passes for 229 yards, including one interception. He also ran for 55 yards and a touchdown. The Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams was held to just 63 yards on 16 carries and a short touchdown. The result of the game was never in doubt, as Alabama kept their foot on the pedal. It looked like a slaughter, although the stats would indicate that it was much closer than it appeared. The “big game” curse of Notre Dame lives on.
2021 College Football National Championship: No. 1 Alabama (-7) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (8 p.m. ET-Monday, January 11, 2021)
Alabama opened as 7-point favorites for the National Championship game against the Buckeyes. The game, in one week, ought to be one for the books. Both teams have explosive offenses that are near impossible to contain, and both average more than 40 points per game. Furthermore, both the Crimson Tide and the Buckeyes rank in the top 10 in most offensive categories. The quarterback battle should be a blast to watch, assuming that Justin Fields is healthy (according to reports, he is playing - frankly, why wouldn’t he?) and also assuming that we see the impressive Fields we saw against Clemson and not the less-than-impressive Fields we saw against Northwestern and Indiana (where he collectively completed just 53% of his passes and threw 5 interceptions).
After being shaken up in the Clemson game with an apparent rib injury, Fields appeared to have limited movement. Part of why Fields is so good at tearing up defenses is that he is often at his best when he is pressured by the defense, but if his rib injury restricts his movement, then his job will be much harder. If Alabama can pressure Fields more than Clemson, then they may force him into some turnovers that he would not have made if he were healthy. Hopefully Fields is able to run as he normally does, but his injury probably won’t be 100% by kickoff. He certainly won’t be an active runner but watch him scramble as normal and make some clutch passes to the sideline receivers.
The emergence of Trey Sermon for Ohio State has been something to behold. His postseason performance thus far has been record-breaking, and it reminds me of Ezekiel Elliot in 2014. Alabama has yet to face an opponent with a dominant rushing talent such as Sermon, and now we will see if the Crimson Tide defense will be Sermon’s next victim. Alabama struggles with the front seven, so the linebackers may have to bail out the defensive front if Sermon gets his stride going, which would open up the passing game for Ohio State, and this is the key for the Buckeyes offense to get the chains to move.
Mac Jones’s ability to throw the ball not only deep but accurately is something the Ohio State defense will struggle against. Jones excels at reading the defense and making quick decisions, and getting the ball out quickly lets his stars make big plays. He doesn’t force the ball, which leads to less turnovers for the Alabama offense. Watch for Jones to continue utilizing his time in the pocket behind his All-American line to make those big plays we are so used to seeing from the Crimson Tide.
Alabama’s defense frequently gets overlooked by its star-studded offense, but make no mistake: aside from two games (Ole Miss and Florida with Heisman finalist Kyle Trask), the Crimson Tide defense has performed tremendously this season. But here’s the catch: the Ole Miss offense and the Florida offense were top-10, and (spoiler alert!) Ohio State’s offense is better than both of them. With a high-powered attack, Ohio State can potentially expose the Alabama defense. In the Florida game, the deep ball succeeded the most, so watch Ohio State make use of deep play specialist Chris Olave after pounding the rock with Sermon.
The difference maker in the 2021 National Championship will essentially be which team can contain the opposing stars the most and will likely come down to takeaways, and I think the Buckeyes’ defense will perform better than Alabama’s. Ohio State’s run defense has been phenomenal in the shortened season, allowing just 89.1 rushing yards per game. If they can stop Etienne as they did in the Sugar Bowl, they should be able to hold Harris below 90 rushing yards. He is better than Etienne, no doubt, and boasts a better offensive line to help, but I have yet to see the Buckeyes’ defensive front struggle. I’ll stick to trusting them. I’m laying the points on Ohio State and claiming the underdog victory. First to 40 wins, and that’ll be the Buckeyes. Ohio State wins 42-38 in a close, high-scoring affair that hits the over (75 points).