ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A in point of fact untraditional Rose Bowl environment, a extremely identical old consequence for Alabama within the College Football Playoff.
With Heisman Trophy finalists DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones, the tip-ranked Crimson Tide rolled into its fifth CFP championship game in six seasons.
Smith caught three of Jones’ four touchdown passes and Najee Harris ran for 125 yards with a high-hurdling highlight in a 31-14 victory over No. 4 Notre Dame in a CFP semifinal Rose Bowl performed internal about 1,400 miles from Pasadena, California.
”I sort no longer think there may per chance be something else quite admire the Rose Bowl, the custom, the environment, the mountains. It be factual an beautiful skills,” coach Slice Saban talked about. ”Wish our gamers had gotten that probability.”
But Saban and the Tide (12-0, No. 1 CFP) will take yet yet any other grab within the house of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, which the coach known as one amongst faculty soccer’s finest venues, and advancing again within the playoff.
The Tide earned a station within the Jan. 11 championship game in suburban Miami, in opposition to No. 3 Ohio Declare, which beat Clemson 49-28 within the a great deal of CFP semifinal on the Sugar Bowl on Friday evening.
Alabama neglected the CFP last year for the one time since the four-time playoff debuted on the tip of the 2014 season. The Buckeyes had been the preliminary CFP champions, after beating the tip-seeded Tide 42-35 in a semifinal that year.
Notre Dame (10-2, No. 4 CFP), in soccer’s last four for much less than the second time, has misplaced seven consecutive Novel 300 and sixty five days’s Six games since 2000.
Alabama scored TDs on its first three possessions, at the side of an 97-yard force on which Harris leaped over 6-foot cornerback Slice McCloud factual after crossing the line of scrimmage, landed on each feet after which sprinted for a 53-yard keep earlier than getting plug out of bounds.
”I sort no longer know why I’m a great deal surprised every time he does it. I’ve viewed it for three years, however aloof, ‘Geez!,” tight pause Miller Forristall talked about.
”I truly strive and coach him no longer to carry out it, and it didn’t work,” Saban talked about, laughing. ”Anyway, for a large man, it’s comely wonderful that he can carry out that. He’s extra or much less bought a mountainous feel when a man’s going to take a see at to diminish him. … When he sees that head sail down, he’ll sail over the tip of them in a heartbeat.”
Jones, who carried out 25 of 30 passes for 297 yards, threw a 12-yard TD to tight pause Jahleel Billingsley on the subsequent play.
That got here between drives when Smith, with 16 TD catches his last seven games, grew to develop into short passes into ratings of 26 and 34 yards. Smith carried out with seven catches for 130 yards, later adding a nifty toe-tapping 7-yarder within the front corner of the tip zone correct on the pylon.
CFP officials moved the Rose Bowl thanks to COVID-19 restrictions in California that may per chance per chance well well comprise kept family – or any followers – from attending the sport at its identical old house. There became as soon as a shrimp potential crowd of 18,373 at AT&T Stadium, the house of the Dallas Cowboys, factual a chunk higher than attendance for the Cotton Bowl game there two nights earlier when Oklahoma beat SEC runner-up Florida 55-20.
It became as soon as yet any other thud of a carry out for the Combating Irish after successful all 10 long-established-season games, at the side of a condo victory over Clemson. But Notre Dame then misplaced 34-10 within the ACC title game to the Tigers.
”This day became as soon as about making the performs. They made them on the perimeter. Their skill gamers confirmed up this present day as they’ve all year,” Irish coach Brian Kelly talked about. ”We battled. I belief we did just among the issues that we wanted to this present day however we simply didn’t invent ample performs.”
Notre Dame misplaced 30-3 to Clemson within the CFP semifinal Cotton Bowl two years ago at AT&T Stadium. It became as soon as the first time the Irish had performed Alabama since the Tide beat them 42-14 within the BCS national championship game eight seasons ago.
The Alabama defense kept quarterback Ian E book scrambling. The winningest beginning QB ever for the Irish at 30-5, E book carried out 27 of 39 passes for 229 yards and only his third interception in 353 attempts this season.
PERFECT AT COWS HOME
Alabama is 5-0 at AT&T Stadium, with a pair of convincing CFP semifinal wins there. The Tide beat Michigan Declare 38-0 within the Cotton Bowl 5 seasons ago.
THE TAKEAWAY
Notre Dame: The Combating Irish comprise gone 32 seasons since successful their last national title with a 12-0 file beneath Lou Holtz in 1988. The Irish had been down only 21-7 after they bought the ball for the first time within the second half. But any probability to get some momentum evaporated when E book threw an interception when beneath stress, and Alabama grew to develop into that into yet any other Smith’s third TD get.
Alabama: The pause consequence wasn’t unexpected with the Tide a 3-TD favourite, however the 31 features had been its fewest since losing to Clemson 41-16 within the CFP title game two years ago – a span of 25 games. The 437 total yards had been the bottom since 414 in opposition to Missouri within the opener of this pandemic-affected season.
”We extra or much less valid the lead a chunk bit,” Jones talked about. ”Now we would like to carry out better job taking half within the performs.”
UP NEXT
Notre Dame goes into yet any other offseason aloof making an are attempting to determine how to close the outlet. The Irish play their 2021 season opener Sept. 5 at Florida Declare.
Alabama will get a possibility to grab its sixth national title in Saban’s 14 seasons within the CFP national championship game.
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