Rose Bowl Recap: How The Tide Rolled Notre Dame

Alabama easily beat Notre Dame 31 – 14 in the Rose Bowl on Friday. The Crimson Tide jumped out to an early lead and were in control of the game throughout. Notre Dame never got closer than 14 – 7 and was never closer than 14 points in the second half. Alabama cruised to an easy win and is in excellent shape heading into the National Championship Game.

The 31 points for Alabama was a season low, but that number had less to do with Notre Dame stopping them and more to do with Alabama running out the clock with a comfortable lead. The Crimson Tide have been a well oiled machine this year and Notre Dame offered little resistance in the Rose Bowl.

Same Smith Different Defense

Alabama’s DeVonta Smith has been the best player in college football during the 2021 season. Since Jaylen Waddle’s injury he has stepped up and produced even more despite receiving the bulk of the attention from opposing defenses. Smith has had multiple touchdown catches in 7 of his 12 games this year. It hasn’t mattered whose on defense, Smith having a big day is nearly as sure a thing as the sun rising in the east.

Smith got off to a fast start. His first catch of the game came on a wide receiver screen on Alabama’s first drive. He got a one on one match-up with the Notre Dame defensive back, slipped past him and accelerated down the sideline for a 26 yard touchdown. It was an early reminder of how tough Smith is to tackle in space and put Alabama up early.

When Notre Dame cut the lead to 14 – 7 in the early second quarter, Smith made two big plays for Alabama. The first was another screen pass for a 24 yard gain. Later in the drive, Smith got one on one coverage and beat the defender on a quick slant route and put on the afterburners to race past the safety and beat him to the pylon for his second touchdown of the game. The lead was 21 – 7 again and Alabama was another score away from putting it out of reach.

Smith would provide that touchdown in the third quarter. After a quick four play drive moved the ball down to the Notre Dame seven yard line, Smith got a one on one match-up on the outside. DeVonta Smith rarely loses one on one matchups. He ran a crisp comeback route to the front pylon and tapped both feet in bounds as he secured the catch and put the game out of reach.

The Heisman Trophy rarely goes to a wide receiver, but it 100% should this year. DeVonta Smith has had the best season of any player in college football and it’s not all that close. The Notre Dame game was just another example, the star receiver was unstoppable, catching 7 passes for 130 yards and 3 touchdowns. The game was over and Notre Dame never really threatened again, otherwise Smith probably could have done more damage.

About That Alabama Defense

The Alabama defense has taken some flack this year. They gave up 48 points against Mississippi and 46 points against Florida, but those two games are the outliers. What the Crimson Tide did against Notre Dame is far more indicative of how the defense played this season. On the opening kickoff, Josh Jobe set the tone for the game when he blasted Chris Tyree and forced a fumble. Notre Dame recovered the fumble but Alabama had delivered a message.

Alabama was physical up front and met the challenge from a good Notre Dame offensive line head on. They did give up 375 yards of offense, but that came on 80 plays, an average of just 4.7 yards per play. Notre Dame earned every yard they got and the physical toll was felt over the course of the game. They were unable to make big plays against Alabama and struggled to maintain drives and finish with points. Notre Dame only scored on two of their possessions, the last of which was well after the game was already decided.

Alabama played well at all three levels defensively. The defensive line created pressure and though Ian Book got free for a couple of decent runs, he was unable to get comfortable in the passing game. Christian Barmore was in the backfield all game, he only recorded one sack but was constantly in Ian Book’ face disrupting the passing game. The linebackers were strong against the run and also did a good job taking away the middle of the field in the passing game. The secondary was excellent downfield, taking away big plays in the passing game and limited Notre Dame to just 5.6 yards per pass attempt. The Alabama defense made it look easy against the Fighting Irish and dominated the game.

Najee Harris Keeps Rolling

Najee Harris let the world know just how athletic he is early in this game. The star running back looked like he was stopped in the backfield but bounced the play around the right edge. As the Notre Dame defender came in for the tackle, Harris took flight, hurdling a player that was not even coming in low for the hit and gaining an extra 50 yards after the hurdle. The amazing run would set up Alabama’s second touchdown of the game.

That was just one of many impressive runs for Harris in this game. He only ran the ball 15 times but gained 126 yards on those carries for an average of 8.3 yards per carry. Harris was able to get to the second level repeatedly and created favorable down and distance situations for his team all game. Harris does a good job of blending his speed and burst with his impressive power and makes it difficult for defenders to square him up and make the tackle.

Harris is also an underrated receiver out of the backfield. He does a good job of creating separation against linebackers and catches the ball naturally. Harris wasn’t needed as much in the passing game against Notre Dame but did catch 4 passes for 30 yards. He is a threat downfield but also provides a good outlet valve for Mac Jones when he can’t find a receiver downfield.

It’s hard to mention Harris and not give credit to the excellent work the Alabama offensive line did as well. They were excellent even without center Landon Dickerson and paved the way for Harris to have the big game he had. The Alabama offensive line is the best in college football and they proved it in the Rose Bowl by dominating at the point of attack and bullying the Notre Dame defensive front.

The Crimson Tide are as complete a team as there is in college football and have made it to the National Championship Game. Ohio State is coming off a big win against Clemson, but Alabama will probably be a big favorite again. Nick Saban has built a dynasty in Tuscaloosa and will try to add another national title to his resume on January 11th.

Alabama Crimson Tide 2021 Rose Bowl Champions Gear

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