Chris O’Meara / Associated Press
For the sixth time in the past 12 seasons, the Alabama Crimson Tide is the national champion of college football.
Alabama recorded a 52-24 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship, which completed a perfect 13-0 season with one of the best offenses in history.
It was the DeVonta Smith Show early at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Heisman Trophy winner set a title record with 12 catches and three wins:
A hand injury forced him off the field in the third quarter, but he did enough to put Alabama ahead 35-17 at halftime.
The attacking onslaught continued into the second half as Mac Jones scored five times, despite injuring his leg, hitting a career high and scoring his eighth game with at least four goals this season.
Alabama built a 28-point lead on Najee Harris’ third try early in the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban secured his seventh national championship, surpassing Bear Bryant for most in history. It was his second unbeaten team after the tide ended 14-0 in 2009.
Buckeyes full-back Justin Fields was arrested once and Ohio State could not keep up after injuring running back Trey Sermon during the first game. The Buckeyes were looking for their first championship since the 2014 season and finished 7-1.
Notable performances
Mac Jones, QB, ALA: 36-of-45, 464 passing yards, 5 TDs
Najee Harris, RB, ALA: 22 carries, 79 runs, 7 catches, 79 receiving yards, 3 TDs
DeVonta Smith, WR, ALA: 12 catches, 215 receiving yards, 3 TDs
Justin Fields, QB, OSU: 17-of-33, 194 passing yards, 1 TD, 6 carries, 67 yards yards
Master Teague III, RB, OSU: 15 carries, 65 chase yards, 2 TDs
Chris Olave, WR, OSU: 8 catches, 69 receiving yards
DeVonta Smith and Alabama Stars shine in unstoppable offense
If there is any doubt about Smith being the best player in college football this season, the questions were answered early.
The receiver took it over and got more yards in the first half (215-190) than the state of Ohio.
His play received a lot of attention among those who watched:
Smith sustained a finger injury in the third quarter and did not return, but he made his mark.
Alabama also had a lot of production without him, as Harris presented impressive plays on the ground and through the air:
Harris also overtook Derrick Henry with a school record of 30 touchdowns in a season.
The skill players outscored Jones, but the quarterback also did his job with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Even when Smith went out, the offense barely missed a beat thanks to Jones’ strong play:
The Crimson Tide entered the day with an average of 48.2 points per game and did not even slow down against a tough defense. The talent and production of this unit can match almost everyone in the football history of the university.
Short-handed state Ohio can not overcome losses
Ohio State 13 players not available for the match, including the nose barrel Tommy Togiai, the defensive end Tyreke Smith and the kicker Blake Haubeil.
The situation worsened when Sermon was injured on his first carry-on and taken to hospital, according to ESPNs. Maria Taylor. This was a significant loss due to its impact:
Sermon was the Buckeyes’ leading rusher this season and was red-hot with 524 runs over his last two games against Northwestern and Clemson.
And Fields was playing with a rib injury, so it was an uphill battle for the state of Ohio.
The Buckeyes still showed a lot of fighting, including some touchdowns through the backing of Master Teague III:
Former Buckeye Ezekiel Elliott was looking for Teague to break his own record:
Fields was quiet early on, but showed his ability to close the gap in the third quarter:
In the first half, Baron Browning delivered a rare defensive highlight for the Buckeyes with a striped bag:
The Buckeyes defense simply could not keep up, allowing 621 yards while forcing just two points.
We do not know if the game with the state of Ohio at full strength would have been different, but the team on the field fell short in the title game.