ATLANTA — In a season of blowouts, Alabama finally got tested. Against a team that just wouldn’t quit, the Crimson Tide required every last point.
Nick Saban needed his offensive stars to shine as bright as they have all season.
Boy, did they ever.
Najee Harris rushed for 178 yards and scored five touchdowns. Mac Jones threw for 418 yards and five TDs. DeVonta Smith hauled in 15 receptions for 184 yards and two scores.
It was just enough to send No. 1 Alabama to the College Football Playoff with a perfect record, holding off No. 11 Florida in a 52-46 shootout for the Southeastern Conference championship Saturday night.
"Those guys are pretty phenomenal. They have been all year," Saban said. "They certainly delivered tonight when we needed them to."
The Crimson Tide (11-0, No. 1 CFP) got its toughest challenge in a season of blowouts, but the result was the same. Another win. Now, with one of his best teams yet, the 69-year-old coach heads to the playoff in search of his seventh national title.
"This has been a year with a lot of disruptions," said Saban, who had his own bout with COVID-19. "The resiliency this team has shown this season to win 11 games is pretty phenomenal."
After trailing 35-17 at halftime, Florida (8-3, No. 7 CFP) made a game of it with a pair of third-quarter scores. And the Gators fought to the bitter end, adding two more TDs in the fourth period before the clock hit zero.
"We were rolling pretty good," said quarterback Kyle Trask, who threw for 408 yards and three TDs. "We just ran out of time."
Harris, the game’s MVP, essentially established residency in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium end zones.
The senior running back had 31 bruising carries, scoring on plays of 8 and 1 yards and leaping like a hurdler over a defender who tried to go low on a 19-yard run.
Amazingly, Harris was even more dynamic in the passing game. He hauled in five throws for 67 yards, including touchdown plays of 23, 17 and 7 yards in Alabama’s first-half blitz. The shortest of those scoring catches may have been his best, as Harris sent a would-be tackler tumbling to the turf with a dazzling spin move.
"I’ve been catching the ball since birth," he quipped. "People don’t expect it because of the running back name, but I can catch."
Harris set an SEC championship game record with his five touchdowns, breaking the mark of four scored by Auburn’s Tre Mason in 2013. The Alabama senior also knocked off a couple of school records, setting new standards for career rushing TDs (44) and overall TDs (54).
The two quarterbacks did nothing to hurt their standing as two of the leading Heisman Trophy contenders. Neither did Smith, the Crimson Tide’s other top candidate.
After Saturday night’s performance, Harris should probably be in the mix as well.
"I’m not worried about that," he said. "The two guys we’ve got up there now is good enough."
In addition to catching all those passes, Smith came up with a key fumble recovery after Florida’s Trey Dean picked off a throw from Jones, snatching the ball away from the intended receiver, only to cough it up on a brutal, blind-side hit by Alabama receiver John Metchie.
Jones threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Smith on the very next play.
Trask was 26 of 40 with a 51-yard scoring pass early on to Kadarius Toney, who finished with eight receptions for 153 yards. The Gators quarterback also hooked up with Trevon Grimes on a 50-yard touchdown throw, in addition to scoring one of his own with a 1-yard run.
Give Florida credit: Coming off a shocking home loss to LSU, the Gators fought to the very end.
"I thought we showed a lot of character," coach Dan Mullen said. "That was an excellent team we played … give them credit. That’s why they’re ranked No. 1 in the country."
The final quarter was thriller for the socially distanced crowd of 16,520 scattered throughout the 75,000-seat stadium.
After Harris’ lunged over from the 1 for final TD to extend Alabama’s lead to 45-31, the Gators responded with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive that culminated with Damien Pierce’s own 1-yard touchdown plunge.
Alabama’s high-powered offence struck right back. Harris ripped off a 29-yard run deep into Florida territory, and Smith finished it off by hauling in a 15-yard scoring pass from Jones after a play-action fake to Harris froze the Gators defence.
Florida had one more big drive in its arsenal, zipping down the field on another 75-yard possession that ended with Trask lofting a 22-yard TD pass to his star tight end, Kyle Pitts. Trask then ran for a two-point conversion.
That would be the last gasp.
Alabama recovered an onside kick and ran out all but the final 16 seconds. Trask was sacked on the final play of the game.
After missing the College Football Playoff a year ago for the first time since the four-team format was adopted in 2014, the Crimson Tide is back in familiar territory with an offence that averages nearly 50 points a game and seemingly has too many weapons for just 11 men to stop.
"I really love this team," Saban said.
INJURY REPORT
Alabama may have to carry on in the playoff without fifth-year centre Landon Dickerson, who went down late in the game with a knee injury.
He had to be carted off the field, though he did return for the post-game celebration on crutches.
"I don’t know the extent of it. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow to find out," Saban said. "It’s pretty serious, I think. We don’t know for sure how serious."
THE TAKEAWAY
Alabama: The Crimson Tide defence will surely face some questions after giving up six touchdowns and 462 yards to the Gators. But it’s going to be difficult for anyone to knock off a team that ripped through a top SEC opponent for 33 first downs and 605 yards.
Florida: The Gators might’ve pulled off the upset if not for some crucial mistakes in the first half. It’s hard to fault Dean for his fumble that gave the ball right back to the Alabama — which scored on the very next play. But Florida also had two silly penalties on apparent third-down stops, extending a pair of drives that turned into touchdowns.
UP NEXT
Florida: Despite two straight losses, the strong performance against Alabama could be enough to earn a New Year’s Six Bowl bid.
Alabama: Surely headed to the Sugar Bowl for one of the two semifinal games on Jan. 1.
Cincinnati beats Tulsa to win rainy AAC title game
CINCINNATI — Cole Smith made a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 6 Cincinnati a 27-24 victory over No. 20 Tulsa on Saturday night in the rainy American Conference Championship game.
Alec Pierce had a career-high 146 yards receiving on five catches, Desmond Ridder passed for 269 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score, and Jerome Ford added a 42-yard scoring run for the Bearcats (9-0, No. 9 CFP).
Tulsa (6-2, No. 23 CFP) reached the conference championship game following three straight losing seasons. It was the Golden Hurricane’s first appearance in the AAC title game.
Tulsa tied it with 3:41 remaining on Zach Smith’s 13-yard touchdown pass to JuanCarlos Santana. But the Golden Hurricane defence jumped offside on a hard count on fourth-and-2, giving the Bearcats a first down at the 19 to set up Smith’s kick.
After Jarrell White’s interception ended a promising drive for Tulsa, the Bearcats went ahead 7-0 on Ford’s 42-yard touchdown run. Pierce had a pair of acrobatic catches in the first quarter. He had a one-armed catch to help set up the first touchdown. His 45-yard grab led to a field goal.
Jaxon Player’s recovery of Ridder’s fumble at the Bearcats 28 set up Corey Taylor’s 10-yard TD run that tied it at 10.
Tulsa struggled to cover Pierce. He had 126 yards receiving yards in the first half, including a 36-yard TD catch to help Cincinnati take a 17-10 lead into halftime.
Deneric Prince’s 8-yard TD run capped a 55-yard drive on Tulsa’s opening possession of the third quarter, tying it at 17. Ridder scored on a 10-yard run to put the Bearcats back ahead.
In last year’s AAC championship game, Cincinnati led Memphis by one point with four minutes remaining, but lost 29-24.
The Golden Hurricane have had 16 come-from-behind wins since Philip Montgomery took over as head coach in 2015. They nearly pulled off another.
Cincinnati hadn’t played since Nov. 21 due to COVID-19 issues, and the rust showed with 12 penalties and two lost fumbles.
TAKEAWAYS
Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane relied mostly on their running game with Smith struggling to throw in the wet conditions. He was 13 for 30 with two interceptions.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats were able to overcome the loss of one of its top defensive playmakers when senior safety James Wiggins left in the first quarter with a right leg injury and did not return.
FINALLY
Tulsa and Cincinnati were scheduled to play on four previous occasions during the regular season but the game was postponed three times before being cancelled altogether last week. Twice the game was moved due to COVID-19 concerns within the Bearcats program.
UP NEXT
Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane are bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have seen their hopes of becoming the first non-Power 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff fade in recent weeks. But they are in line for a New Year’s Six Bowl.
Lawrence, Clemson rout Notre Dame to win ACC title
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After a heartbreaking 47-40 double-overtime loss to Notre Dame last month, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney assured his players in the locker room that there would be no trophy handed out that night.
There would, however, be one up for grabs when they got to Charlotte for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
The Tigers haven’t blinked since, staying focused on their goal. On Saturday they collected the hardware _ again.
Trevor Lawrence had 412 yards of offence and three touchdowns, Travis Etienne ran for 124 yards and a score and No. 4 Clemson dominated No. 2 Notre Dame 34-10 on Saturday to win its sixth straight ACC title.
“All we had to do was take care of business after that,” Lawrence said about the loss in South Bend. “We remember fans running off the field and getting in our face. You remember those images and keep those things in your head.”
Lawrence, who didn’t play in the first meeting because the coronavirus, threw long scoring passes to Amari Rodgers and E.J Williams in the first half to help the Tigers (10-1) lock up a spot in the College Football Playoff for the sixth straight season.
Lawrence, the game MVP and presumptive No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, overcame an early interception on a tipped ball to complete 25 of 36 passes for 322 yards. He ran 14 times for 90 yards, with a 34-yard touchdown scamper.
“His ability to run really stresses your coverage calls,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “… So what you try to do is bring some pressures that eliminate those runs. It just opens up some 1-on-1 matchups that are not favourable.”
The junior quarterback did it all, even throwing a block to spring Etienne for a 15-yard gain on a third-down run late in the second quarter leading to a touchdown and a 24-3 halftime lead.
Clemson has won all nine games Lawrence has started by at least 18 points and their average margin of victory in those games is 33.6 points.
Swinney called Lawrence the best player in the country.
“It would be a crying shame if the Heisman didn’t attach their name to Trevor Lawrence,” Swinney said. “I know that has become a stat award, but if you watch and you don’t know this is the best player in the country, I don’t what you’re looking at.”
Rodgers had eight catches for 121 yards, and Williams added four for 80 yards including a dynamic one-handed grab where he reached behind his head to snag the ball.
The momentum changed late in the first quarter when Notre Dame kicker Jonathan Doerer, who had converted an ACC title-game record 51-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive, clanked a 21-yard attempt off the right upright.
The Tigers quickly capitalized when Rodgers got cornerback Shaun Crawford to bite on a double move and hauled in a perfectly thrown pass from Lawrence for a 67-yard strike, the first of four straight scoring drives to close the first half.
After Clemson stopped Notre Dame on a key fourth-and-3, Lawrence moved the Tigers 72 yards in six plays, showing his pocket awareness by stepping up to avoid pressure and buy enough time to find Williams on a crossing route for a 33-yard score and a 14-3 lead _ Notre Dame’s largest deficit of the season.
Etienne broke it open when he took a handoff, slipped an ankle tackle and raced 44 yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 for a 24-3 lead with 21 seconds left in the first half.
“We let the second quarter get away from us, and that was the difference in the game,” Kelly said.
CLEMSON’S Defence
Clemson’s depleted defence allowed Notre Dame to pile up 518 yards in the previous meeting, but limited the Fighting Irish (10-1) to 263 yards Saturday and sacked quarterback Ian Book six times. Book spent most of the game under duress, regularly flushed from the pocket.
Clemson’s secondary put the clamps on Notre Dame’s wide receivers, and running back Kyren Williams was limited to 49 yards rushing after finishing with 140 yards on the ground and three TDs in the first game. Book was held to 219 yards passing and no touchdowns.
“There were new looks for sure, in the secondary as well as up front,” Book said. “But that was expected and it was on us to adjust, just be able to adjust on the fly. And we weren’t able to do that tonight.”
TAKEAWAYS
Clemson: The return of linebacker James Skalski and defensive tackle Tyler Davis, both of who missed the first game, proved to be a major difference for the Clemson defence this time around.
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish could get nothing going in the passing game. Book was under pressure almost every time he tried to throw the ball and Notre Dame’s wide receivers couldn’t shake Clemson’s defensive backs.
TARGETING
Clemson safety Nolan Turner will have to sit out the first half of the first-round playoff game after being ejected in the fourth quarter for targeting tight end Michael Mayer.
UP NEXT
Clemson: No two-loss team had ever qualified for the College Football Playoff, so it was imperative the Tigers won to get a spot _ and that’s exactly what they did. “We are trending in the right direction and we are playing our best football,” Lawrence said.
Notre Dame: Notre Dame hopes to edge No. 5 Texas A&M for the final playoff spot. Kelly made his case for Notre Dame’s inclusion, saying, “We played 11 games. We’ve beaten two top-15 teams. We obviously lost to the No. 3-ranked team in the country tonight. It wasn’t our best effort. But consistency, when you play 11 games, and you have a win over the No. 1 team in the country and then you win against an outstanding North Carolina team, I don’t know that you need to look any further than that.”
Ohio State survives scare vs. Northwestern to win Big 10
INDIANAPOLIS — Trey Sermon ran for a school-record 331 yards and two second-half touchdowns Saturday, helping No. 3 Ohio State rally for a 22-10 victory over Northwestern for a fourth consecutive Big Ten championship.
The Buckeyes (6-0) will find out Sunday if they’ve done enough to earn one of four spots in the College Football Playoff. It’s the first time Ohio State has won four consecutive outright conference crowns.
Northwestern (6-2) heads into the bowl season with two losses in its last three games and a second runner-up finish to the Buckeyes in three years.
It was a struggle for Ohio State.
After the Buckeyes settled for a field goal on the game’s first possession, Northwestern running back Cam Porter answered with a 9-yard TD run late in the first quarter. The Buckeyes trailed from that moment until Sermon’s 9-yard run with 2:41 left in the third priod.
The Buckeyes had trailed for all of 5 minutes, 5 seconds this season — until they fell behind for nearly 32 minutes Saturday.
Ohio State added a 26-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and Sermon, who had 29 carries, sealed the win with a 3-yard scoring run with 4:03 to go.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was 12 of 27 with 114 yards and ran 12 times for 35 yards.
Porter finished with 16 carries and 61 yards. Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey was 24 of 37 with 224 yards but was picked off twice and lost a fumble — all in the second half.
THE TAKEAWAY
Northwestern: For the second time in three years, the Wildcats proved they were worthy West Division champions. But like just about every other Big Ten team over the last decade, there’s still a gap between the Buckeyes and everyone else. Northwestern might be closing the gap — the Wildcats just haven’t overcome it yet.
Ohio State: When the Big Ten waived the six-game eligibility requirement, the Buckeyes took full advantage. They didn’t earn any style points, but they got the job done despite being short-handed.
MISSING OUT
The Buckeyes certainly weren’t at full strength Saturday. They released an inactive list of nearly two dozen players less than two hours before kickoff, nearly the same total that missed the Michigan State game.
Among those sitting out were star receiver Chris Olave, linebacker Baron Browning, defensive end Tyler Friday and punter Drue Chrisman. Safety Marcus Hooker, listed as a game-time decision, also sat out.
The Buckeyes didn’t say whether any of those on the inactive list tested positive for COVID-19. If so, Big Ten rules would require them to sit out 21 days and potentially keeping them out of the semifinal game.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Northwestern: The Wildcats may slip in the polls but this loss shouldn’t hurt their bowl resume much.
Ohio State: Whatever happens in the polls this week, the Buckeyes really only care about one thing — making the playoff.
UP NEXT
Northwestern: Will find out Sunday where it will head for bowl season.
Ohio State: Will wait to see if it has earned one of the precious four playoff spots.
No. 12 Sooners win sixth Big 12 title in row, toppling No. 6 Iowa St
ARLINGTON, Texas — Spencer Rattler threw a 45-yard touchdown to Marvin Mims and also ran for a score as No. 12 Oklahoma won its sixth consecutive Big 12 title, holding on to beat No. 8 Iowa State 27-21 in the conference championship game Saturday.
That impressive title streak probably won’t be enough to get the Sooners (8-2, No. 10 CFP) back in the College Football Playoff for the fourth year in a row, even when paired with their seven-game winning streak. Oklahoma lost at Iowa State on Oct. 3 and was 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since 1998.
Big 12 rushing leader Breece Hall ran for two touchdowns for the Cyclones (8-3, No. 6 CFP) in the second half, when Oklahoma punted on its first five drives before Gabe Brkic’s 32-yard field goal with 2:01 left. The Sooners finally clinched the game when Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy was under pressure and threw his third interception, a fluttering pass picked off by Tre Brown inside the 10.
The Sooners will play in a New Year’s Six game, probably back at AT&T Stadium, after winning their fourth Big 12 championship in a row since the title game was reinstated — with four different starting quarterbacks. Rattler, who finished 22-of-34 passing for 272 yards and his 25th TD, is the first of those QBs who went to Oklahoma as a freshman instead of transferring into the program.
Iowa State played in a conference championship game for the first time in school history, though fifth-year coach Matt Campbell was incensed at times. Standout defensive back Isheem Young was ejected after a questionable targeting call in the opening minute, and the Cyclones later didn’t get a fourth-down call when trying to draw Oklahoma offside even when two Sooners appeared to jump over the line.
Rattler hit Mims in stride behind two defenders on the opening play of the second quarter to put Oklahoma up 14-0. That came after a 16-yard catch by Mims to end the first quarter on a pass that first deflected off two defenders. Campbell lost it on the sideline, pointing and screaming, but like his team calmed down and got back in the game.
After Iowa State finally scored with 1:34 left in the first half on Purdy’s 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Charlie Kolar, the Sooners got a 43-yard kickoff return from Brown. That set up a quick four-play drive capped by Rattler’s 9-yard keeper for a 24-7 halftime lead.
Oklahoma led throughout, scoring on the game’s opening drive when third-string freshman quarterback Chandler Morris came in for a 2-yard TD keeper. Brkic, who was just wide right on a 43-yard field goal attempt, was later good on a 54-yarder that was the longest for the Sooners since 1990.
THE TAKEAWAY
Iowa State: Purdy, the third-year starting quarterback, finished 27-of-40 for 322 yards. The first two picks he threw came immediately after he ran for big gains. … Hall was held to a season-low 79 yards on 23 carries. He averaged 135.7 yards per game during the regular season, with 139 against the Sooners in October.
Oklahoma: The Sooners won their 14th Big 12 championship and their 50th conference title in school history. Their streak of six consecutive outright league titles is the longest for a Power Five program since they won 12 consecutive titles in the old Big Eight from 1948-59. (Clemson went into Saturday’s ACC title game with five consecutive outright titles).
EARLY EXIT
Young, who in the October matchup had a game-clinching interception in the end zone with a minute left, was ejected only 33 seconds into the championship game after his targeting penalty. An official heard on an open mic explaining the call to Campbell said the receiver Young hit was defenceless, to which the coach responded with an expletive.
UP NEXT
Iowa State: The Cyclones, still with a chance for their first nine-win season since 2000, are set to play in a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season. It could be a New Year’s Six game.
Oklahoma: The Sooners are bowl-bound for the 22nd year in a row, likely the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 30.