RAPID REVIEW: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
A new calendar year saw old familiar themes in No. 1 Alabama’s (12-0) 31-14 victory over No. 4 Notre Dame (10-2) in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Rose Bowl held in Arlington, Texas.
The Crimson Tide scored touchdowns on their first three possessions to build a 21-7 halftime lead and extended their advantage to 31-7 early in the fourth quarter to coast to the victory and their fifth appearance in the title game the past six years. Meanwhile, for Notre Dame it was their ninth straight loss in a major bowl dating back to 1995.
Among Alabama’s three top-five Heisman finalists, redshirt junior quarterback Mac Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 297 yards with four touchdowns, Rose Bowl MVP and senior wideout DeVonta Smith snared seven passes for 130 yards and three scores, and senior running back Najee Harris rushed for 125 yards on 15 carries.
The largest underdog in the seven-year history of the College Football Playoff at 19.5 points, Notre Dame did cover the spread on a one-yard touchdown run by fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book with 56 seconds remaining in the contest.
Top Three Storylines
• On paper, Notre Dame fulfilled its objective of running more plays (80-55) and controlling the clock (33:43-26:17), but the explosiveness of Alabama trumped it. The Crimson Tide was up 14-0 after its first two series with 79- and 97-yard drives.
When the Irish showed life with an extended touchdown march that milked 8:03 off the clock, Alabama answered with a six-play 84-yard march that provided the 21-7 halftime lead while having only four possessions in the first 30 minutes.
• The game had a feel similar to the 34-10 loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship on Dec. 19. The Irish fell behind 24-3 at halftime against the Tigers as well, but the defense responded well and limited them to 10 points in the second half, just like with Alabama. In both cases, the opposition was in control.
• Notre Dame’s defense held Alabama to its lowest point total in 25 games and 19 points under its average this season, but the Irish offense continued to sputter in marquee game settings.
In its eight defeats since 2017, the Irish have scored only 105 points (13.1 per game) and never more than 20, usually not possessing nearly the fire power in the passing game that the opposition does.
Turning Point
After making a stop on the opening series of the second half, Notre Dame was still within striking distance with a 21-7 deficit and faced second-and-seven from its 37. But while rolling to his right, Book’s intended pass to freshman tight end Michael Mayer was intercepted by sophomore linebacker Christian Harris at the Alabama 38-yard line at the 7:27 mark.
On the first play after the game’s lone turnover, Jones found sophomore wide receiver John Metchie III on a 40-yard slant, and shortly thereafter connected with Smith from seven yards (after scrambling for nine yards on third-and-six) for their third touchdown with 4:58 remaining to provide pretty much an insurmountable 28-7 cushion.
Stat Of The Game
Through the first three quarters, Alabama’s defense held Notre Dame to only 214 yards of total offense, including 25 in the third quarter when the Irish were still in the game. The Irish finished with 161 yards in the fourth quarter, but most of that was window-dressing during garbage time.
Game Ball
If one would have told the Irish coaches that their defense would limit the Alabama juggernaut to 31 points, they privately might have signed up for that instantly. It competed well overall, but the offense just doesn’t possess enough explosiveness to win against this caliber of opponent.
Historical Footnote
With this victory, Alabama’s Nick Saban became the first head coach ever to have a 5-0 record against Notre Dame. He was 3-0 at Michigan State from 1997-99 versus the Irish, and then at Alabama defeated Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS National Championship Game in January 2013.
Two other head coaches have 4-0 marks versus Notre Dame: Chicago’s Amos Alonzo Stagg from 1893-99 and Northwestern’s Ara Parseghian from 1959-62, prior to his legendary career with the Irish from 1964-74.
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