The University of Alabama’s plethora of offensive weapons were on full display on Monday night, as Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns in just one half of play, with Najee Harris rushing 29 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Mac Jones hitting 36 of 45 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns, as the Crimson Tide hammered Ohio State 52-24 in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
In a contest played before 15,000 fans at Hard Rock Stadium in suburban Miami, Alabama polished off a 13-0 season, with 11 of those wins coming against Southeastern Conference opponents, followed by a Rose Bowl win over Notre Dame and the decisive rout of the Buckeyes.
For Ohio State, finishing a COVID-19 affected season at 7-1, Justin Fields passed for 194 yards and a touchdown. Featured running back Trey Sermon was lost to injury on the first drive of the game.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban has now won seven national championships, most of any coach in Division 1 history, with six titles at Alabama following his first title 14 years ago at LSU. The championship game victory served as a glorious final game at Alabama for offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who is leaving the program for the head coaching job at the University of Texas.
Alabama finished #1 in the final AP Top 25 poll for the 11th time, with Ohio State second, followed by Clemson, Texas A&M, and Notre Dame. Big 12 champion Oklahoma was sixth, with Georgia, Cincinnati, Iowa State, and Northwestern completing the top 10.
The ACC sunk in the bowl season, going 0-6. Among the defeats were those suffered in the national semifinals by Clemson and Notre Dame. North Carolina, ranked 14th in the country, and #22 Miami also lost their bowl games.
Independent BYU finished 11th, the Cougars highest finish since a #5 completion to the 1995 season.
