’Bama beats Washington, Clemson blanks Ohio State in semis
Alabama is on its way back to college football’s national championship game.
The Crimson Tide overpowered Washington 24-7 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – a College Football Playoff semifinal – at the Georgia Dome on Saturday, earning a berth in the title game January 9 in Tampa
Seeking its fifth national championship in eight years and second in a row, No. 1-seeded Alabama (14-0) will face No. 2 Clemson in a rematch of last year’s final.
Alabama won the Peach Bowl behind a dominant defense that held Washington, which had averaged 44.5 points per game previously this season, to a lone first-quarter touchdown. The Crimson Tide then outscored the Huskies 24-0 the rest of the way as sophomore running back Bo Scarbrough piled up 180 yards on 19 carries, including touchdown runs of 18 and 68 yards.
“We got more miles to go, and these guys are very committed to it,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said afterward. “They worked hard over the holiday and made a lot of sacrifices.”
Saturday’s game completed a remarkable rise for the 49-year-old Peach Bowl, which once struggled for survival and long was relegated to the lower tiers of college football’s postseason.
The win was Alabama’s ninth in a row in the Georgia Dome, where ’Bama is 10-1 under coach Nick Saban – 5-1 in SEC Championship games, 4-0 in Chick-fil-A Kickoff games and now 1-0 in the Peach Bowl. Saban is 13-1 in the Dome overall, including 3-0 as LSU’s coach.
“They kind of are what we thought,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said of the Crimson Tide. “Really, really elite championship defense and, you know, good players across the board.”
Washington, which had 103 offensive yards in the first quarter, mustered only 91 in the final three quarters to finish with 194, far below their previous average of 477 per game. Alabama’s defense stiffened after the No. 4-seeded Huskies (12-2) took a 7-0 lead on an eight-play, 64-yard drive.
“After we got into the flow of the game... I think our defense did a very good job against the explosive offense they have,” Saban said.
“We started relaxing and playing our game,” Alabama cornerback Anthony Averett said. “We expected them to make big plays early, and we adjusted.”
No. 2 Clemson 31, No. 3 Ohio State 0
It was pretty much a given that Deshaun Watson would make a few mistakes on Saturday night.
An interception or two seemed inevitable for the Clemson quarterback prone to occasional bad decisions and wayward throws this season.
But, once again, Watson proved more than explosive enough to overcome any setbacks, making big plays with both his arm and his legs to lead the No. 2 Tigers past No. 3 Ohio State in a surprisingly one-sided semifinal playoff at the Fiesta Bowl.
“If I throw a pick or make a mistake, I’m not going to shy away,” he said. “I’m going to take my chances, take my shots.”
The victory cemented his reputation as perhaps the best quarterback in the country, despite what the Heisman Trophy voters might believe. It also set up a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff championship game against top-ranked Alabama.
Watson’s first pass of the evening game was intercepted, as was a throw to the end zone a few minutes later. To be fair, his receiver slipped on one pass and the defensive back made a great play on the other.
Still, it was not a promising start against an Ohio State defense that had excelled in takeaways and had returned seven interceptions for touchdowns during the regular season.
“It’s how you respond,” Coach Dabo Swinney said of his quarterback, the Heisman runner-up. “That’s who he is.”
Watson proceeded undeterred, spreading the ball to a variety of receivers on two early drives that gave his team a 10-0 lead.
Then, midway through the second quarter, the junior ran left, ducking behind a blocker and veering abruptly cross-field with seemingly the entire Ohio State defense in pursuit.
The keeper went for 33 yards and, three snaps later, Watson lofted a perfect pass to C.J. Fuller for a 30-yard touchdown that made the score 17-0 at halftime.
A rocky start had turned into an MVP night with Watson on his way to completing 23-of-36 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 57 yards and two more scores.
Coming into this game, Ohio State was supposed to have the formidable defense, but it was Clemson’s pass rush that created most of the havoc, with scary-fast freshman Clelin Ferrell and senior Carlos Watkins harassing quarterback J.T. Barrett throughout the night.
“Very disruptive,” said Barrett, who finished with only 127 yards passing and minus-two on the ground. “We just didn’t execute.”
Clemson would ultimately hold the nation’s third-ranked team to 215 yards on offense and only nine first downs _ two of those by penalty.
“Ohio State is not used to this,” Coach Urban Meyer said. “I’m not used to this.”
The Buckeyes caught a break early in the second half when they fumbled the ball away and Clemson botched a subsequent field-goal attempt that would have widened the lead. It did not matter. Watson finished a late third-quarter drive by running for seven yards and a touchdown, all but putting things out of reach at 24-0. Barrett responded by throwing his first of two interceptions on the night.
After a late touchdown finished the scoring, the Tigers began looking forward to next week’s title game in Tampa.
“That’s the game we’ve been wanting to play,” linebacker Ben Boulware said. “We’re ready for that matchup.”
The last time around, the score was tied in the fourth quarter when Alabama called an onside kick and recovered at midfield. The risky play led to a 45-40 victory for the Crimson Tide.
Clemson has had a chip on its shoulder since then. This is a team that has won five consecutive bowl games but still seems to feel as if it isn’t considered among college football’s elite.
“There’s only one thing for us to do,” Swinney said. “We have not been able to win it all.”
That puts even more pressure on the Tigers and Watson. Not that you should expect him to be bothered about it.
“I feel like the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward,” he said. “I have guts.”
(Los Angeles Times/TNS)