’BAMA BESTS CLEMSON IN SUGAR BOWL
NEW ORLEANS — The rubber match of the AlabamaClemson trilogy was a total dud compared to the teams' previous two meetings.
Except to the Crimson Tide defense, which will remember it as a thing of beauty.
In a game where every yard was a struggle, No. 4 Alabama took matters into its own hands, scoring a pair of touchdowns just 13 seconds apart in the third quarter to turn an offensive slog into a 24-6 rout of defending national champion Clemson in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game Monday night.
It was quite a contrast to their last two meetings, both high-scoring classics with the national title on the line, not to mention the Rose Bowl semifinal that preceded it. Georgia knocked off Oklahoma 54-48 in a double-overtime thriller that wasn't decided until the Alabama was on its second possession in the Big Easy.
There would be no drama in the nightcap. With Deshaun Watson off to the NFL, No. 1
Clemson (12-2) simply had no answer for Nick Saban's latest group of defensive standouts. The Crimson Tide's win set up an all-Southeastern Conference showdown for the national title — with Saban matched against his former defensive coordinator, Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
• No. 14 Notre Dame 21,
No. 17 LSU 17 — At Orlando, Fla.: Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly was prophetic during his preparation leading up to the final game of the season.
During a practice this week in Orlando, he walked past wide receiver Miles Boykin and told the junior he’d be named most valuable player of the Citrus Bowl on Monday.
Boykin rose to the occasion and made the biggest play of the day at Camping World Stadium late in the fourth quarter, helping No. 14 Notre Dame (10-3) rally for a win 21-17 win over No. 17 LSU (9-4).
“One of the things that was really important in this game was to get him the ball in a position where their defensive backs, who were outstanding, couldn’t make a play on the ball,” Kelly said.
Boykin made a one-handed grab along the LSU sideline on a pass from second-string quarterback Ian Book, then shook off a defender and juked past another before finishing off a 55-yard touchdown with one minute, 28 seconds to play.
He finished with three catches for 102 yards in a game that kicked off in 53 degree weather and was played under an overcast sky and a windy mist.
Book, a former Oak Ridge High standout, took over fulltime for Brandon Wimbush in the first half after the Irish starter went 3-of-8 passing for 52 yards to open the game. The sophomore went 14-of-19 through the air for 162 yards and added 36 yards on the ground, including a run for 21 yards.
The win gives Notre Dame its first in the state of Florida under Kelly after losing five in row dating back to 2011 when the Irish lost in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando against Florida State.