Buckeyes stun Clemson to reach title game
They weren't wanted by many in the NCAA'S final-four football party.
So the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) used that as motivation to crash the bash late Friday.
Behind the spirited running of Trey Sermon and the gutsy leadership of Justin Fields, the Buckeyes eliminated the No. 2 Clemson Tigers (10-2) with a brash 49-28 Sugar Bowl victory in the College Football Playoff.
No … there was no stopping Fields, Sermon & Co. in the semifinal triumph, much to the chagrin of many who didn't think Ohio State deserved a berth in the four-team CFP after playing just six games while other contenders played nine-plus.
Fields took a wicked second-quarter hit to the ribs from Clemson senior James Skalski but shook it off — despite a painful grimace from him every time he threw the ball — to pilot 639 yards of offence against a vaunted defence in the Buckeyes' pursuit of a second CFP title.
Fields hit on 22-of-28 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns in the Buckeyes' first-ever win over Clemson.
Sermon picked up where he left off in the Big Ten championship tilt, by tearing apart the Tigers' tough unit with 193 yards rushing.
And three second- quarter touchdowns by Ohio State proved too much for Clemson, which is a two-time national champ itself.
Not even with quarterback Trevor Lawrence at the helm. The super QB didn't have enough game for Clemson to overcome a 21-point halftime hole and a 28-point fourth-quarter deficit.
The Buckeyes now play for the CFP national title against a twotime winner in the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0).
That's after the Tide came away — as most expected — smelling like roses from Friday's Rose Bowl, sending them to their third championship game in six years.
“It means a lot,” Tide stud receiver Devonta Smith told the AT&T Stadium crowd post-game. “But we ain't done yet.”
Instead it's the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) who are done after Friday's early CFP semi.
Alabama was its usual self, dominating when it counted and running away for a relatively easy 31-14 victory in Arlington, Texas.
The Tide's stars were the usual suspects, to boot, with Smith catching a trio of touchdowns from QB Mac Jones to haul in the offensive player-of-the-game honour and defensive back Patrick Surtain II earning the same defensive nod. Teammate Najee Harris was also significant, running to 125 yards on 15 carries for an 8.3-yard average.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame just couldn't muster the same offence as the SEC champions.
QB Ian Book really needed to have an all-world game, but he was sub-par on 27-of-39 passing — many of the misses unforced and falling short or behind targets — for 229 yards. And his 15 runs for 55 yards just didn't contribute enough to the cause.
“We controlled the quarterback about as well as you can do it,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban told ESPN post-game. “He still got out of (the pocket) a couple of times, but we tried to make him run sideways — and we did.”
Book's partner in crime, running back Kyren Williams, rolled up just 64 yards on 16 carries.
“It's a great team win,” Saban told ESPN post-game. “These guys have really earned the opportunity to play in the national championship game, so we'll see what we can do with it.”
Indeed, Alabama — which last won the NCAA title in 2017 — now sets its sights on a sixth national crown in 12 years.
SECOND & LONG
The Heisman Trophy votes are already in for the NCAA'S most outstanding player in 2020, but Alabama teammates Jones and Smith continued to showcase why they're two of the four finalists with their performances Friday. Jones simply sparkled with a 25-of-30 effort for 297 passing yards and four TDS. Smith's three pass-catching scores were a school bowl record and gave him 20 on the season to tie him for the most in SEC history in a year … The other Heisman finalists are Lawrence and Florida QB Kyle Trask … The Heisman winner will be announced Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, TSN2).
THIRD & GOAL
The Peach Bowl didn't disappoint early Friday, with No. 9 Georgia (8-2) taken right to the wire in a 24-21 thriller by No. 8 Cincinnati (9-1), which just fell shy of a coveted perfect season … Friday's Citrus Bowl saw No. 14 Northwestern (72) handle Auburn (6-5) 35-19 … The trio of New Year's Eve tilts saw: Ball State (7-1) surprise No. 22 San Jose State (7-1) 34-31; Mississippi State (4-7) survive a 28-26 tussle with No. 24 Tulsa (6-3) punctuated by an ugly, massive post-game brawl; and West Virginia (6-4) get the only points of the fourth quarter to escape an entertaining 24-21 fight with Army (9-3).