Ohio State loses 13 players pregame, RB Sermon early
Ohio State announced about an hour before kickoff Monday that 13 players would be unavailable for the national championship game against Alabama.
But the Buckeyes’ biggest loss came in the opening minutes of the game at Hard Rock Stadium. Running back Trey Sermon,
who had accounted for 636 rushing yards and four touchdowns in Ohio
State’s previous three games, went to the locker room after the Buckeyes’opening drive.
By the second quarter, he was ruled out with a collarbone injury and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. Sermon carried the ball once for 2 yards.
Sophomore Master Teague III took over the bulk of Ohio State’s running back duties in Sermon’s absence.
The full list of players announced as out pregame: cornerback Cam Brown,
defensive lineman Jacolbe Cowan, kicker Dominic DiMaccio, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, wide receiver Jaylen Harris,
kicker Blake Haubeil,
offensive lineman Dawand Jones, linebacker Cade Kacherski, linebacker Mitchell Melton, defensive end Tyreke Smith, defensive tackle
Tommy Togiai, safety
Kourt Williams and running back Miyan Williams.
Togaiai, Smith, Haubeil and DiMaccio are the main four of note.
Togiai and Smith, both juniors, are pivotal pieces on Ohio State’s defensive line. The two combined for 31 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in Ohio State’s first seven games.
Togiai leads the Buckeyes with three sacks and is tied for the team lead with 4.5 tackles for loss.
Haubeil, who announced on his Instagram account prior to the game that he had tested positive for COVID-19, has been Ohio State’s primary kicker this season, going 5-for-7 on field goal attempts and making all 24 of his PAT attempts. DiMaccio, a junior, has primarily been a kickoff specialist, handling 37 of the Buckeyes’ 55 kickoffs (Haubeil took the other 18).
Ohio Statehad to rely on freshman Jake Seibert for placekicking and kickoff duties. Prior to Monday, he missed his lone field goal try, a 44-yard attempt against Indiana, but was 13 for 13 on PAT attempts.
Reports surfaced early in the week about potential COVID-19 issues in the Ohio State program that led to discussions of postponing the title game until Jan. 18.
But worries quickly sub
sided and both teams passed their final round of COVID-19 testing on Friday before making their way to Miami.
JAYLEN WADDLE RETURNS
All week, Alabama coach Nick Saban said wide receiver Jaylen Waddle would be a “game-time decision” for Monday’s title game.
ESPN’s Allison Williams reported about 20 minutes before kickoff that Waddle would play but the Crimson Tide would be selective on how they use him.
Waddle was on the field during warmups, stretching, running sprints and getting in some route work albeit with a noticeable limp. DeVonta Smith, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden were announced as Alabama’s starting wide receivers.
“It’ll be on a limited basis, if he can play,” Saban said pregame on ESPN’s College Game Day. “That decision is going to be up to him.”
Waddle returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since fracturing his right ankle on the opening kickoff of Alabama’s 48-17
win over Tennessee on Oct. 24. He hadn’t played since.
In the four games prior to his injury, however, Waddle had 25 catches for 557 yards and four touchdowns. That led the Crimson Tide, with eventual Heisman Trophy winner Smith sitting second at 483 yards on 38 catches a third of the way through the season.
ON TAP FOR BAMA: UM
Alabama’s next game to open the 2021 college season will be the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 4 against the University of Miami at Mercedes-Benz
Stadium in Atlanta. The powerhouse Crimson Tide and Hurricanes have met 17 times since 1941, with Alabama winning 14 of those games. The last time the teams met was on Jan. 1, 1993 to end the 1992 season, when No. 1 Miami fell 34-23 to No. 2 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl for Miami’s lone loss that season. The victory secured the national championship for Alabama.
THIS AND THAT
Alabama safety Jordan Battle, a Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas alumnus, was ejected for targeting in the second quarter. The sophomore lowered his helmet to drill Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert as he tried to make a cross over the middle with 6:13 left in the half. Replay review upheld the 15-yard penalty and ejection.
With his two catches
● for 31 yards on Alabama’s opening drive, Smith set the SEC record for career receiving yards. Smith had 3,781 yards at the conclusion of that drive (which ended with a 1-yard Najee Harris touchdown run), passing Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews’ career mark of 3,759 yards.
Later in the first half, Harris scored his second touchdown on a 26-yard pass from Mac Jones to give Alabama a 21-14 lead. It was the 29th touchdown of Harris’ season, a Bama record.