COLLEGE FOOTBALL FRENZY: Alabama clinches spot in NCAA final after slicing Cincy

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Suddenly, a seventh NCAA football championship doesn’t seem like such a stretch.

Not after Friday’s celebration at the Cotton Bowl. 

Their victory in the New Year’s Eve contest — a College Football Playoff semifinal — puts the current Alabama Crimson Tide dynasty one win from another title after triumphs in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

That in the face of doubt piled on them by critics season-long for being not up to snuff for another run at the honour.

“I’m really proud of this group,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban told ESPN after his squad’s sixth semi victory in the CFP. “To come this far, they’ve got an opportunity now.”

Saban’s Tide (13-1) certainly do after the 27-6 decision over the No. 4 Cincinnati Bulldogs (13-1) in Arlington advances them to next Monday’s CFP National Championship in Indianapolis. The Tide face the winner of Friday’s late semifinal in the Miami-hosted Orange Bowl between the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (12-1) and the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1).

“Same gameplan,” Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. told ESPN. “We just have to prepare for whoever we’ve got next and just come out and play our best game.”

They were right there at their best in this one, handing the Bearcats — the last of the unbeatens of 2021 — their only loss of the schedule.

And Robinson Jr. led the charge with a school-record 204 rushing yards in a bowl game.

“This is like a dream come true,” Robinson said. “I waited all this time for this opportunity. And when the time came, I was ready for it. And we came out here and did what we had to do.

“It’s a great feeling just having this team behind me,” continued the Tuscaloosa native. “This team just trusted me to go out there and give it my all. I’ll do anything for this ‘A’ on my chest, man. I’m glad I got to show the world just how much this university means to me.”

Robinson’s 7.8-yard average came on 26 rushes, as he ripped through the heart of what’s been a top-four defence on the campaign.

“We love it when B-Rob gets rollin’, and we knew that we’d have to run the ball in this three-three stack stuff that these guys play,” Saban said. “He did a fantastic job, and the offensive line did a really good job in the run game. I’m really proud of B-Rob. He’s a fine young man. And to come back and play this year, he’s really created a lot of value for himself (at the NFL level).”

The team’s 302 yards rushing is the most in a bowl game for the program.

It was part of 482 total yards on the day.

And even though Heisman Trophy winning QB Bryce Young threw for just 181 yards on 17-of-28 passing, he tossed three timely touchdowns — a first-drive one capped by Slade Bolden’s catch from eight yards out, a second-quarter 44-yard hook-up with Ja’Corey Brooks and fourth-quarter insurance to tight end Cameron Latu covering nine yards.

It was all part of the quarterback recording a school-high 4,503 passing yards to surpass Mac Jones’ mark of last year and a program-best 46 passing TDs to eclipse Tua Tagovailoa’s 43 set back in 2018.

Young’s only mistake of the Cotton Bowl was a third-quarter interception by Bryan Cook on a hurried overthrow. But as quickly as it gave plucky Cincy life, the Alabama defence stepped up to take the threat away with a sudden stop of the Bearcats buoyed by vaunted QB Desmond Ridder, a Heisman finalist.

“After their turnover, that was really big, because they could’ve gotten right back into the game,” Saban said. “We got a fourth-down stop, and we stopped them in the red zone a couple of times.”

The defence stepped up to stuff Ridder & Co. drive after drive, limiting one of the nation’s top offences to just 218 yards. In fact, the Bearcats’ only points came on Cole Smith field-goals of 33 yards — in the first quarter — and 37 yards — in the third frame.  

Indeed, it was Alabama at its finest when it mattered most — again.

“I was really pleased with the way we played in the game,” Saban added. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. We did a great job of running the ball offensively. The defence came up with some really big stops and some really big plays in the game.”

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

http://www.twitter.com/ToddSaelhofPM

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