Crimson Tide advances to its fifth College Football Playoff National Championship Game

ARLINGTON, Texas – The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide won the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One by a score of 31-14 over No. 4 Notre Dame Friday in AT&T Stadium in front of a crowd of 18,373. The victory advances the Crimson Tide to the CFP National Championship Game on Monday, January 11, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

 

The Crimson Tide trio of Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith and Najee Harris once again led the Crimson Tide offense. Jones went 25-for-30 and threw for 297 yards with four touchdowns. Smith, the Offensive Player of the Game, caught seven passes for 130 yards, tying the Rose Bowl record and setting the Alabama bowl mark with three receiving touchdowns. Harris ran for 125 yards on just 15 attempts, while adding 30 receiving yards on four catches.

 

Patrick Surtain II was named the Defensive Player of the Game, tallying five tackles, tackle for loss and a pass break up. DeMarcco Hellams led the Tide with 12 tackles, including six solo stops and a sack. Christian Harris snagged an interception to shut down a third-quarter Notre Dame drive, while Christian Barmore recorded a sack in the third quarter to go with five tackles.

 

Alabama totaled 437 yards of offense, including 297 receiving and 140 rushing, while the defense held the Irish to just two rushing touchdowns.

 

How It Happened

FIRST QUARTER

  • 10:14 – UA | Smith hauled in a pass from Mac Jones and went 26 yards through traffic for the score on Alabama’s first drive of the game.
  • 4:19 – UA | Jones connected with a wide open Jahleel Billingsley in the end zone from 12 yards out for the Tide’s second scoring drive in as many attempts.

 

SECOND QUARTER

  • 11:16 – ND | Kyren Williams rushed up the middle for the one-yard score to cut the lead in half to 14-7
  • 08:49 – UA | Smith recorded his second touchdown of the afternoon, this one from 34 yards out, off the pass from Jones helping send the Tide into the locker room with a 21-7 lead.

 

THIRD QUARTER

  • 04:48 – UA | Jones shuttled a perfectly-placed pass in the front corner of the end zone to Smith for the Tide’s fourth score of the game.

 

FOURTH QUARTER

  • 12:45 – UA | Will Reichard continued his unblemished streak on kicking attempts this season, hitting his 13th field goal, this one from 41 yards out, to add three points for Alabama.
  • 00:56 – ND | Ian Book capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run

 

Up Next

Alabama will play the winner of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which features No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State, in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday, January 11. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. CT start at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

 

– UA –