Alabama 52 Ohio State 24 CFB: National Championship

[CincySportsFan]

Okay...that was rough to watch.  Thoughts this morning after some time away from the game.

** I now know what Michigan must feel like after playing OSU.  You have players and schemes that work 98% of the time against everybody else...but, when you come up against a team that has just as many, if not more, "players" than you do...you become totally exposed.  And then it's too late.

** I wonder what was running through the mind of Tuf Borland as he was watching Smith pull away from him for his 17th TD of the night.  Guy has been a heck of a defender for us, but in no way, shape or form, should he have been responsible for picking up and covering a guy like Smith.  In fact, I wonder what a lot of guys are thinking about their defensive scheme after last night.

** As excited as I was when I heard Shaun Wade was coming back this year, at times it seemed like he had very little interest in being there.  He definitely did not help his stock last night.

** I feel really bad for Trey Sermon.  My gosh what a past 3 games he's had, and to not make it passed the first offensive series, sucks big time.  In the end, I don't know that he would've had an impact on the final outcome, but wish he could've still displayed his talents to a national audience.

** No way Justin Fields is taken as the #2 QB in the draft now.  If he had come out and done the same thing he had done against Clemson, then yeah, he likely could have.  But, I doubt it now.  How much of it was the injury from last week, how much of it was Bama's defense, how much of it was nerves...I don't know.  But a 50% completion rate for less than 200 yards is not going to push the needle in your favor.  Still, too much talent there for him to fall out of the first round, but I just don't think he'll be the #2 guy taken.

** I'm sorry @John Anthony but I've obviously run out of mojo.  I got the Reds to the playoffs, Trevor Bauer the Cy Young, and a revenge win against Clemson.  But, all I could muster up last night was one quarter.  Somebody else needs to pick up the reverse-jinx ball and run with it.  

[Jumper_Dad]

6 hours ago, John Anthony said:

Ohio State officially ends the season ranked 122nd out of 127 teams in pass defense.
 
And I was called a sandbagger 3 months ago when I said we had a suspect D.  If you look for it some people will give objective truth to you.

That was me...I never envisioned their D would be so porous. Your assessment on their D was correct.

[El Diablo]

OSU played their super bowl against Clemson physically, mentally and emotionally. It is incredibly hard to maintain that killer focus for two big games two weeks apart like that. If they would have played like they did in the semifinals against Bama I think it would have been a one score or so Bama win. Also losing Sermon after plays was a big deal. M. Teague is good but Sermon is a beast on wheels. Alabama’s OLine is just too good to beat. They couldn’t get to Mac Jones and then he’s throwing to the heisman freak.  

[bugatti]

I am not shocked OSU lost, but am I shocked how they lost. Who is to say how much their short-handedness hurt them. Losing multiple contributors and stud RB in the first quarter is a tough mountain to climb against that juggernaut.

We can talk about the game all day, but it came down to one thing. DaVonta Smith.

One thing I appreciate about Sarkisian's play-calling is that it's sole focus was to be creative to get DeVonta Smith the ball and to keep giving him the ball. Too many times coaches are concerned with spreading the wealth and being balanced. Sark went full John McKay as in, he knew he had the best player, by a mile out there, so let's not overthink it. Give him the ball and give it to him some more; from downfield to out of the backfield. Alabama's success was manageable outside of Smith, but the Bucks had no answers. Mac gets all the credit in the world for delivering him the rock (not an easy feat), but let's be 100. 75% of the time Smith had separated by 5-10 yards making it easy pitch and catch. Also, big shout out to the OL which JA mentioned before the game. Jones could have sat back there all day on some plays.

[bugatti]

1 hour ago, CincySportsFan said:

* No way Justin Fields is taken as the #2 QB in the draft now.  If he had come out and done the same thing he had done against Clemson, then yeah, he likely could have.  But, I doubt it now.  How much of it was the injury from last week, how much of it was Bama's defense, how much of it was nerves...I don't know.  But a 50% completion rate for less than 200 yards is not going to push the needle in your favor.  Still, too much talent there for him to fall out of the first round, but I just don't think he'll be the #2 guy taken.

I go back and forth on Fields, but yeah, not a good night against an average to below average Alabama defense. At times he looks the part and can deliver with pinpoint accuracy, but other times he will lose his fundamentals, throwing off his back foot, floating balls unnecessarily, etc.

[GrantNKY]

Just an absolute methodical massacre last night. No other way around it. Bama is just on a totally different level. I could tell really early that unless OSU puts up 50 we had no chance. Devonta Smith is obviously incredible, but as I mentioned to JA yesterday, the key to the game was Najee Harris. We could not stop him. Just an incredible player. Would have loved to have seen Fields leave a champion, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Bama is just a machine and it takes a team at 100% to compete with them and OSU just didn’t have it last night. I mean there’s nothing you can do but tip your cap to Bama. 

[John Anthony]

21 minutes ago, bugatti said:

I am not shocked OSU lost, but am I shocked how they lost. Who is to say how much their short-handedness hurt them. Losing multiple contributors and stud RB in the first quarter is a tough mountain to climb against that juggernaut.

We can talk about the game all day, but it came down to one thing. DaVonta Smith.

One thing I appreciate about Sarkisian's play-calling is that it's sole focus was to be creative to get DeVonta Smith the ball and to keep giving him the ball. Too many times coaches are concerned with spreading the wealth and being balanced. Sark went full John McKay as in, he knew he had the best player, by a mile out there, so let's not overthink it. Give him the ball and give it to him some more; from downfield to out of the backfield. Alabama's success was manageable outside of Smith, but the Bucks had no answers. Mac gets all the credit in the world for delivering him the rock (not an easy feat), but let's be 100. 75% of the time Smith had separated by 5-10 yards making it easy pitch and catch. Also, big shout out to the OL which JA mentioned before the game. Jones could have sat back there all day on some plays.

I do think a healthy Sermon leads to at least one more TD, probably two.  Still unbelievable to think he went down on the first play of the game.  Make no mistake about it though, we were still losing this game.

[John Anthony]

34 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

OSU played their super bowl against Clemson physically, mentally and emotionally. It is incredibly hard to maintain that killer focus for two big games two weeks apart like that. If they would have played like they did in the semifinals against Bama I think it would have been a one score or so Bama win. Also losing Sermon after plays was a big deal. M. Teague is good but Sermon is a beast on wheels. Alabama’s OLine is just too good to beat. They couldn’t get to Mac Jones and then he’s throwing to the heisman freak.  

I agree on all points.  They really emotionally got up for Clemson.  After the loss last night, a lot of them got to hug their parents for the first time in 3 months.  What a strange season, but we went from cancelled too National runner up.  One heck of a ride!

[bugatti]

Just now, John Anthony said:

I do think a healthy Sermon leads to at least one more TD, probably two.  Still unbelievable to think he went down on the first play of the game.  Make no mistake about it though, we were still losing this game.

Most likely. When it got to when OSU had to chase points, it was game over. Mac gifted them 7 points with his careless fumble, but that was about the only gift they received.

[GrantNKY]

We have a lot of people on here that have seen a lot of football and know football well. Have you ever seen a team play a 4-4 base defense against a team as loaded offensively like Bama was? I mean my lord there were times where because of scheme, OSU had a linebacker on the literal Heisman trophy winner. Like JA mentioned, it wasn’t going to make a difference besides being a little closer, but just inexplicable to set yourself up for failure like that. @John Anthony do you think we see any changes coming as far as coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball? 

[John Anthony]

4 minutes ago, GrantNKY said:

We have a lot of people on here that have seen a lot of football and know football well. Have you ever seen a team play a 4-4 base defense against a team as loaded offensively like Bama was? I mean my lord there were times where because of scheme, OSU had a linebacker on the literal Heisman trophy winner. Like JA mentioned, it wasn’t going to make a difference besides being a little closer, but just inexplicable to set yourself up for failure like that. @John Anthony do you think we see any changes coming as far as coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball? 

I think all options are on the table.  Day is waiting too see who Urban poaches first.

[GrantNKY]

Just now, John Anthony said:

I think all options are on the table.  Day is waiting too see who Urban poaches first.

That’s a fair point. I feel like we’ll have a good idea of what the OSU staff looks like by the end of this week because I feel like the Meyer announcement to the Jags is imminent. I don’t see Marotti as an NFL style S&C so I feel like he’s still going to be at OSU, but do you think Pantoni is going with Urban? Those are the two of the 4 most important guys for me along with LJ and Hartline. 

[16thBBall Fan]

A amazing stat after last nights game is the SEC has won 11 out of the last 15 CFB National Titles since 2006. Plus a team from the SEC finished in 2nd place 5 times over the past 15 years as well.

[TheDeuce]

9 hours ago, John Anthony said:

Ohio State officially ends the season ranked 122nd out of 127 teams in pass defense.
 
And I was called a sandbagger 3 months ago when I said we had a suspect D.  If you look for it some people will give objective truth to you.

You were called a sandbagger because you said you thought OSU should be ranked 8-10. You didn't think it then and you still don't think that now. 

[TheDeuce]

49 minutes ago, GrantNKY said:

We have a lot of people on here that have seen a lot of football and know football well. Have you ever seen a team play a 4-4 base defense against a team as loaded offensively like Bama was? I mean my lord there were times where because of scheme, OSU had a linebacker on the literal Heisman trophy winner. Like JA mentioned, it wasn’t going to make a difference besides being a little closer, but just inexplicable to set yourself up for failure like that. @John Anthony do you think we see any changes coming as far as coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball? 

Funny you mention that... I definitely remember one time during the game that OSU was in a basic 4-4 defense and thinking to myself "Are they in a 4-4?" Just not something you see very often at this level.