Next Smith Show! Alabama rolls over Notre Dame and is in the final

Alabama made short work of Notre Dame in the first game of the college football playoffs. The Crimson Tide won the semi-final game clearly with 31:14, DeVonta Smith excelled with three touchdowns.

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Alabama Crimson Tide – Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Result: 31:14 (14: 0, 7: 7, 7: 0, 3: 7)

• With a 21-point lead, the bookmakers declared Alabama a favorite before the game, the biggest difference in the seven-year history of the College Football Playoffs. And Nick Saban’s team lived up to its role as favorites: The Crimson Tide rolled over their opponents at the beginning of the game. On their first two drives they scored two touchdowns without having to play a third down. Notre Dame meanwhile started the game with two punts, after the 0:14 deficit at the beginning of the game it was never really close.
• Once again, wide-receiver sensation DeVonta Smith was particularly outstanding. The senior could not be defended either as a screen receiver or as a classic passport recipient. Smith came to 130 receiving yards and scored three touchdowns, two of them with long runs after the catch. He continued to collect arguments for winning the Heisman Trophy.
• Quarterback Mac Jones also played a practically flawless game. He brought 25 of his 30 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns to the man, but benefited again and again from wide-open pass windows, Notre Dame found no answer to the Alabama receivers, which remained outstanding even without the injured Jaylen Waddle. Najee Harris completed the impressive performances of the Big Three with 15 runs for 125 yards and a spectacular hurdle.
• Notre Dame got the ball better after two punts at the start of the game, but hardly got any explosive plays. Quarterback Ian Book, who had to be replaced by Drew Pyne due to an injury, found no opportunities for deep passes and had to throw checkdowns or scrambles again and again. Notre Dame scored their only touchdown before the final quarter on a 15-play drive over eight minutes.
• With a strong drive over eight plays for 56 yards in just 38 seconds, the Fighting Irish got the opportunity to shorten at least eleven points with a field goal shortly before the break. However, kicker Jonathan Doerer missed from 51 yards. On the first drive of the second half, Notre Dame came back into the field goal range, but this time Book subjugated a pass to tight end Michael Mayer, Christian Harris provided the first interception of the match. Smith’s third touchdown catch made the preliminary decision shortly afterwards.
• A little tension came up again in the last minute of the game. After a rushing touchdown from Book at 14:31, Smith dropped the onside kick of the Fighting Irish, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah secured the ball so that Notre Dame could start another drive. The outsider did not succeed in another touchdown.

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