The media will be in a frenzy on Monday, with the start of press conferences and interviews for the Rose Bowl.
After losing the college football playoff in 2019, the University of Alabama returned to the big stage as champion of the Southeast Conference.
Crimson Tide was the only SEC program to remain unbeaten on an exclusive conference schedule and averaged 49.7 points per game.
With Notre Dame having a defeat, Fighting Irish grabbed the fourth and final seed in the CFP and will strike back at Tide at AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) on January 1, 2021.
In the first encounter between Nick Saban and Brian Kelly, the Alabama head coach won a 42-14 victory in the BCS National Championship Game 2013 (2012 season).
Although the Irishman has improved a lot, Tide is on a mission for a national title.
Saban is looking to beat the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant and Alabama is looking for his 18th national championship in school history.
When it comes to highlighting the players, the folks at Touchdown Alabama Magazine have five key names prepared to fight Notre Dame on Friday.
1. Chris Owens, offensive line
Alabama will not have its Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner and Rimington finalist, Landon Dickerson, at the center against Fighting Irish. Dickerson suffered a knee injury against Florida in the SEC title game, and this proved to be serious, as the North Carolina native suffered “significant” ligament damage. With him out, Chris Owens is next in line to operate the controls.
He has experience in the position, but will he bring the same communication and dominance as Dickerson?
Alabama trusts Owens.
If he handles pressure from Notre Dame’s defensive front and establishes Tide’s impetuous attack, he’ll be fine. The team also has Darrian Dalcourt and Emil Ekiyor, however, is rolling with Owens.
2. Najee Harris, Running Back
Pro Football Focus had Najee Harris listed as the third running back in terms of qualifying for the NFL’s 2021 Draft.
He can show NFL scouts how dominant he is with a strong performance against a defensive front that includes Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Drew White, Kurt Hinish, Daelin Hayes, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Isaiah Foskey, Bo Bauer and Adetokunbo Ogundeji de Notre Dame.
Harris was the most valuable player in the SEC championship game, totaling 178 yards in races, 67 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
He leads the NCAA in running yards (24) and scores 1,262 yards on 214 shipments.
During the CFP era, highlights like Derrick Henry, Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Bo Scarbrough provided dominant performances for Tide. Harris collected five 100-yard running games and nine 100-yard scrimmage games, averaging 114.7 yards per game. He is also responsible for 32 receptions, including three for touchdowns as a receiver.
3. Christian Harris, Inside Linebacker
He has been Alabama’s most consistent domestic linebacker.
After starting in 2019 for the injured Joshua McMillon, Christian Harris improved with confidence, communication and fulfilling his mission in defense. The second year will be tasked with watching Ian Book and preventing Kyren Williams from attacking Notre Dame. With Fighting Irish not having a crowd of game creators on the outside, this gives Harris the opportunity to show his lateral speed and cut back. He will also have a chance to press Book and create bags.
The 6 foot-2, 232-pound has 68 tackles in total, including seven for loss and 4.5 sacks.
4. Will Anderson, External Linebacker
Notre Dame has a formidable offensive unit, but it is about to be tested.
Christian Barmore is a high pass hitter on the Alabama defensive line, and Christopher Allen carries six sacks on the strong side linebacker.
The two will draw a lot of attention, which means that William Anderson will chase Ian Book throughout the game.
Since registering his first career layoff against Auburn, the freshman has totaled at least two sacks each in meetings against LSU, Arkansas and Florida. He leads the SEC and Tide in sacks (seven) and 10.5 tackles to defeat in 11 games.
5. Malachi Moore, Defensive Back
Minkah Fitzpatrick was burned by Hunter Renfrow of Clemson in the CFP National Championship Game 2016, but responded by becoming an All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner in safety for Alabama.
Malachi Moore is compared to Fitzpatrick and hopes to recover after a difficult performance against Florida’s Kadarius Toney.
Although he gave a score to the explosive wide receiver, it was the only touchdown that Moore allowed throughout the year. The 6-foot, 182-pounder has been special to Tide’s defense by counting 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, six pass separations, two hurried defenders, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, three time-high interceptions ) and a touchdown.
He was nominated for the SEC All-Freshman team and also for the second All-SEC team.
Moore is expected to arrest anyone who plays on the Irish slot machine this week.
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Stephen M. Smith is the editor-in-chief and senior editor at Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” it on Facebook or “follow him” on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith
