Chris O’Meara / Associated Press
As reality settled for Ohio’s faithful on Monday, a simple look at the scoreboard explained the story.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones had 342 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Najee Harris scored 111 yards and two points. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith–the winner of the Heisman Trophy-had he took 12 passes for 215 yards and three scores.
While the Buckeyes certainly thought of missed opportunities, Crimson Tide did not have time to celebrate. They needed to go to the locker room first.
After all, the national championship game was still 30 minutes away.
For one last night, the crime in Alabama was unstoppable.
The country’s most efficient attack reached 7.5 yards per move in a 52-24 win. The dominant performance provided an adequate end to a spectacular year for this unit–an incredible collection of players and coaches who are now largely prepared for new destinations.
Smith, a veteran, is a potential candidate in the top 10 in the NFL. Despite missing the second half with a finger injury, he ended the 2020 season as the country’s leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns.
Jones and Harris will likely join Smith as first-round selections. Jones finished 36 of 45 with 464 yards and five touchdowns for zero interceptions, while Harris ran for 79 yards, took seven passes for 79 yards and totaled three scores.
Lynne Sladky / Associated Press
In addition, Jaylen Waddle returned from what was once considered an ankle injury at the end of the season to play a limited role, receiving three passes for 34 yards. He is also a likely first-round player.
The NCAA is not counting 2020 as an eligibility year because of the coronavirus pandemic, so all four must declare themselves for the project. They will leave, however, along with senior strikers Alex Leatherwood, Deonte Brown and Landon Dickerson.
Coordinator Steve Sarkisian is also gone.
A former head of Washington and the USC, he accepted the January 2 offer to become Texas’s chief coach. On his last day with Alabama, Sark called it a perfect game that put his players’ extraordinary skills on display.
Some things were simple. In two plays of 4: 1 in the red zone, Jones handed the ball to Harris. No call deserves much praise, but after a weekend full of NFL teams who played scared, it was refreshing that Tide was aggressive at first.
Sarkisian stuck to the basics, relying on run-pass options, screens, game action rollouts and zone scouts. Ohio State played with its Cover 1-Cover 3 identity, much of which was expected.
But Alabama also used some nasty schemes to score its touchdowns.
In the first quarter, Sarkisian put Smith into action, pulling two defenders into the field. Smith, however, reversed the direction and ran away from security Josh Proctor–who also needed to recognize a cruiser on the opposite side.
This created chaos for the Buckeyes and created an effortless touchdown. Very good combination, isn’t it?
Later in the first half, Sarkisian dialed another simple-to-Alabama-but-taxing-to-Ohio State call.
Smith started moving, changed direction twice and ran to the right corner of the final zone. In doing so, he defeated cornerback Sevyn Banks even before the snap. Jones hit Smith in the stride and he waltzed in.
This move was designed for a short-yard scoring situation, but more importantly, it gave Smith an ideal start. The last point is more important for any player who calls, and Sark constantly organizes similar scenarios throughout the game.
Just look at Smith’s third touchdown.
Sarkisian knew that Ohio’s dependence on Cover 3 meant he could put Smith in a linebacker. Tuf Borland found himself involved in the sickening confrontation. It is not his fault that he followed the defensive call, but Borland had absolutely no chance.
Sark emphasized Buckeyes with jet movements, fake bubble screens, fake bubbles to run routes, and so on. He called it a brilliant game in his final in Alabama.
But while Smith and Sarkisian deservedly made the headline, Jones and Harris prospered as well. A play illustrated the impact they had.
In Tide’s third possession, Ohio linebacker Baron Browning forced and recovered a fumble after a perfect time blitz. On the next trip, Browning ran another blitz. But this time, Jones saw the pressure and sent a pass to Harris, who made two defenders miss and scored his second touchdown.
No matter what the state of Ohio did, Sarkisian had an answer. Their solutions, however, revolved around their game creators.
And the Buckeyes failed to stop Smith, Jones or Harris.
They are in good company, of course. All three players finished in the top five in Heisman’s vote. No defense kept Alabama below six yards per game, and Crimson Tide averaged 48.5 points per game en route to a 13-0 record and their sixth national championship in 12 years.
Except for some impressive decisions, the attack will be substantially different next season. Alabama has no talent shortage, considering 5 star talent Bryce Young will replace Jones and John Metchie III will lead the receiving body. Still, it will field a revised unit led by new coordinator Bill O’Brien.
This is coming, but it can wait.
For one final night, Maré Crimson was overwhelming. Smith, Jones, Harris, Sarkisian and Co. will leave Capstone as the offense that could not be stopped.
Follow Bleacher Report college football writer David Kenyon on Twitter @ Kenyon19_BR.