Instant Analysis: Alabama dominates Michigan State, earns title game berth

Alabama shut out Michigan State 38–0 in the Cotton Bowl semifinal to advance to the College Football Playoff national title game.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Alabama earned a berth in its fourth national title game since 2009 by crushing Michigan State on Thursday in the Cotton Bowl. Here are three thoughts from the Crimson Tide’s 38–0 College Football Playoff win.

1. Quarterback Jake Coker hadn’t previously had to win a game for Alabama, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do it.

Michigan State’s defense suppressed Crimson Tide junior tailback Derrick Henry early, limiting the Heisman Trophy winner to 38 yards on 13 carries in the first half. That meant if Alabama was going to score, the Tide would need to rely on Coker’s arm. The fifth-year senior rose to the occasion in the biggest game of his career, completing 25 of 30 passes for 286 yards with two touchdowns despite facing a relentless pass rush. Coker’s performance should give Alabama confidence as it prepares to face Clemson’s ferocious front seven in the national title game on Jan. 11 in Glendale, Ariz.

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The Crimson Tide and Spartans had spent a quarter and a half trading punts on Thursday night when Coker launched a 50-yard rope that hit freshman receiver Calvin Ridley in stride. That throw set up a one-yard Henry touchdown run. Later in the quarter, Coker tossed a 41-yarder to junior tight end O.J. Howard that set up a 47-yard Adam Griffith field goal.

Alabama tried to attack Michigan State on the perimeter early, but a barrage of bubble screens left the Tide in terrible down-and-distance situations. Bama broke the game open when Coker began attacking vertically. On the Tide’s first play of the second half, Coker evaded pressure and found senior wideout Richard Mullaney for a 26-yard gain. Coker capped the drive with a 50-50 ball that Ridley won on the left edge of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown. Later in the third, Coker hit a wide-open Ridley down the middle for a 50-yard score.

2. Alabama’s front seven continued to dominate.

Watch: Alabama’s Calvin Ridley makes tough touchdown catch

The Spartans learned what the programs in the SEC already know; attempting to move the ball against Alabama is usually a fruitless endeavor. Michigan State won tough games against Ohio State and Iowa by not giving up on the run game, but the Spartans never could break through against the Tide’s massive front. To make matters worse, Alabama’s pass rush gave senior quarterback Connor Cook little time to operate. Defensive end Jonathan Allen and rush linebackers Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams combined for four sacks.

The only time the Spartans threatened was on their final possession of the first half. Cook completed five of six passes for 71 yards to get Michigan State to the Alabama 10-yard line. But on first-and-goal, Cook threw into double coverage and was intercepted by senior cornerback Cyrus Jones with five seconds remaining. In the third quarter, Jones added to Michigan State’s misery with a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown.

3. Even though its season ended in embarrassing fashion, Michigan State took another huge step this year.

Alabama's path to the national championship

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Alabama 35, Wisconsin 17: Derrick Henry steamrolled the Badgers for 147 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns as the Crimson Tide kicked off the season with a win in Arlington, Texas.

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Alabama 37, Middle Tennessee 10: Ronnie Harrison's blocked punt for a safety was just part of the onslaught as the Crimson Tide built a 37–3 lead by the end of the third quarter.

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Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37: For the second straight year, the Rebels took down the Crimson Tide, this time in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss capitalized on five Alabama turnovers and 341 yards passing from Chad Kelly to build a 43–24 lead before narrowly hanging on for the win.

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Alabama 34, Louisiana Monroe 0: Despite a relatively sluggish offensive performance (just 166 yards passing and 3.9 yards per carry), the Crimson Tide easily put away the Warhawks to rebound from their loss to Ole Miss.

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Alabama 38, Georgia 10: A highly anticipated matchup with the unbeaten Bulldogs turned into a rout. The Crimson Tide sent Georgia starting quarterback Greyson Lambert to the bench, contained vaunted running back Nick Chubb for all but one meaningless late touchdown run and moved the ball efficiently on offense. Even special teams got into the mix with a touchdown for Minkah Fitzpatrick on a blocked punt.

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Alabama 27, Arkansas 14: The Crimson Tide defense stymied the Razorbacks' offense, limiting Arkansas to just 44 yards rushing. After scoring just three points before halftime, Alabama's offense found its footing late, tacking on 17 points in the fourth quarter to pull away.

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Alabama 41, Texas A&M 23: The Crimson Tide handed the Aggies their first loss of the season as Derrick Henry rushed for a then-career-high 236 yards. Alabama also turned three Kyle Allen interceptions into touchdowns, including two by Minkah Fitzpatrick.

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Alabama 19, Tennessee 14: It took a Derrick Henry touchdown run with 2:24 remaining to give the Crimson Tide the lead for good. Two Alabama sacks on the Volunteers' ensuing drive helped seal the win, especially the second, which resulted in a fumble recovery by Ryan Anderson.

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Alabama 30, LSU 16: The Crimson Tide defense did what had previously seemed impossible—stop Leonard Fournette. Alabama held the Tigers' star running back to 31 yards on 19 carries while Derrick Henry rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns.

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Alabama 31, Mississippi State 6: The Crimson Tide bludgeoned Dak Prescott for nine sacks to help keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone. Derrick Henry rushed for 204 yards and two scores on the ground.

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Alabama 56, Charleston Southern 6: Cyrus Jones returned two punts for touchdowns as the Crimson Tide raced to a 49–0 lead by halftime.

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Alabama 29, Auburn 13. The Crimson Tide kept feeding Derrick Henry the rock, and he kept delivering. Henry rushed 46 times for 271 yards to propel Alabama to victory in the Iron Bowl.

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Alabama 29, Florida 15: The Crimson Tide repeated as SEC champions with a victory over the Gators. Florida's offense got nothing going, including just 15 yards on the ground. Alabama found that giving the ball to Henry was its best option again, as he carried 44 times for 189 yards.

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Alabama 38, Michigan State 0: The Crimson Tide blanked the Spartans in the Cotton Bowl to advance to the national championship game against Clemson. True freshman Calvin Ridley led the offense with eight catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

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Alabama 45, Clemson 40: With Clemson's defense focused on stopping Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, Crimson Tide tight end O.J. Howard caught five passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team to a five-point win in the national title game.

​We keep writing off the Spartans and assuming their time in college football’s elite ranks is over, but Michigan State keeps putting together excellent seasons.

Michigan State has won at least 11 games in five of the past six years. They broke through and won a Rose Bowl after the 2013 campaign, and in ’15 they reached college football’s final four. Can they take the next step over the next few seasons and advance to the national title game? That will be difficult with Urban Meyer at Ohio State and Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, but Mark Dantonio’s team has only lost twice in Big Ten play since ’13.