Crimson Tide Flexes Muscle in What Was a Mismatch All Along
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Heisman Trophy winner? He had a ho-hum kind of day for him, with a trio of touchdown passes.
That same was true for its most electric playmaker as well. Jameson Williams was mostly used as a possession receiver and diversion this time out.
Instead, the Crimson Tide’s linemen on both sides of the ball, and running Brian Robinson Jr., flexed their arms as if to say, “We got this,” and simply went to work in the Cotton Bowl Classic at A&T Stadium.
With the defense keeping Cincinnati out of the end zone, Alabama was really never in danger of losing in the land known as Big D.
When it comes to this latest edition of a College Football Playoff semifinal dominated by Alabama, few will dwell on a lot of the details or the 27-6 final score.
Cincinnati simply didn’t match up.
That it didn't wasn’t Alabama’s problem.
Win and advance were simply the priorities for Nick Saban and Co., especially during the continuing pandemic.
That's what the No. 1 Crimson Tide did.
"We were the more physical team," said Robinson, who had 204 rushing yards on 26 carries.
"It was a long time coming," Will Anderson said about defense. "The mental energy was great."
The Bearcats did demonstrate how they had run the table to get here. Their execution was first-rate, and they were deserving of their spot among the final four teams.
But Alabama was faster.
It was deeper.
And most important for this game, bigger.
A lot bigger.
Which made the game plan pretty straight forward.
Cincinnati won the toss, elected to start getting pounded right away.
The Bearcats tried to bulk up a little, starting sophomore Jowon Briggs opposite Evan Neal. Yet he was only at a 50-pound disadvantage against the left tackle.
When Alabama lost a player to a shoulder injury, guard Emil Ekiyor Jr., it simply put in someone who was bigger, JC Latham (6-6, 325 pounds). It led to a few more hiccups, but that's about all.
"We knew the battle in the trenches was going to be a big deal," Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said. "That's kinda where the game was won."
Alabama’s first 10 snaps told the story, all runs, although one was a designed pass that sophomore quarterback Bryce Young took off and managed to reach the line of scrimmage for no gain.
Alabama ran up the middle. It went behind its biggest strength up front, the left side. Then it ran it some more.
"We knew we were going to have an opportunity to run," Robinson said. "Those first 10 plays just let me get my mind right."
The Crimson Tide wasn’t going to mess around, exploiting its obvious size advantage from the get-go and dared Cincinnati to come up with an answer. At minimum, it got a head start on wearing the Bearcats down.
The top-rated defense? Yeah, right. Alabama saw the real one in the SEC Championship Game and blew that one apart, albeit through different means.
The more the game went on, the more the Crimson Tide flexed its muscle, and the more the difference between the teams became obvious. Alabama closed the first half with another touchdown and had an edge in total yards of 302-76.
The end result was 482-218.
So yes, the game was a bit lacking in drama, which was fine with the Crimson Tide. The smothering defense dominated, totaling eight tackles for a loss and six sacks, and six passes broken up, many of which were swatted down in the trenches.
It didn't have to go at Cincinnati's highly-praised cornerbacks, essentially taking them out of the game. Alabama was the 10th-best rushing team in the SEC and it still had no trouble running over the Bearcats.
Cincinnati, which had roughly 30 seniors including numerous players who came back for an extra year, got no closer than 11 points in the second half after adding a second field goal, and Alabama was happy with the first win in its two-game playoff season.
College football fans may be calling for an expansion of the playoff. What they don't realize is that it'll result in more games like these.
Alabama's response, like with everything else that changes in college football these days: So be it.
Fickell called it a "gut-wrenching" and "heartbreaking" loss, yet Cincinnati should be extremely proud of the season it had.
Alabama, though, is back where it belongs, getting another shot at the national title.
Bring it on.
Alabama in Last 5 CFP Semifinals
- 2015-16 Cotton Bowl: Alabama 38, Michigan State 0
- 2016-17 Peach Bowl: Alabama 24, Washington 7
- 2017-18 Sugar Bowl: Alabama 24, Clemson 6
- 2018-19 Orange Bowl: Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34
- 2020-21 Rose Bowl: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
Christopher Walsh's column regularly appears on BamaCentral.
