Instant Analysis: No. 1 Alabama Football 27, No. 4 Cincinnati 6 at the Cotton Bowl
ARLINGTON, Texas — The beat goes on for Alabama football.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide roughed up No. 4 Cincinnati on Friday in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium and advanced to its ninth national championship game since 2009.
Alabama (13-1) will face the Orange Bowl winner, Georgia or Michigan, in the national title game in Indianapolis on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. Alabama has a chance for back-to-back national championships. It also won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012 under coach Nick Saban.
The Cotton Bowl win wasn't easy. The Bearcats pressured Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and forced him to make some bad throws. He had his worst passing day in terms of yards, throwing for 181. He did, however, have three touchdowns.
"It was a tough game, we knew it would be a tough game," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "The guys showed a lot of resiliency all season long to get to this game. They showed resiliency in this game, to overcome adversity, play as a team. Everyone had each other's back. That helped us get the win."
Brian Robinson was the story, though. The Tuscaloosa native and Cotton Bowl Offensive MVP ran over, around and through the Cincinnati defense for a career-high 204 yards on 26 carries.
The Crimson Tide finished with a season-high 301 rushing yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.
Defensively, Alabama dominated from the start, limiting the explosive Bearcats to just six points and no touchdowns. Will Anderson, the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP, led the team with two sacks and had six total tackles.
Cincinnati (13-1) was held to just 218 total yards.
Check out the video above where BamaCentral's own Joey Blackwell, Christopher Walsh, Edwin Stanton and Katie Windham break down the Crimson Tide's 27-6 Cotton Bowl victory over the Bearcats.
