MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Alabama football team won its 18th national championship Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Garden, Fla., in front of 14,926 fans with a dominating 52-24 win over No. 3 Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Alabama finished its season a perfect 13-0, while Ohio State fell to 7-1.
In addition to being the Crimson Tide’s 18th national football championship overall, it was Nick Saban’s seventh as a head coach, giving him the most in collegiate football history, and his sixth at Alabama.
DeVonta Smith was the game’s Offensive MVP after setting championship game records for the most receptions (12) and receiving touchdowns (3) while accounting for 215 of the Crimson Tide’s 464 receiving yards, all of which came in the first half. Christian Barmore was named the Defensive MVP after totaling five tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in a disruptive performance.
Mac Jones threw for a CFP championship game record 464 yards on 36-of-45 passing, including a CFP championship game record tying five touchdowns. Najee Harris became just the fifth player to score both rushing and receiving touchdowns in a BCS/CFP title game with two on the ground and one through the air. He totaled 158 yards of total offense, including 79 yards rushing on 22 attempts and 79 yards receiving on seven catches.
Christian Harris and Dylan Moses led the Tide defense in tackles with six each.
How It Happened
FIRST QUARTER
- 08:07 – UA | Najee Harris capped off the Tide’s opening drive with a one-yard rush to put Alabama on the board first.
- 04:55 – OSU | Master Teague III’s eight-yard rushing touchdown evened the score on Ohio State’s second drive of the game.
SECOND QUARTER
- 14:53 – UA | Jones connected with Smith from five yards out to finish off a 75-yard drive for Alabama’s second touchdown of the game.
- 11:43 – OSU | Teague III found the end zone for the second time, coming from four yards out, for another rushing score.
- 09:00 – UA | Harris set the SEC single-season touchdown record (29) on his second score of the game off a 26-yard pass from Jones.
- 05:21 – OSU | Jake Seibert sent a 23-yard kick through the uprights for the game’s first field goal.
- 03:19 – UA | Smith trotted across the goal line after catching a five-yard pass from Jones for his second touchdown of the game.
- 01:48 – UA | Smith’s third score came off a perfect-placed 42-yard pass from Jones to give the Tide an 18-point advantage at the half.
THIRD QUARTER
- 07:47 – UA | Will Reichard recorded his 14th field goal in as many attempts, this one from 20 yards out for the first score of the second half.
- 06:45 – OSU | Justin Fields tossed a 20-yard pass to Garrett Wilson deep in the end zone for the Buckeyes’ only receiving score of the game.
- 02:52 – UA | Slade Bolden became the third different Alabama player to record a receiving touchdown, this coming off a five-yard pass from Jones.
FOURTH QUARTER
- 13:15 – UA | Harris carried for one yard for his second rushing touchdown and third overall in the game.
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