Alabama football team lands in Tuscaloosa

Through 14 games, Alabama has 50 team sacks this year compared to 32 last season.

Clemson, a team once known for such inexplicable stumbles that a derisive term was coined for it, is headed to the national championship game with a still-perfect record after a 37-17 smackdown of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night.

“I wasn’t surprised at all by the game he had tonight”, Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

“I think he was the best player in America before this game, so I think it’s just the icing on the cake”, Stanford coach David Shaw said.

“We can be the best team ever”, Boulware shouted.

Of course, Watson can do at least one thing Cook doesn’t: tuck it in and take off toward severe damage to opposing morale. That quickly gave way, however, to an onslaught in which the Buckeyes amassed 537 yards in their 42-35 comeback triumph.

After running off seven straight national titles, the nation’s best football conference hasn’t won one since the Tide blanked LSU 21-0 in the 2012 BCS finale.

Jonathan Allen gets to the quarterback.

Team captains make their way onto the field.

“People haven’t seen the last of us“, Hicks said. Who do you pick first if you’re sitting there and you’re 10 years old? Michigan State only managed to muster 29 rushing yards and 239 total yards for the game.

Jake Coker played the game of his career, hooking up with Calvin Ridley for two touchdowns, and going 25 for 30 for a career-best 286 yards. Running back Wayne Gallman tacked on 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Michigan State’s senior quarterback was caught on camera hollering some choice words about Alabama defensive linemen being “everywhere” on so many plays. But it wasn’t like those guys were super talented, way faster and way bigger than all of us, just pushing us around. “I said, ’15 for ’15, ‘ with the message being let’s make them print 15 tickets this year, somehow, someway”. He deflected most of it to freshman receiver Calvin Ridley, who caught eight passes for 138 yards with two scores. Backups Tyler O’Connor and Damion Terry played in the win over Ohio State, but they combined for only 31 pass attempts this season. Even soap opera stars on “General Hospital” made not-so-subtle references to making plans to watch the College Football Playoff on New Year’s Eve. It also marked a return to form for leading scorer Retin Obasohan, who had 23 points to lead the Crimson Tide.

“Just like this game won’t define this team, one play doesn’t define a game”, Ferentz said.

“Maybe we were a little bit too complacent (in preparation), and I take responsibility for that”, he said.

Those games have their own separate TV deals with ESPN and they were set before the playoff was finalized. Those teams met later Thursday in the Cotton Bowl.

The Crimson Tide flew home Friday morning and soon will begin preparing for Clemson, which beat Oklahoma 37-17 in the Orange Bowl, Thursday’s other semifinal.

The top-ranked Clemson Tigers and second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide have earned the trip to Glendale, Arizona, by both dominating the second half of their respective semifinal bowl games.

Jones said. “We work hand in hand”. “We’re not done yet”. But Alabama delivered a staggering rebuke, and a reminder that the highest level requires uncommon talent, in addition to physical play and motivation.

There was no talk of Michigan State having a “No Fly Zone” secondary in the aftermath of Alabama’s 38-0 victory over the Spartans.