Alabama routs Ohio State 52-24 to win sixth national championship under Nick Saban -

Six years and a few days after a Buckeyes upset in the semifinals of the first edition of the College Football Playoff, Alabama got its revenge with a dominant 52-24 win over Ohio State in the national championship game, capping an undefeated season of almost unmatched dominance. Mac Jones finished 46-of-54 through the air with five touchdown passes, DeVonta Smith backed up his Heisman Trophy win by catching three of those touchdowns, and running back Najee Harris ultimately matched him with three TDs of his own.

Alabama jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, driving 78 yards on its first possession of the game after an Ohio State three-and-out, but the Buckeyes responded with a touchdown drive of their own, with Master Teague bouncing outside for an untouched score. The first quarter ended with the score knotted at 7, but DeVonta Smith found the end zone on the first play of the second frame to put Alabama back in front, 14-7.

A Mac Jones fumble deep in Alabama territory gave the Buckeyes new life, and Master Teague punched it in to once again tie the score. Jones responded with a pristine drive highlighted by a soft-touch touchdown pass to Najee Harris with nine minutes to go before halftime. Ohio State cut it to 21-17 on a drive that was extended on a targeting call that led to the ejection of Jordan Battle, and Alabama made Ryan Day pay for playing it safe. DeVonta Smith caught a second touchdown pass of the night off presnap motion to make it 28-17, then broke free again with 1:48 to go before halftime to stretch the lead to 18 points.

The Crimson Tide offense melted 7:13 of clock coming out of the locker room with a 16-play, 75-yard drive leading to a chip-shot field goal to put Ohio State in a 38-17 hole. The Buckeyes did what they needed to do and struck quickly, as Justin Fields found Garrett Wilson at the end of a speedy three-play, 75-yard drive to make it 38-24. Then with DeVonta Smith in the locker room with an injury, Mac Jones found Slade Bolden for a touchdown to cap off another 75-yard drive. After Christian Barmore pulled down Master Teague on fourth down to get the ball back, Najee Harris ran in his third touchdown of the night to match the injured Heisman winner. Ohio State ground down the field with a 17-play drive, but Fields threw consecutive goal-to-go incompletions in the back of the end zone, and the Tide took over on downs, then killed the rest of the clock.

Follow along below as The Athletic’s team of writers takes you inside Alabama-Ohio State with live updates, analysis and commentary.

Mac Jones gets his curtain call as Alabama locks up a championship

12:01 a.m. ET: Ohio State is going be right back in the Playoff conversation next year. It recruits too well not to be. But Ryan Day has some serious questions to address about his defensive philosophy. Kerry Coombs is the coordinator. This is Day’s plan for the defense. There’s not enough variation, not when you’re going to come against teams like this in the Playoff. Something needs to change moving forward. — Bill Landis

11:59 p.m. ET: On the final night of the 2020-21 season … here’s an early look at the national championship odds for next fall. Welcome to the offseason.

11:55 p.m. ET: I know we talk about it sometimes, but we really don’t talk enough about the fact that Nick Saban totally overhauled his offense and the way his teams win games to adapt to this era of college football — after having already won four national titles — and then won three more. — Nicole Auerbach

11:54 p.m. ET: They let Landon Dickerson finish his career snapping the ball to take knees. How awesome is that? — Aaron Suttles

11:52 p.m. ET: Alabama has now won an FBS-high eight games in the College Football Playoff, all since 2015. Kansas has won nine total games since 2015. — Jason Starrett

11:50 p.m. ET: Mac Jones now officially holds the single-season record for completion percentage at 77.4%, surpassing Colt McCoy’s 2008 record of 76.7%. Jones actually raised that percentage tonight after completing 36 of 45 passes for 464 yards and 5 TDs. — Max Olson

11:45 p.m. ET: Joe Burrow had 521 total yards and 6 TDs in last year’s title game. Mac Jones has 465 and 5 through three quarters. — Matt Fortuna

11:35 p.m. ET: Alabama is the seventh team to score at least 50 points in a matchup of two AP top-three teams.

1995 Nebraska 62, Florida 24
2014 Oregon 59, FSU 20
2004 USC 55, Oklahoma 19
2017 Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48
1996 Florida 52, FSU 20
1991 FSU 51, Michigan 31 — Matt Brown

11:30 p.m. ET: This is just a reminder of how freaking hard it is to win a national title for everyone but Alabama. It seemed temporarily like Clemson overtook the Tide, but it really is just Alabama and everyone else. — Ari Wasserman

11:05 p.m. ET: Mac Jones has 454 passing yards through three quarters and he’s probably going to break the FBS single-season completion percentage and QB rating records.

With DeVonta Smith and Jalen Waddle injured, he’s been able to shine a bit in this second half, in case Alabama didn’t have enough skill. — Chris Vannini

11 p.m. ET: Time of possession so far in the third quarter:
Alabama — 11:06
Ohio State — 1:02 — Josh Kendall

10:55 p.m. ET: DeVonta Smith wasn’t in the game, Najee Harris was on the sideline, Mac Jones ankle is hurt and Jaylen Waddle is somehow still in the game. And Ohio State had no chance to stop the Tide from scoring. — Ari Wasserman

10:50 p.m. ET: DeVonta Smith entered the sideline medical tent with what appears to be a finger injury, exited and headed for the locker room. — Aaron Suttles

10:40 p.m. ET: On a night that has featured no shortage of highlight reel plays, Najee Harris hanging on to the ball after absorbing that hit from Josh Proctor might be the most *impressive* of them all. — Matt Fortuna

10:30 p.m. ET: ESPN “Film Room” coaches don’t seem very impressed with Ohio State’s defensive game plan, specifically the amount of single safety being played over and over by the Buckeyes.

Gene Chizik: “There’s so much one-high that you can kind of pick what you want to do.”

Hugh Freeze: “We’re getting a clear picture of what it is at the line of scrimmage.” — Josh Kendall

10:15 p.m. ET: Notre Dame ends up the only team to hold Alabama to fewer than 35 points this season (the CFP semi ended a 24-game Alabama streak).

The Crimson Tide scored at least 27 points in the first half nine times this year. That’s more than 50 FBS teams averaged per game. — Chris Vannini

10:05 p.m. ET: It’s 35-17 at the half. Ohio State had no plan for Alabama. Sitting in base defense wasn’t going to cut it, and the Buckeyes are getting shredded. Bad look on the last DeVonta Smith TD with Tuf Borland trailing him. But he’s not responsible to carry that route. There was no safety in the middle. How Kerry Coombs thought they could line up and just play their normal D tonight is beyond me. — Bill Landis

Ohio State gave up more than 30 points just once during the regular season — in its 42-35 win over Indiana in November. Tonight, Alabama has rolled up 35 in the first half against the Buckeyes. — Doug Haller

I voted Devonta Smith, Najee Harris and Mac Jones one, two, three on my Heisman ballot. At halftime of the national title game, I feel good about that decision. Smith has 12 catches, 215 yards and three TDs. Harris has 111 combined yards and two TDs. Jones is 25-of-30 for 319 yards and four TDs. Alabama is averaging 9 yards per play and leads 35-17 at the break. — Josh Kendall

9:55 p.m. ET: Ryan Day is known for being aggressive, but:

1. Punt on 4th-and-9 in plus territory
2. Field goal from the opposing six
3. Running out the first half with plenty of time to get a score.

I disagree with all three of those decisions. This team is too talented to not go for it. — Ari Wasserman

9:50 p.m. ET: DeVonta Smith has 12 catches for 215 yards in the first half. The FBS record for catches is 23 and the record for receiving yards is 405.

This is the national championship game. — Chris Vannini

9:40 p.m. ET: Elite programs plucking elite recruits from the West Coast has become a major problem for the Pac-12, and it’s hard to see that changing. If a guy like Bay Area star Najee Harris wants to compete for a national title, what reason is there to stay home? — Christian Caple

9:35 p.m. ET: Ryan Day punted from plus territory, but it was fourth, so I get that. Sort of. I do not get at all kicking a field goal from the Alabama 6-yard line. Field goals aren’t what’s going to win this game. That’s out of character for Day, who talks often about being “aggressive and bold.” He was neither on that call. Alabama leads 21-17. — Bill Landis

9:20 p.m. ET: Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith are just operating at another level. No college defense can stop them. Not many similar duos in any era. — Mitch Sherman

9:10 p.m. ET: Baron Browning didn’t play in the Big Ten championship and had a limited role in the Sugar Bowl. Well, he just made the play of the game thus far in the national championship. He strips Mac Jones and recovers the ball at the Alabama 19. Following a defense pass interference call in the end zone, Master Teague ties the game at 14. Alabama makes the first mistake. Ohio State capitalizes. — Bill Landis

9:05 p.m. ET: Too much pressure up the middle coming from Alabama right now. Delayed blitz on last third down looked like the stuff that Indiana was doing to the Buckeyes offense. Justin Fields took a big hit, briefly held his injured hip and jogged off. Interesting spot for Ohio State. No Trey Sermon, how scared is Bama of OSU running? Could be they just start teeing off on Fields and the offensive line. — Bill Landis

That is a borderline cowardly punt. You can’t punt from plus territory in this football game. — Ari Wasserman

9 p.m. ET: Alabama had two fourth-down conversions in the first quarter tonight. The Tide have had only five GAMES under Nick Saban in which they converted more than two fourth downs. Alabama’s single-game high under Saban is four at Ole Miss in 2009. — Jason Starrett

8:56 p.m. ET: Steve Sarkisian puts Ohio State’s defense on skates, sending DeVonta Smith in orbit motion, then having him pivot back toward the wide side of the field for a wheel route touchdown. Ohio State had no chance. Nifty design. Alabama leads 14-7. — Bill Landis

My goodness, the way Steve Sarkisian can still use DeVonta Smith, the Heisman winner, as a decoy before scoring an easy TD is remarkable. — Matt Fortuna

8:53 p.m. ET: Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson predicted on “Film Room” that Alabama would go to more split safety coverage with Trey Sermon out. OSU’s Ryan Day clearly did, too, because Buckeyes hit TE Jeremy Ruckert for 36 yards down the middle. “If you get split safety coverage, and your tight end can win against a backer…,” Clawson said. Sets up Ohio State’s first score — 8-yard run from Master Teague. — Josh Kendall

8:50 p.m. ET: Stopping DeVonta Smith was never an option for Ohio State, but it’s concerning that he’s running wide open all over the field. Ohio State always had to find a way to win despite his inevitable output, but this is too much for the Buckeyes to survive if they don’t tighten that up. — Ari Wasserman

8:45 p.m. ET: Ohio State utilized tight ends effectively (and more than usual) against Clemson. Seems to be the case again today, with an early target for TE Jeremy Ruckert for 36 yards on that touchdown drive. — Nicole Auerbach

8:40 p.m. ET: You have to feel good for Master Teague there. Spent all year hearing how he wasn’t good enough after last year’s Fiesta Bowl and now he gets Ohio State a touchdown on a must-score drive. — Ari Wasserman

8:30 p.m. ET: Three-and-out for Ohio State on its first possession, and a clinical, 12-play touchdown drive for Alabama on its first possession. Tide testing the edges of the Buckeye defense early. Shaun Wade and Sevyn Banks made some nice tackles in space, but DeVonta Smith got 22 yards on a screen and Jaylen Waddle 15 on a shovel pass. Four plays of 10-plus yards for Bama on the opening drive. — Bill Landis

8:23 p.m. ET: With Trey Sermon being looked at with a shoulder injury, it’s important to remember that Master Teague III came into the Fiesta Bowl last year to spell a banged up J.K. Dobbins and didn’t do much. This could be his chance to rewrite history when Ohio State gets the ball back. — Ari Wasserman

8:20 p.m. ET: The player I’m keeping an eye on tonight is Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. He leads all Power 5 pass rushers in total pressure (56) and QB hurries (37), according to Sports Info Solutions. And he’s only a true freshman. Can Anderson get past Ohio State’s elite offensive line on passing downs and cause problems for Justin Fields? — Max Olson

8:10 p.m. ET: ESPN reports that Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields expected to be “95 percent” tonight and Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will play during its pregame hits from the sideline. — Josh Kendall

8:05 p.m. ET: Will say that it feels quite odd watching Ohio State play in front of this many people. Capacity tonight is 16,000. The Sugar Bowl was 3,000, which was the biggest crowd the Buckeyes played in front of this year before tonight. They had games in totally empty stadiums. I’m glad there are some people here, and they found a way to make it work. Still kind of weird. — Bill Landis

7:55 p.m. ET: So Alabama produced one of the most dominant offenses in the history of the sport, and now they are going to have Jaylen Waddle back for the national championship game? That’s just silly. — Stewart Mandel

7:50 p.m. ET: This is one of those nights where people who say they’ll never watch ESPN again watch ESPN. Last year’s LSU-Clemson title game drew 25.59 million viewers. In a normal year, the viewership of tonight’s game would top last year easily. It is, of course, far from a normal year. — Richard Deitsch

7:35 p.m. ET: Alabama center Landon Dickerson is dressed out and warming up, which seems odd because Dickerson tore an ACL against Florida in the SEC title game. Playing on a torn ACL isn’t unprecedented, though. When he was a Clemson freshman in 2014, Deshaun Watson carved up South Carolina while playing on a partially torn ACL. But Dickerson is a center, so we’ll see how much he plays — if at all. — Andy Staples

7:30 p.m. ET: Jaylen Waddle running full speed shows a pretty noticeable limp. Doubtful he’s much tonight. Landon Dickerson is dressed out and is snapping the ball. — Aaron Suttles

7:25 p.m. ET: With Ohio State missing placekicker Blake Haubeil and backup/kickoff guy Dominic DiMaccio, it thrusts freshman Jake Seibert into a bigger role. It also creates an unusual situation: Alabama — a team for which kicker had been the equivalent of drummer in Spinal Tap — enters a national title game with the steadier situation at kicker. Will Reichard is 13 of 13 on field goals this season. — Andy Staples

7:10 p.m. ET: The Buckeyes will be without three starters tonight: DT Tommy Togiai, DE Tyreke Smith and K Blake Haubeil. OSU’s dominance on the defensive line was such a key factor against Clemson. Repeating that without Togiai and Smith will be tough. Togiai in particular has been one of the team’s six or seven best players this year and an absolute game-wrecker in the middle. Big shoes to fill there.

Togiai and Smith are the big losses. If it becomes a kicking game, then Ohio State is in a tough spot, there, too. Haubeil is out. So is backup walk-on Dom DiMaccio, who handled field goal duties when Haubeil was injured earlier in the year. Expect to see true freshman Jake Seibert on field goals and extra points. Could see Drue Chrisman or Zach Hoover handle kickoff duties.

Some good news: Defensive ends Zach Harrison and Tyler Friday are available after missing the Sugar Bowl. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Friday get some work inside, especially if Larry Johnson opts to move Haskell Garrett to Togiai’s spot.

Left guard Harry Miller is also available after missing the last game, but my hunch is that Matt Jones still starts after playing so well against Clemson. — Bill Landis

7:05 p.m. ET: Alabama’s Nick Saban turned 69 years old on Oct. 31. In AP poll history, the only coach to win a national title in his age-69 season or later was Florida State’s Bobby Bowden in 1999. Bowden turned 70 during that 1999 season. — Jason Starrett

7:03 p.m. ET: Nick Saban told ESPN that Jaylen Waddle is available on a limited basis, but that decision is up to Waddle. — Aaron Suttles

7 p.m. ET: The over/under for Ohio State-Alabama is 75. BCS/CFP title games that have reached 75+: Alabama 45, Clemson 40 (2015); Texas 41, USC 38 (2005); Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29 (1999). — Matt Brown

6:55 p.m. ET: Hard to get a firm grip on it, but judging by the fans outside, it appears Ohio State might have an edge in fans in attendance. — Aaron Suttles

6:45 p.m. ET: Most all-time wins against AP top 3 teams entering tonight: USC (27), Notre Dame (24), Oklahoma (23), Ohio State (22), Alabama (20), Texas (18), Miami (18), LSU (16), Purdue (14), Tennessee (13).

Most all-time wins against AP top 3 teams entering tonight, by coaches: Nick Saban (17), Lou Holtz (12), Bobby Bowden (10), Woody Hayes (9), Joe Paterno (8), Barry Switzer (8), Steve Spurrier (8), Urban Meyer (8). — Matt Brown

6:40 p.m. ET: Ohio State’s Ryan Day is looking to become the first head coach to win an AP national title within his first two FBS seasons since fellow Buckeye Jim Tressel in 2002 and the seventh in poll history:

2002 Jim Tressel (Ohio State, 2nd season)
*2001 Larry Coker (Miami)
2000 Bob Stoops (Oklahoma
1974 Barry Switzer (Oklahoma)
*1948 Bennie Oosterbaan (Michigan)
1942 Paul Brown (Ohio State)
*1st season — Jason Starrett

6:35 p.m. ET: Greetings from Hard Rock Stadium. Ohio State’s availability report will be released at 7 p.m. ET, but we already know of a few players who didn’t make the trip. That includes starting kicker Blake Haubeil. We also know that backup RB Miyan Williams and reserve offensive lineman Dawand Jones didn’t make the trip. — Bill Landis

6:30 p.m. ET: Jaylen Waddle is out warming up but he’s still slightly favoring that ankle. — Aaron Suttles

6:15 p.m. ET: The scores of the previous national championship games played at Hard Rock Stadium:

2000: Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2

2004: USC 55, Oklahoma 19

2008: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14

2012: Alabama 41, Notre Dame 14

Hopefully we can finally get a good one tonight. — Stewart Mandel

6:10 p.m. ET: Ohio State will be without kicker Blake Haubeil tonight. Haubeil announced on Instagram that he tested positive for COVID-19 (and is asymptomatic). — Nicole Auerbach

6:05 p.m. ET: My first college football memory is of the 1978 Gator Bowl. I was 6, sitting on the floor of my Indiana home. As soon as Ohio State coach Woody Hayes punched the Clemson nose guard, my dad called my grandfather. “Did you see that!?” he said. I grew up in an Ohio State family. My uncle already has texted: “You think the Buckeyes have a chance?” Alas, I do not. Alabama’s too strong. Tide, 44-31. — Doug Haller

6 p.m. ET: If Ohio State beats Alabama tonight, it will finish 8-0 — the shortest season by a national champion since Minnesota went 8-0 behind Heisman winner Bruce Smith in 1941 to win its fifth national title in eight years. — Matt Brown

5:50 p.m. ET: Jaylen Waddle is expected to be available for tonight’s game. If or how much he plays will be up to his comfort. — Aaron Suttles

• The Athletic’s national college football writers locked in their picks for the title game, and Alabama got the vast majority of the nods — but it wasn’t unanimous.

• Our two team experts, Aaron Suttles and Bill Landis, team up for a gameday morning back-and-forth on their last-minute expectations, including both teams’ biggest weaknesses and lingering questions leading up to kickoff.

• There will be a staggering number of future pros on the field at Hard Rock Stadium. NFL Draft expert Dane Brugler ranks the top 30 prospects in Alabama-Ohio State.

(Photo: Douglas DeFelice / USA Today)

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