Alabama Smothered Cincinnati To Earn Yet Another Spot In The National Title Game

For the sixth time in eight years during the College Football Playoff era, the Alabama Crimson Tide will play with a national championship on the line. The top-seeded Crimson Tide took on the No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats, and thanks to a smothering defensive display and a trio of touchdown passes by Heisman Trophy winning signal caller Bryce Young, Alabama handed Cincinnati a 27-6 loss, the Bearcats’ first of the year.

The Crimson Tide imposed their will on both sides of the football, gaining 482 yards of total offense on the vaunted Bearcat defense and preventing Cincinnati from getting much of anything going. While Cincy is not exactly known for having an explosive offense, Alabama’s defense completely slammed the door on them, holding them to 218 total yards, 144 passing yards, 74 rushing yards, and a paltry 2-for-12 mark on third downs.

Interestingly enough, it wasn’t necessarily the brilliance of Young that got them across the finish line. Alabama hasn’t ran the ball as well this year as it has in the past, but on Friday, its offensive line pushed Cincinnati around and Tuscaloosa native Brian Robinson ran wild, running the ball 26 times for 204 yards, the most for a running back in a bowl game in program history.

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Young, meanwhile, had his season-low mark in passing yards, going 17-for-28 for 181 yards and a pick. But when the Tide needed to get into the end zone, Young was able to find his receivers, lining up with Slade Bolden, Ja’Corey Brooks, and Cameron Latu for scores on the evening.

Now, the Crimson Tide will sit back and wait to see who they’ll play on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis. A little later this evening, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Georgia will go head-to-head in the Orange Bowl with a spot in the national title game on the line — the Wolverines are the champions of the Big Ten, while the Bulldogs’ only loss this year came when it faced off against Alabama in the SEC title game.