Most people who love to hate Notre Dame won’t admit it, but the Irish did as well as they could against Alabama. The outcome for the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff Semifinal was far from unexpected. One team simply had too much talent compared to not only this game’s opponent, but just about everyone else. So we saw Notre Dame’s memorable season come to an end with a 31-14 loss.
The Crimson Tide (12-0) approached the red zone in the early moments of the fourth quarter but couldn’t quite get there. Will Reichard salvaged the drive with a 41-yard field goal. Considering how most of this game went, it was a small victory for the Irish (10-2).
Ian Book returned after suffering an injury in the third quarter, and he led an impressive drive to give the Irish a chance at putting up another touchdown. He completed a pass to Michael Mayer in the end zone, but it was wiped by an illegal shift from Chris Tyree and George Takacs. Left with no choice but to try and get that touchdown back, Book had two chances to do so. Both of those failed on incomplete passes to Ben Skowronek and Avery Davis.
The Irish’s defense got a little pride when Jayson Ademilola and Adetokunbo Ogundeji sacked Mac Jones, who also was called for intentional grounding on the play. Since that happened on third down, it gave the offense another chance to put points on the board. Book led a pass-heavy drive and even got some help on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from Nick Saban of all people. The drive ended in a 1-yard touchdown run from Book, so the senior can say he went out on a high note.
Surprisingly, that was not the Irish’s last time on offense. They recovered an onside kick, so Book and the other seniors on the unit got to see the field once more. If there wasn’t so little time left, another touchdown might have happened. There was just enough time for an incomplete pass towards the end zone, and that was it.
Que sera sera. That’s all that can be said. The debate on whether the Irish should have been allowed into the playoff will rage on. However, they were selected, and they had to come out and play despite the long odds.