Tag: CFP semifinal

Ohio State thwarts Texas, faces Notre Dame in CFP Championship Game

Ohio State toppled Texas and gains the CFP Championship Game against Notre Dame

Jack Sawyer and Quinn Ewers came to Ohio State together in 2021. They were roommates. The defensive end and quarterback wound up in the same place on Friday, the Cotton Bowl a CFP semifinal. Only Sawyer was still a Buckeye and Ewers played for Texas, Sawyer got the final word as his  82-yard scoop and score sealed a 28-14 victory and a spot in the national championship game against Notre Dame.

“I can’t say enough about Jack Sawyer, He’s a captain,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “To make a play like that in that moment you become a legend. He became a legend,”

Texas had the ball at the one-yard line and was three feet from tying the game late in the fourth quarter. A loss on a running play set up Ewers to make a pass that was incomplete. On fourth down, Ewers’ former roommate hit him and the ball popped right to Sawyer.

He took off and ran 82 yards for the touchdown.

Ohio State will play Notre Dame on Jan. 20 in Atlanta for the national championship.

Ewers had two touchdown passes in the game. Quinshon Jenkins of Ohio State had two running touchdowns.

Quarterback Will Howard made a huge run on a fourth down play to set up the touchdown that gave Ohio State the 21-14 lead, setting the stage for Sawyer’s heroics.

Ewers had two words for his former roommate and a laugh.

Texas’ Byron Murphy II with a #THICCSIX to tie CFP Semifinal vs. Washington

Texas’ Byron Murphy II got himself a #THICCSIX to tie it up against Washington in the CFP Semifinal game.

The only better thing than a touchdown in a huge game is a touchdown by a huge man in a huge game. With 10:08 left in the first half of the Texas Longhorns’ CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl game against the Washington Huskies, Texas was down 14-7, and defensive lineman Byron Murphy II took care of that with this one-yard rumble.

Murphy is 6-foot-1 and 308 pounds (unofficial), so this does count as a #THICCSIX under Touchdown Wire rules that any such play must be performed by a player weighing over 300 pounds.

Also, this was not the first #THICCSIX of Murphy’s career — watch the big man rumble for this one-yard touchdown catch against Wyoming!

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Michael Penix Jr. continues deep-ball wizardry for Washington Huskies in CFP Semifinal

Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. is the NCAA’s best deep boundary thrower this season, and he showed it off early against Texas in the CFP Semifinal.

If there’s a better thrower of fade, corner, or deep over balls in the NCAA than Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr., it would be a very tall order for whoever that may be. On those three deep coundary throws this season, per Sports Info Solutions, Penix has completed 40 of 79 passes for 917 yards, 806 air yards, 10 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 111.1.

In the CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Texas, Penix wasted no time showing off his arm on those deep throws. On the second play of the game, Penix hit receiver Ja’Lynn Polk for this 77-yard play that put the ball at the Texas two-yard line.

Running back Dillon Johnson took it into the end zone on the next play.

Blake Corum, Michigan outlast Alabama to gain CFP Championship Game

Michigan got a late TD and a Blake Corum scoring run in OT to down Alabama in the Rose Bowl

Blake Corum’s 17-yard run in overtime gave Michigan a 27-20 win over Alabama on Monday in the Rose Bowl, a CFP semifinal.

The Wolverines overcame a 20-13 deficit on a touchdown pass with 94 seconds left.

The game went to overtime and Corum was the force on a two-play, 25-yard scoring drive.

Alabama, which won the OT coin toss, had a chance to tie the game.

Jalen Milroe was sacked on one play and the ‘Bama QB was stuffed on fourth-and-goal as he tried to run the ball into the end zone to possibly force a second overtime session.

Michigan will play the winner of the Texas-Washington Sugar Bowl in the CFP Championship Game in Houston on Jan. 8.

Michigan had tied the game at 20 on a short pass from McCarthy to Roman Wilson with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter.

Jim Harbaugh went for a PAT rather than going for a two-point conversion and the lead.

Michigan almost saw its hopes evaporate on a punt. The Wolverines’ returner botched the play and nearly was tackled for a safety.

The Wolverines avoided disaster by running two plays and the clock hit 0:00, setting up overtime.

Alabama’s areas of concern for Rose Bowl CFP against Michigan

There are a few things Alabama must be prepared for before taking on Michigan in the College Football Playoff Rose Bowl semifinal.

The Crimson Tide arrived in Pasadena, California on Tuesday evening. Alabama began its preparation for the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Michigan shortly after.

The Wolverines come in with an unblemished record at 13-0. The Crimson Tide roll in with a 12-1 record. Both teams deserve to be in the position that they are currently in, though many in Tallahassee may not agree

Michigan ran the table and made things look easy more times than not. Alabama had its share of struggles early on in the season but found its footing toward the midway point of the season.

The Wolverines are clicking on all cylinders at the right time. This means Alabama will have to bring their A-game to defeat the Big Ten champions.

Roll Tide Wire breaks down the areas of concern ahead of Alabama’s College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Michigan.

Expert predictions for the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal

Experts share their predictions for the Michigan vs. Alabama Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.

Top-ranked Michigan and No. 4 Alabama are all set to face off in the Rose Bowl, serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup this season. Both teams have proven to be among the best in the nation, and the predictions corroborate that.

Experts from across the nation have tried their hand at guessing the outcome of this game, but it has seemingly been a difficult task.

The winner moves on to the national championship to face the winner of the Sugar Bowl between No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas.

Before looking ahead, though, the Rose Bowl must come first. A battle between an undefeated Big Ten champion and a one-loss SEC champion has analysts stumped.

Here are the current projections for the Rose Bowl from writers, reports, analysts and experts.

LOOK: Alabama drops a beautiful Cotton Bowl win poster

The Alabama Athletics social media team has been on top of things this season!

The Alabama social media team has done it again. Following the Crimson Tide’s 27-6 win against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the College Football Playoff semifinal game in the Cotton Bowl, Alabama released a fantastic game win poster, as they’ve done throughout the year, featuring Brian Robinson, Will Anderson, Jameson Williams and Ja’Corey Brooks.

The caption at the top of the poster reads “New Year’s Eve Bash” and showcases the game’s defensive MVP, Anderson, and the offensive MVP, Robinson.

Robinson, a fifth-year senior that grew up in Tuscaloosa, rushed for a career-high 204 yards on 26 attempts.

Anderson record six total tackles, including two sacks to bring his season total to 17.5.

Hopefully, one more game win poster is on the horizon as the Crimson Tide hopes to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP Championship.

You can catch the CFP National Championship Game on Dec. 10 at 7:00 p.m. CST on ESPN.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.

WATCH: Bryce Young extends Crimson Tide lead with TD pass to Cameron Latu

Bryce Young’s third TD pass extends the Tide’s lead to 24-6!

The Crimson Tide are in the College Football Playoff facing off against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, and it isn’t remotely close as of the early fourth quarter.

The defense has performed immaculately. This Alabama defensive unit has allowed just 127 yards of total offense to the Bearcats and they don’t seem poised to stop the dominance in the trenches yet. They have recorded four sacks with plenty of time remaining to add to that tally.

Offensively, the Crimson Tide have demonstrated a run-first offense in this one with Brian Robinson over 160 yards on 22 carries. He’s averaging 7.5 yards per rush. That’s certainly not to say the passing game isn’t working, Bryce Young has tallied more than 170 yards and has tossed up three touchdown passes.

On the first drive of the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide drove down the field brilliantly and methodically. It was capped off with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Young to tight end Cameron Latu.

With the score now at 24-6 in favor of Alabama, Cincinnati is running out of options.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.

Alabama makes definitive statement with 10 straight runs on opening drive

The Alabama Crimson Tide ran the ball 10 straight times against the Cincinnati Bearcats in their opening CFP semifinal drive.

The 13-0 Cincinnati Bearcats are the only undefeated team in the CFP semifinal, and their defense is known for two things — the outstanding play of cornerbacks Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Coby Bryant, and a group of pass-rushers that have put up 28 solo sacks, 37 combined sacks, 191 quarterback hurries, and 113 quarterback hits.

Add a man-heavy secondary together with an aggressive front, and you could say that the best possible counter to such a defense would be to run the ball right down their throats.

And that’s exactly what Alabama did to the Bearcats on their opening drive in the CFP semifinal Cotton Bowl. The Crimson Tide started their opening drive with 10 straight runs, and finished it with Bryce Young’s right-yard touchdown pass to receiver Slade Bolden. It was Young’s 44th touchdown pass of the season, setting a school record.

As ESPN’s Heather Dinish points out, it’s been a while since any Alabama team went bully-ball this often right out of the gate.

Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal: LSU vs. Oklahoma odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinal Peach Bowl NCAA football matchup between LSU and Oklahoma, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets.

After a week of bowl games to whet the college football fan’s appetite, the games that matter most arrive this weekend. The first College Football Playoff semifinal will pit the No. 1 LSU Tigers (13-0) against the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 28.

We analyze the LSU-Oklahoma odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

LSU vs. Oklahoma: Three things you need to know

1. This matchup features two of the best quarterbacks in the nation — and the top two finishers in Heisman voting. Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts has passed for 3,634 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,255 yards and 18 scores. LSU QB Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner, has 4,715 passing yards (second in the nation) and 48 passing TDs (leads the nation).

2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU’s leading rusher with 1,291 yards and 16 touchdowns, is questionable for the game with a hamstring injury.

3. LSU leads the nation averaging 554.4 yards per game; Oklahoma is second at 554.2. In 13 games, the two teams are separated by two total yards.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

LSU vs. Oklahoma: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 3 p.m. ET.

Prediction

LSU 48, Oklahoma 34

Moneyline (ML)

LSU has been the best team in the country by far all season. As such, the Tigers are -455 on the moneyline, netting you a very small return. Oklahoma, on the other hand, would land a huge profit at +335. Ultimately, however, the Sooners just aren’t good enough, and a bet on them would be throwing money away. Take the TIGERS -455.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on LSU returns a profit of $2.20.

Against the Spread (ATS)

If you want to get something closer to even money on LSU, the point spread sits at Tigers -12.5 (-115). They covered the spread in eight of their 13 games, while Oklahoma only covered in four of their 13. While Hurts has been in big games such as these and knows how to win, the Oklahoma defense will not be able to keep the Sooners within two touchdowns. Take the TIGERS -12.5 (-115).

Over/Under (O/U)

The total is set at an insane 75.5 points. Oklahoma’s games only hit the over five times this season while LSU’s did seven times. However, these are two very potent offensives, Oklahoma is weak defensively, and LSU gives up more than 21 points a game. That said, there should be a lot of firepower in this game. It will be close, but take the OVER 75.5 (-110).

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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