Tag: Ohio State vs. Alabama

WATCH what Alabama head coach Nick Saban said about Ohio State after the national championship game

Alabama coach Nick Saban met with the media via Zoon conference after his team won the national title. Watch what he said about Ohio State.

Ohio State ran into a buzz-saw on Monday night in an Alabama team that might be the best I’ve ever seen on offense. The Buckeyes simply had no answer for wide receiver DaVonta Smith, quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris, and a host of other players that outplayed, outcoached, were more prepared, and flat out dominated OSU to the tune of 52-24.

It’s the Tide’s sixth national championship under head coach Nick Saban, and he was no doubt a happy camper after watching his team dismantle an Ohio State squad that seemed to be playing its best football headed into the matchup in Miami.

Saban met with the media on a Zoom conference after the game and had plenty to say. Mostly he discussed his team performance, but he had a few good things to say about the Buckeyes too, despite the tale of the scoreboard.

If you missed any of his comments, you can catch them all here thanks to the fine folks at the College Football Playoff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtwXCg-dPjI&feature=emb_logo

I have to hand it to Alabama. That is the best offensive display I’ve ever seen from a college football team. This might be Saban’s best squad when we look back.

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Five things that went wrong in Ohio State’s loss to Alabama in the national championship game

Ohio State got absolutely throttled by Alabama, and we try to make sense of it all. Here are five things we think went wrong in Miami.

Ohio State was simply no match for an Alabama team that appeared to be far superior in every way. The Buckeyes played with the Crimson Tide for a little bit, tying the score at 14-14 early in the second half, but from there, it was all Alabama, all the time.

We’re now left to dissect what went wrong in south Florida Monday night. The Buckeyes were playing so well heading into the game, so either Alabama is just that good, or Ohio State was simply not up to snuff from a motivation, preparation, or schematic standpoint. We say it was probably a little bit of all of it.

So, we’ll do our best to make the most of it. Here are five things that went totally wrong in Hard Rock Stadium against Alabama.

NEXT … DaVonta Smith ladies and gentelmen

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Watch: Ohio State QB Justin Fields throws quick strike for a touchdown to pull within two scores

Ohio State is trying to get back into it in Miami. Justin Fields threw a quick strike for a touchdown to pull OSU within two scores.

Not much has been going right for the Ohio State offense since a Master Teague touchdown early in the second quarter. But after some halftime adjustments and holding Alabama to a field goal, the Buckeyes went on a scoring drive that took less than one minute.

Justin Fields had a 33 yard run after playing the read option to perfection. Right after that Fields lofted a nice ball to the back corner of the end zone that Garrett Wilson ran under and hauled in for six points.

The score put the Buckeyes within two scores. OSU now needs to get some stops on defense which will be easier said than done.

Watch Fields pass to Wilson below.

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Watch: Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning force fumble on Mac Jones

Ohio State got a key turnover against Alabama on a strip and fumble recovery by linebacker Baron Browning. It’ll need more.

Many times, championship games will come down to a few key plays and who can win the turnover battle. Chalk the first win of the night up to Ohio State as Baron Browning reached Mac Jones on a blitz and caused him to cough up the rock.

The Buckeye defense is giving up chunks of yards by design as they try to prevent the big play and keep everything in front. Pair that with well timed blitz packages and it looks like a solid game plan, even if it’s leaving most fans with knots in their stomach.

Watch momentum swing at just the right time on Browning’s key play.

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Watch: Jeremy Ruckert pulls in a one-handed catch to set up Ohio State touchdown

Ohio State TE Jeremy Ruckert hauled in a spectacular one-handed catch to set up an early tying touchdown in the national championship game.

After a three and out to open the game and giving up a long drive to the Crimson Tide, Justin Fields led Ohio State down the field to get on the scoreboard and tie Alabama at seen each.

Master Teague took a handoff around the left end and got in for an eight yard score. But it was the play before that would set Teague up when Tight End, Jeremy Ruckert pulled in a one-handed catch from Fields over the middle.

This is a matchup that Ohio State will look to exploit when it gets a linebacker in coverage on Ruckert.

Watch Ruckert’s spectacular catch below.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

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Ohio State kicker Blake Hauebeil to miss national championship game against Alabama because of COVID-19

According to an Instagram post, Ohio State kicker Blake Haubeil will not play in the national championship because of COVID-19 protocols.

We have yet to receive the official availability list from Ohio State, but some of the players that didn’t travel with the team and won’t be available are starting to leak out. We’ve already heard about running back Miyan Williams and offensive lineman Dawand Jones, and now, we’ve got a very important and key member that has announced he won’t be playing.

Kicker Blake Haubeil let everyone know through an Instagram post that he tested positive for COVID-19, is in isolation protocols, and did not travel with the team. In a game of this magnitude where special teams could come into play, that’s could turn out to be a pretty big deal.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ68qB2h1Qz/?utm_source=ig_embed

With Haubeil’s absence, the kicking duties will fall to either Jake Seibert or Dominic DiMaccio. We wish Haubeil nothing but a speedy recovery and hopefully, it’ll be a bittersweet pill to swallow with OSU bringing home a national championship to make him feel a wee bit better.

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Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

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Five bold predictions for Ohio State vs. Alabama in the CFP national championship game

Ohio State is in Miami and ready to tussle with Alabama for the CFP national championship. Here are five bold predictions for the game.

It. Is. Finally. Here.

Ohio State and Alabama had different journeys on their way to the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami on Monday night, but both have the skill, ability and coaching to pull it all off.

Most experts and wise guys have the Crimson Tide taking care of business in South Florida when it’s all said and done, but we’ve seen the script rewritten before by this OSU program.

As with any game of this magnitude, it’s sure to provide its share of big moments, huge plays and jaw-dropping memories we’ll relive for years.

We’re doing our best to predict five bold moments you might see from these two blue-bloods Monday night. That means we’re stretching a bit, but we did the same against Clemson and got three out of the five correct, so, hopefully, that gives us a wee bit of clout (now we’ll probably go 0-for-5).

Five bold predictions for Ohio State vs. Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game:

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NEXT … Justin Fields will go for over 400 yards through the air

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Roll Tide Wire: What Alabama fans are saying about Ohio State

Ohio State and Alabama are set to do battle tomorrow night in the CFP title game. Here’s how Alabama fans see the matchup with the Buckeyes.

OK folks, after all that’s occurred this college football season, somehow, someway, Ohio State and Alabama are set to do battle tomorrow night in the College Football Playoff national championship game in south Florida. It’s probably not too surprising that the Crimson Tide are back in the party for the crown, but OSU being there after the season was originally shelved by the Big Ten is a development many didn’t see coming.

If you’re like us, you like to get some perspective on the perception of the Ohio State program from the opposite sideline. Not only with a gaze from a historical side of things, but about the current state of the team.

If so, you’re in luck. We talked to our sister site, Roll Tide Wire, to get Alabama fans’ view on this matchup. Are they worried? Do they think it’s a lock with the ‘Bama being the far superior squad? Inquiring and jealous minds want to know.

Here’s what managing editor Clint Lamb says about where Alabama fans are with this thing.

NEXT … Ohio State from an Alabama sideline

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LOOK. Justin Fields ribs look fine based on his table tennis skills

Based on video that’s surfaced of Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields playing an intense table tennis game, his ribs look to be just fine.

One of the biggest questions heading into the College Football national championship game is how healthy Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields will be for the game. He absorbed a vicious hit by Clemson linebacker James Skalski and looked mighty uncomfortable, wincing in pain after several throws throughout the rest of the game.

Playing through the pain in the moment with all the adrenaline still flowing is one thing, but getting your facilities about you the next morning after and beyond is another.

Ohio State has been very quiet on how well Fields is doing, only saying he’s had a good week of preparation, so we are left wondering just how serious the injury is, and how close to 100 percent he will be on the field of Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night. The reality is that we simply won’t know until game time.

However, video has just surfaced that gives us a bit of a clue on just how the Ohio State quarterback is feeling. The Buckeyes are now in Miami, and it appears Fields and linebacker Justin Hilliard had quite the game of table tennis on Saturday. And it wasn’t just volleying back and forth, but some ducking and diving going on in a pretty intense match that Fields pulled out in extra time.

On one particular point, Hilliard hit a smash that appeared destined for a point, but Fields dropped to the ground got a paddle on the ball and somehow hit a winner. It was a defensive move that took quite a bit of torquing to his body suggesting he’s feeling pretty good.

Watch what was shared by Gene Ross on Twitter, taken from Haskell Garrett’s Instagram Live stream.

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Take what you will from this, but based on this, I’m guessing Fields is feeling more than capable of getting the job done tomorrow night.

Five reasons Ohio State will beat Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

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Ohio State now bigger underdog to Alabama in CFP national championship game according to BetMGM

The odds have been updated on the College Football Playoff national championship game and Ohio State is an even bigger underdog per BetMGM.

When we first checked in on the line for the College Football Playoff national championship game, we knew Ohio State would be a pretty significant underdog. And, upon first release of the line from BetMGM, that proved to be true. The Buckeyes opened as a 7.5 point dog to Alabama.

What I also find interesting is how that line moves throughout the week. News of player availability and money being put down significantly on one side can make the odds fluctuate. There isn’t normally a huge run either way, but it can go up or down a little.

That appears to be the case as we get closer to game time in Miami as well. In the latest odds on BetMGM’s website, Ohio State is now an 8.5 underdog to the Crimson Tide, meaning things moved a whole point in favor of Nick Saban’s crew.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.

To tell you the truth, the Buckeyes would have it no other way. It’s not often OSU can use the underdog card, but when they can, they seem to embrace it as Ohio against the world (look up last Friday).

Oh, and in case you are wondering, Alabama was favored by more than that when the two last met in the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 2014 season. Like I said, Ohio State embraces these moments.

Ohio State football’s national championships through the years

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