Ohio State defenders react to Alabama's incredible performance in National Championship Game
Alabama’s high-flying offense, led by three Heisman Trophy contenders, was clicking early and often in the National Championship Game.
Entering Monday’s game, many were wondering if Ohio State was up to the challenge after giving Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence plenty of problems in the Sugar Bowl. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, the Crimson Tide offense proved to be an entirely different animal.
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Led by QB Mac Jones, RB Najee Harris, and Heisman-winning WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama’s offense had seven possessions in the first half Monday night. Remarkably, five of those possessions ended in touchdowns – including three to Smith – as the Tide scored 35 first-half points.
In the end, Alabama rolled to a 52-point outburst, even with Smith missing much of the second half with a hand injury. The Crimson Tide also finished with a whopping 621 yards of total offense while dominating time of possession.
After the game, a handful of Ohio State defenders addressed the media to discuss the outcome. While they gave a lot of credit to Alabama, there was also a sense of frustration due to not playing to the traditional standard of Buckeye excellence:
Ohio State defensive end Jonathon Cooper at the postgame podium.
Cooper said he told the team after the game he was “sorry he couldn't do more.” Cooper said the Buckeyes “didn't tackle as well as we needed to.” pic.twitter.com/kCzgsds5xc
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 12, 2021
Jonathon Cooper: “I feel like we had a good game plan. We just needed to execute better.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 12, 2021
Tuf Borland: “I'm so thankful to be a part of this program … everyone's so elite at what they do.” Said the “thing that's gonna stay with me for a lifetime is the caliber of people we have here.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 12, 2021
Tuf Borland: “Alabama has great players, I give them all the credit. They executed better tonight. But to say they're more talented than this Ohio State team, I don't know. Hard disagree with that. Top to bottom, we felt like we had an extremely talented team.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 12, 2021
OSU cornerback Shaun Wade: "They just gave (Smith) the ball in open space and he made plays. He's a great player … and they had a great scheme
"They just outplayed us today."— Nathan Baird (@nwbaird) January 12, 2021
OSU CB Shaun Wade: "It is upsetting that we got here and didn't accomplish the goal." Said he will talk to his family before making decision about his future.
— Nathan Baird (@nwbaird) January 12, 2021