Ohio State: 2021 Sugar Bowl Champions

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney might need to consider moving Ohio State into the top 10 of his Coaches Poll ballot next week after No. 3 Ohio State dominated No. 2 Clemson 49-28 in the 2021 Sugar Bowl semifinal behind a heroic performance from quarterback Justin Fields. The junior signal caller thrilled by completing 22 of 28 passes for 385 yards and a Sugar Bowl-record six touchdowns with more highlights than one could count as Ohio State advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Most of the damage came after Fields took a big hit to the ribs that left him in a lot of pain late in the first half. Clemson linebacker James Skalski lowered his head and hit Fields directly in the ribs. Skalski was ejected for targeting and Fields achingly walked off the field only to return one play later and continue his dominant play.

Fields and Ohio State torched the Clemson defense for 639 yards of offense. When it wasn't Fields launching bombs down the field, it was running back Trey Sermon grinding out yards on the ground. He finished with 191 yards rushing on 30 carries with a touchdown, adding 61 yards receiving on four catches. Wide receiver Chris Olave, who missed the Big Ten Championship Game, spent the night consistently getting massive separation behind the Ohio State secondary. He finished with six catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

The Ohio State defense chipped in by limiting the Clemson offense. After Clemson opened the game with 14 points and 167 yards of offense in the first quarter, the Buckeyes defense put the clamps down. The Tigers finished with 444 total yards and couldn't get anything going on the ground as star RB Travis Etienne totalled 32 yards and a short touchdown on 10 carries. 

Most notable was the play of Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. The Heisman Trophy finalist completed 33 of 48 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns but was rattled the entire game. In addition to his fourth-quarter interception, Lawrence fumbled multiple times, lost one of them and was held to -8 yards rushing despite the Tigers purposely using him as a runner.

The win gives Ohio State its first victory over Clemson all-time after the Buckeyes lost each of the first four meetings, including in two previous College Football Playoff games. Ohio State now moves on to the CFP National Championship for the first time since 2014 when it won the national title . That 2014 season was also the last time Ohio State faced Alabama, whom it will meet in this year's title game.

2021 Sugar Bowl semifinal takeaways

1. Justin Fields is who we thought he was: Before the 2020 season began, all the talk was about Lawrence and Fields being the top two quarterbacks in the country, the two favorites to win the Heisman Trophy and the two best bets to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. And then 2020 happened. Lawrence came out and played like he always played, and even after contracting COVID-19 himself and missing a couple of games, he returned quickly to his magnificent form.

The season wasn't as easy for Fields. The Big Ten got off to a delayed start, and it allowed other QBs to take a bit of the spotlight. Alabama's Mac Jones put up huge numbers, Florida's Kyle Trask surpassed those and BYU's Zach Wilson put up video game numbers of his own. It felt as if Fields was behind the 8-ball from the start. He started the year well, but then the Buckeyes had a game canceled against Maryland due to COVID-19. They returned a week later against the best Indiana team in decades, and he struggled a bit, though the Buckeyes won.

Then, after another canceled game, he destroyed Michigan State despite missing a large chunk of his offensive line, but after a third game was canceled due to COVID-19, Fields struggled against Northwestern in the Big Ten title game. People were happy to ignore that Northwestern has one of the best defenses in the country and that Ohio State was missing several starters in the game, including its big-play threat in Olave.

Questions arose about whether or not Fields was as good as the hype and if he deserved to be the second QB taken in the NFL Draft. Well, Fields answered a lot of those questions against Clemson. To throw for 385 yards and a Sugar Bowl-record six touchdowns while dealing with a painful rib injury should silence a lot of the doubters. At least, it will for a while. There's still the Alabama game to get through.

2. Trey Sermon has made a massive difference: Sermon has been a godsend to the Buckeyes offense in recent weeks. The Ohio State offense struggled to find consistent footing in the ground game for much of the season unless Fields used his legs. Then Sermon exploded in the Big Ten Championship Game, rushing for a school-record 331 yards after rushing for only 344 yards in the first five games.

Sermon was just as big Friday night. He didn't set any records, but he did finish with 193 yards rushing and 61 yards receiving. The Ohio State offense was already difficult to stop, but now that defenses have to respect the ground game, it becomes a lot more complicated. Considering the offense that the Buckeyes will have to compete with against Alabama, it's critical that Ohio State can run the ball if it wants to beat the Tide.

Alabama: 2021 Rose Bowl Champions

No. 1 Alabama is back in the College Football Playoff National Championship for the fifth time in six seasons after thoroughly dominating No. 4 Notre Dame 31-14 in the 2021 Rose Bowl semifinal on Friday. The Crimson Tide led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter before the Fighting Irish scored inside the game's final minute.

All season, the Tide have fielded one of the top offenses in the country with quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith finishing the year as Heisman Trophy finalists and three more players (running back Najee Harris, tackle Alex Leatherwood and injured center Landon Dickerson) earning first-team AP All-America honors. That unit lived up to the hype even against one of the best defenses in the country, totaling 437 yards at 7.9 yards per play. 

Jones was efficient in guiding the group completing 25 of 30 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns, while Smith showed why the betting markets have him as the favorite to win the Heisman with his 130 yards and three touchdowns on seven receptions. Smith, named the Offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl, is a craftsman as a route runner and consistently won one-on-one battles against Notre Dame defenders. Even when the play did not require anything special down the field, Smith makes an impact with yards after the catch, like on this 26-yard touchdown off a screen pass. 

Smith's entire touchdown reel could entertain us for hours, but the play we'll be talking about for years is Najee Harris' hurdle on a 53-yard run in the first quarter. Harris finished the game with 125 yards on 15 carries.

The play is incredible from the elevation reached by the 230-pound back to the way he maintains stride when his feet return to the turf. But what's even better is how the hurdle delivers on a request from soccer star Megan Rapinoe. Harris discussed his admiration of Rapinoe during a game week press conference and she responded with appreciation and a request for a hurdle. Less than 15 minutes in to the game, Harris delivered on the hurdle. 

Notre Dame appeared to have a great answer to an early 14-0 hole with a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took up 8:03 of game clock and ended with a score on fourth-and-goal. The Irish were methodical and efficient, but it all seemed for naught when Alabama took the ball 84 yards the other way for a touchdown on a drive that lasted less than three minutes. In fact, the first three Alabama drives all ended in touchdowns and combined took less time off the clock than Notre Dame's sole touchdown drive until the end of the fourth quarter.

The Irish also threatened to score once more on the game's final play after recovering an onside kick, but the Tide held off a pass from QB Ian Book in the end zone. Book completed 27 of 39 passes for 229 yards with an interception but also compiled 55 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground.

Though the post-game statistics did not monstrously favor Alabama, which only led Notre Dame 437-375 in total yardage, the Tide were in firm control throughout the game and never in danger of defeat.

They will play for the CFP National Championship for the fifth time in the seven-year history of the event, while the Irish fall to 0-7 in BCS or New Year's Six bowl games since 1998 and have been outscored by an average of 23 points in those games.

Alabama will be looking to win its third national title in six seasons and sixth since 2009 under coach Nick Saban. The Tide will be playing in their eighth title game in 14 seasons under Saban.

2021 Rose Bowl semifinal takeaways

1. This says more about Alabama than Notre Dame: Much will be made about how the Irish are winless in big-time bowl games since the start of the BCS era ("big-time" being defined as one of the BCS rotation bowls or the New Year's Six in the College Football Playoff era) with each of those losses coming by at least two scores. While that trend has gone on long enough to be a valid talking point in the debate around where the Irish stack up against the best teams in the sport, this specific result might be way more about how Alabama has separated itself from the rest of college football in 2020.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has addressed the perceived gap between his team and others at the top of the sport before by pointing out that Clemson dominating the Irish in the 2018 Cotton Bowl should be viewed through the lens of acknowledging that the Tigers did the same thing to Alabama in the national title game. We might have a similar situation here where Alabama is not only a noticeable tier above Notre Dame but whoever they end up playing on Jan. 11 in Miami. 

2. Alabama's defense is overshadowed as a championship-level unit: The Tide were diced up by Ole Miss, and Florida QB Kyle Trask was able to rack up the yards after a couple of early turnovers in the SEC Championship Game, but this is a top-10 defense that has answered the call more often than not and was excellent when challenged by Notre Dame's physical rushing attack. Alabama has gotten a little bit more versatile over the years on defense to adapt to the up-tempo, no-huddle offenses in the modern game, and the Irish presented a bit of a throwback for that group. Kyren Williams, the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, was held to just 64 rushing yards on 16 attempts, and as a team, Notre Dame was limited to just 3.7 yards per attempt on the ground.

Most importantly, the Tide came up with stops on two of the four times Notre Dame got into the red zone, and Kelly believes that was one of the places where Alabama was able to create some separation. That red zone touchdown percentage defense (which ranks No. 1 in the SEC and No. 12 nationally) is a big deal to an Alabama defense that is comfortable with "bend but don't break" as long as it comes up with stops in scoring position.

3. There's still plenty to improve as Alabama moves forward: This was the perfect result for Saban and an Alabama coaching staff that will have plenty of film to break down in preparation for the CFP National Championship. The Tide didn't run the ball particularly well in the second half, and the defense lost some third downs that allowed Notre Dame to hold the ball for long stretches after halftime. The hope, according to Saban, was to run the ball effectively in the second half to "take the air out of the ball." He did not feel as though the offense was able to execute as expected. As a team, Alabama totaled 140 yards on 25 attempts (5.6 yards per attempt), but if you take out Harris' electric hurdle and 53-yard gain the Crimson Tide had just 87 yards on 24 attempts, and that 3.6 yards per attempt clip is probably why Saban was frustrated with how they ran the ball late in the game. 

Northwestern: 2021 Citrus Bowl Champions

Peyton Ramsey threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 14 Northwestern’s defense made it stand up in a 35-19 victory over Auburn in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl on Friday.

Ramsey, a graduate transfer, totaled 291 yards passing and 50 yards rushing for Northwestern (7-2), which won its fourth straight bowl game. Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Brown, John Raine and Riley Lees had touchdown catches for the Wildcats, who bounced back from an ugly loss to Ohio State on Dec. 19 in the Big 10 championship game.

Bo Nix threw for 292 yards for Auburn (6-5) but was often frustrated by Northwestern's defense, which came in allowing 15.5 points her game, ranked fifth in the nation. Auburn was led by interim coach Kevin Steele following the Dec. 13 firing of Gus Malzahn and was missing several key players.

The Tigers got within 14-13 when Nix hit Elijah Canion for a 57-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. But Ramsey responded with a 30-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Linebacker Paddy Fisher, the nation’s active leader in tackles coming into the game, drilled Nix for no gain on fourth-and-1 on the second play of the fourth quarter. Cam Porter had seven carries on the ensuing drive, including a 1-yard plunge into the end zone that put Northwestern comfortably ahead 28-13. The Wildcats offense finished with 457 yards and 25 first downs.

Georgia: 2021 Peach Bowl Champions

No. 8 Cincinnati came into Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with a chance to top No. 9 Georgia, finish off a perfect season and make a big statement not only for the AAC, but for the entire Group of Five. That statement wasn't made ... but it was exciting nonetheless. The Bulldogs topped the Bearcats 24-21 in what was a phenomenal opening act to Saturday's bowl action. 

Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny nailed a 53-yard field goal with two seconds left after a frantic drive from quarterback JT Daniels and the Georgia offense got to the fringe of field goal range. That capped off an eight-play, 44-yard drive with no timeouts that included five straight completions from Daniels to save the Bulldogs from the brink of disaster. Georgia padded the 22-21 lead with a safety on theCincinnati came out firing in the second half when Alabama transfer Jerome Ford took off up the middle for a 79-yard touchdown that put the Bearcats up 21-10. That proved valuable because, outside of that run, Ridder and the offense struggled to not only string together drives, but even gain first downs. 

Motivation was not an issue in this one -- especially for Georgia. There didn't seem to be any lack of motivation by the SEC East power. Wide receiver George Pickens, running back Zamir White and the rest of the Bulldogs' offense came out with pads popping, which led to a feverish first quarter that got 2021 started out with a bang.

Here are the top takeaways from Friday's thriller in Atlanta. 

1. Second-half defense

The Bulldogs' strength all season long was its defense, and that showed on Friday afternoon -- especially in the second half. Aside from Ford's 79-yard touchdown run, the Bearcats managed just 28 second-half yards and Georgia's defense sacked Ridder six times in the final two frames to suffocate and semblance of momentum away from the Bearcats sideline. 

Linebacker Azeez Ojulari was the star of the show, racking up three sacks and two forced fumbles on the afternoon. The biggest of those plays was a sack-strip of Ridder on the third play of the fourth quarter. Georgia's Adam Anderson recovered on the Bearcats' 25-yard line and Zamir White took it in from 9 yards out two plays later to cut Cincinnati's lead to 21-16.

This was Georgia's calling card all year, so it's only fitting that it closed out the season in the same way that earned it the Peach Bowl berth. In this game, it was necessary. The Bulldogs struggled mightily to run the ball due to a fast, physical and fundamentally-sound Cincy defense that lived up to the hype generated from its dreams. 

2. JT Daniels' big statement

With the rushing game struggling, it was on Daniels to lead the offense. He had no problem with responsibility. The USC transfer was 26-of-38 passing for 392 yards, one touchdown and one interception. That despite having no help from White, Kenny. McIntosh, Kendall Milton and the rest of the Bulldog running backs.

Daniels was 11-of-15 passing for 137 yards in the fourth quarter, and those 137 yards were the only ones gained by Georgia in the final frame. That's right -- they had two carries for 0 yards and still found a way to make a comeback. It was an unreal performance by Daniels, who didn't see the field until late November in the win over Mississippi State. 

There's more to this than just the game, though. Daniels' big day will serve as the tone-setter for a team that should have legitimate national title aspirations next season. All of their running backs can return, as will George Pickens, youngsters on the offensive line and a talented group of young linebackers who have been stockpiled through recruiting.

3. Respect

There's always a David vs. Goliath feel to the Group of Five vs. Power Five matchup in the New Year's Six Bowl matchups. In retrospect, that was unfair to Cincinnati. Luke Fickell's team isn't a "cute little story" that was handed a spot in a major bowl. It not only earned every bit of this spot but looked the part of a college football power that will be in the CFP and New Year's Six discussion for years to come. 

Ridder is a flat-out baller. He threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and was the catalyst for a Bearcats team that didn't relinquish control until the second half. But the loss of all-conference offensive lineman James Hudson to a targeting foul late in the second quarter proved costly and led to the massive fire he felt in the final two frames. That's a depth issue -- which is usually a problem for Group of Five teams vs. Power Five teams. Despite that, Cincinnati played its tail off thanks to top-notch coaching from Fickell and his staff, veteran leadership and remarkable execution. 

Cincinnati isn't a flash in the pan. It's a force to be reckoned with in not only the AAC but national landscape. final play of the game just for good measure.