NEW ORLEANS - The No. 5/5/5 Alabama football team secured a 45-20 win over No. 9/11/9 Kansas State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide's victory at the Caesars Superdome helped UA finish 11-2 on the season.
Alabama fell behind early with Kansas State gaining a 10-0 lead in the first 12 minutes. The Tide countered with 35 unanswered points to make it a 35-10 game before the Wildcats narrowed the gap on a field goal late in the third. Alabama then put the game well out of reach thanks to a touchdown to close out the third quarter and a field goal from Will Reichard early in the fourth.
Quarterback Bryce Young was named the game's Most Valuable Player with an impressive five-touchdown effort. The junior finished an efficient 15-of-21 for 321 yards to go with the five scores. He connected with seven different receivers overall, five of which scored a touchdown. Tight end Cameron Latu led in receptions with five for 54 yards and a score while Jermaine Burton paced UA in yards at 87 on his three catches, adding a touchdown of his own.
Jahmyr Gibbs highlighted the Tide running backs with 15 carries for 76 yards followed by Jase McClellan who rushed seven times for 42 yards and a score. Gibbs also added two receptions for 66 yards and a pair of kickoff returns for 31 yards to total a game-high 173 all-purpose yards.
The Crimson Tide defense intercepted two passes while limiting the Wildcats to only 210 yards through the air. Jordan Battle picked off the first pass and finished with nine total tackles, including half a stop for loss (-2 yards). Brian Branch recorded UA's second pick and paired the turnover with 12 tackles, including a sack (-9 yards) and a game-high four tackles for loss (-22 yards). DeMarcco Hellams led all defenders with 13 stops.
Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban Said
"There was a team out there today that cared – cared about how they played; cared about the pride they had in their performance; cared about each other – and they prevailed because of that. I think that (mentality) started way back when we started practice. There are a lot of guys on this team, including these two guys that are sitting next to me (Will Anderson Jr. and Bryce Young) that have given a lot to this program. The way the team performed out there together as a group, they had something to prove."
Notes
Alabama's matchup with Kansas State marked the Crimson Tide's 17th in the Sugar Bowl – the most by UA in any bowl and eight better than the Cotton, which holds second place at nine. Alabama owns a 10-7 all-time mark in the Sugar Bowl.
Since head coach Nick Saban's arrival in 2007, Alabama has played in 26 games that kicked off at 11:30 a.m. CT or earlier. The Crimson Tide is a perfect 26-0 in those matchups, including a 3-0 mark this season. Alabama first secured a 20-19 win at then-No. 22 Texas on Sept. 10 before defeating Austin Peay, 34-0, on Nov. 19 in the Tide's final non-conference matchup of the regular season.
The win over K-State was Saban's 23rd career victory by 25-plus points against a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and his 25th win by 20-plus points against a top-15 opponent in the AP Poll. He is the NCAA's all-time record holder in both categories.
With his five touchdown passes, Bryce Young now has 80 career passing touchdowns to move past AJ McCarron (77) into second on the school's all-time list. Young trails only Tua Tagovailoa's 87.
After starting the game 1-for-4, Young finished his day 14-of-17 for 315 yards and five touchdowns.
Young's five touchdown passes in the contest set an Alabama bowl record. It also matched Mac Jones' five touchdown throws against Ohio State in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game for the most by a Crimson Tide quarterback in a postseason game (bowl and College Football Playoff).
Young's five touchdown passes matched his career-high total for a single game. The junior has thrown for five scores on four previous occasions, including most recently against Utah State in the 2022 season opener.
With his first touchdown pass in the second quarter, Young has thrown for at least one touchdown across all 27 games that he has started for the Crimson Tide
With his two receptions, Jahmyr Gibbs finished second for catches by a Crimson Tide running back in a single season at 44. The program record is 48 by Kevin Turner with Gibbs moving past Najee Harris (43) in today's game.
How It Happened
First Quarter
06:17 – KS | Kansas State took its second drive of the game 38 yards on 11 plays for the first points of the contest, a 41-yard field goal off the foot of Ty Zentner
03:26 – KS | Deuce Vaughn ran it 88 yards on the first play of Kansas State's ensuing drive to stake his team to a 10-0 lead
00:32 – UA | Helped by a 60-yard pass play from Bryce Young to Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama finished off a six-play, 69-yard drive that took 2:46 off the clock and was capped by a six-yard touchdown by Isaiah Bond
Second Quarter
11:33 – UA | Another big play – this time a 47-yard pass-and-catch from Young to Jermaine Burton – set up a one-yard touchdown reception for Cameron Latu to cap a six-play, 63-yard drive that lasted 3:09
00:10 – UA | The Tide finished the half with a 98-yard drive that took just seven plays and 58 seconds when it was capped by a 12-yard touchdown catch by Jermaine Burton to put Alabama ahead 21-10 at intermission
Third Quarter
13:54 – UA | After recovering an onside kick attempt, Alabama took advantage of the short field by moving 46 yards on six plays in 1:05 when Young found Ja'Corey Brooks for a 32-yard touchdown reception
13:00 – UA | A Brian Branch interception set up the Tide at Kansas State's 17-yard line when Jase McClellan scored the ensuing play which resulted in UA's fifth consecutive touchdown drive
06:33 – KS | The Wildcats went 54 yards in eight plays and 2:17, capped by a 28-yard field goal from Zentner
00:00 – UA | Alabama ended the quarter with Kobe Prentice scoring on a 47-yard catch-and-run to the house, finishing off a three-play, 51-yard drive that took only 1:33 off the clock
Fourth Quarter
11:10 – UA | Will Reichard converted a 49-yard field goal to finish off a six-play, 14-yard drive in 2:31
03:06 – KS | Jordan Schippers plunged into the end zone from one-yard out to cap a 10-play drive that lasted 4:27 and spanned 71 yards.
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