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
Yes, DaVonta Smith really is that good
DeVonta Smith caps off his Heisman season with 215 yards and 3 TDs in the #NationalChampionship.
The greatest out of a legendary group of Bama WRs 🐐 pic.twitter.com/7wkOxSRuPy
— ESPN (@espn) January 12, 2021
Alabama wide receiver DaVonta Smith was about to completely obliterated and put out of reach any kind of receiving record in the postseason until he had to leave the game with a hand injury. He won the Heisman, and after what he did to the Ohio State defense, there’s not a Buckeye alive that would contend with that notion.
OSU simply had no answer for Smith. The Tide coaching staff lined him up all over the field and got plenty of mismatches, which is saying a lot because nobody could stop him. He was the best player on the field, and I’m not sure what Ohio State could have done to slow him down.
NEXT … Justin Fields was a wee bit off
Justin Fields couldn’t replicate the performance we saw against Clemson
Justin Fields playing through the pain. pic.twitter.com/1OKiUniALJ
— ESPN (@espn) January 12, 2021
Fields showed flashes of the spectacular playmaker he can be, but his game was a little off. He missed some wide-open throws, seemed a little hesitant at times, and just wasn’t the weapon Ohio State needed him to be.
I’m sure a lot of that had to do with him still recovering from getting walloped like a rag doll by Clemson’s James Skalski, but he was not quite able to pull through to put the Buckeyes on his back in this one. And really, that was the only way OSU was going to keep pace was for Fields to orchestrate scores and win a shootout.
NEXT … The undermanned defensive line
There just weren’t enough depth on the defensive line
Scoreboard says starters on defense include DT Taron Vincent for Tommy Togiai and DE Zach Harrison for Tyreke Smith
— Steve Helwagen (@SteveHelwagen) January 12, 2021
You can usually absorb one hit to the defensive line when you have the depth Ohio State has, but two guys going out in the middle of the line, plus the absence of one of an edge rusher that was coming on, was just too much to handle. Especially against an offense like what Alabama rolled out on Monday night.
Tommy Togiai’s loss in the middle was huge, then his replacement Taron Vincent went down. Add Tyreke Smith out of the rotation on the perimeter of the line and there just wasn’t enough push, and not enough pressure on Mac Jones.
NEXT … The back seven – ouch
The back seven were on their heels all game
Ohio State's defensive staff is getting crushed on here, but the Buckeye secondary wasn't particularly good all season.
This seemed likely — no, not 215 receiving yards by one man in a half (that's crazy), but certainly the more general romp by Alabama's passing game.
— Matt Zemek (@MattZemek) January 12, 2021
I know it seems like we’re piling on, but time after time, the back seven were out of position. It’s like the preparation didn’t sink in. Not only that, but guys weren’t keying on the man in motion more often than not, leaving him uncovered for an easy pitch and catch with momentum.
I know DaVonta Smith is really good, but you have to figure out a way to make more plays than what we saw tonight. At the end of the day, the secondary we saw all year was the secondary that showed up tonight, and that left some burn marks.
Back to the drawing board there.
NEXT … The mindset wasn’t right
The team seemed to lose some energy from New Orleans
Jonathon Cooper on how he thinks Ohio State's returning players will respond to this loss: “I think they will respond the same way they did to the Clemson game last year, honestly.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 12, 2021
I don’t know if it’s because Ohio State put so much into beating Clemson emotionally that it just couldn’t muster the same level of energy and intensity in this one, but there was a clear downgrade in the emotion and motivation in this one.
Guys missed tackles, the effort went a little south when things weren’t going the Buckeyes’ way, and it all just seemed a little flat. There’s no doubt that Alabama deserved to win, but the game should have been more of a contest than what we saw. I’m not sure who to lay blame on with that one, but something just didn’t work in leading up to the big stage.
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