Run Tide! No. 1 Bama over non-P5 Cincy 27-6 in CFP semi

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Brian Robinson Jr. grew up adjacent the Alabama field watching the Crimson Tide triumph championships, and wanting to play a large portion successful one.

With the fifth-year elder and first-year featured backmost moving for a career-high 204 yards and Heisman Trophy victor Bryce Young throwing 3 touchdown passes, the Crimson Tide earned the accidental to play for yet different nationalist rubric with a 27-6 triumph implicit Cincinnati connected Friday successful the College Football Playoff semifinal astatine the Cotton Bowl.

It was a bitter decorativeness for Desmond Ridder and for the Bearcats, the archetypal non-Power Five squad ever to get a sensation of the CFP. They were physically overwhelmed connected the large stage.

“B-Rob was immense for america each night," Young said. "Making that archetypal feline miss, falling guardant warring for those other yards. He was a constant.”

“As a young kid, conscionable ever wanted to beryllium a portion of this program. Just ever wanted to play for a nationalist championship,” Robinson said. "Just being capable to spell retired determination and conscionable pb this squad successful this large crippled connected this large signifier ... it’s similar a imagination travel true.”

Alabama (13-1) has missed the four-team playoff lone erstwhile and volition effort to triumph its 2nd nationalist rubric successful a enactment and 4th successful the 8 seasons of the CFP format. The Crimson Tide volition play either No. 2 Michigan oregon No. 3 Georgia, the antecedently undefeated squad Alabama bushed for the SEC title, successful the nationalist rubric crippled Jan. 10 successful Indianapolis.

Alabama intelligibly was doing what it could to minimize the interaction of lasting Cincinnati cornerbacks Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant, and beauteous overmuch succeeded with Robinson rushing 26 times and Young throwing a batch of short, harmless passes — though helium did find deed Ja’Core Brooks for a 44-yard catch-and-run TD connected a play distant from the standout defenders for a 17-3 pb conscionable earlier halftime.

“I’m really, truly arrogant of our team, our players. I deliberation they showed large competitory quality retired there," said Alabama manager Nick Saban, who successful his 15th play astatine Alabama has six nationalist titles overall. “Guys showed a batch of resiliency each year, to beryllium capable to person the accidental to get to this game."

The Tide opened the crippled with 10 consecutive runs, the archetypal 4 and six wide for 37 yards by Robinson, earlier putting 3 receivers other of Gardner, who hasn't fixed up a TD successful sum successful his assemblage career. Young recovered Slade Bolden unfastened successful the near level for an 8-yard TD pass that enactment Alabama up to stay.

With Ridder, the dynamic backmost and NFL imaginable who returned for an other play for conscionable this chance, the Bearcats (13-1) were the nation's lone undefeated squad until facing the playoff modular bearer.

“Obviously, this is gut-wrenching and really, truly hard for everybody, but astir importantly for the 30 oregon truthful seniors that person brought this programme and this squad truthful far,” Bearcats manager Luke Fickell said.

Ridder was sacked six times and extracurricular of a 9-yard tally connected the opening play of the 2nd fractional ne'er got to wounded Bama with his feet. He was 17-of-32 passing oregon 144 yards.

“It’s 1 happening to beryllium determination and ticker connected film, and to beryllium determination and gully the twists and stunts they bash connected the committee and enactment it done practice,” Ridder said. “It’s different happening to travel down present and play it connected a large stage.”

Young, a 20-year-old sophomore, has a accidental to go the 5th Alabama backmost successful 13 seasons to triumph a nationalist rubric arsenic a first-year starter. He completed 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards successful the playoff game, 4 weeks aft mounting an SEC title crippled grounds with 421 yards passing successful a triumph implicit Georgia and 3 weeks aft being the archetypal Crimson Tide QB to triumph a Heisman Trophy.

His lone interception came precocious successful the 3rd 4th erstwhile helium overthrew All-America receiver Jameson Williams successful a assemblage of defenders and the walk was picked disconnected by Bryan Cook connected the logo astatine midfield. Williams caught the different 7 passes thrown his mode for 62 yards, the longest being 20 yards.

After Cook's interception, the Bearcats went three-and-out for the 5th clip successful the game, with Ridder sacked for 10-yard nonaccomplishment connected 3rd down.

Cincinnati’s breakthrough into the four-team playoff was bolstered by a triumph the archetypal Saturday of October astatine Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, who mislaid 31-14 to Alabama successful a CFP semifinal Rose Bowl played astatine AT&T Stadium past New Year’s Day, didn’t suffer different crippled this play and finished 5th successful the last CFP rankings down the history-making Bearcats.

The American Athletic Conference champion Bearcats had a season-low 218 full yards and held without a touchdown for the archetypal clip since a 42-0 nonaccomplishment astatine Ohio State successful the 2nd crippled of the 2019 season, the past clip they played a top-five team.

“We knew the conflict successful the trenches was going to beryllium a large deal, and that’s benignant of wherever the crippled was won,” Fickell said. “In nary signifier of it did we springiness ourselves an opportunity.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Cincinnati: It was lone the 2nd nonaccomplishment successful 2 seasons for the Bearcats, some setbacks coming successful their last games. They mislaid 24-21 to Georgia connected a last-second tract extremity successful the Peach Bowl past New Year's Day. ... Cincinnati drove for tract goals by Cole Smith (37 and 31 yards) connected the opening thrust of each half, but struggled to determination the shot extracurricular of those 2 drives.

Alabama: After the Tide ne'er got connected way with their moving crippled astir of the season, fifth-year elder Robinson and the rushers led them successful the semifinal crippled with 301 yards. Trey Sanders had 14 carries for 67 yards. Going into the Cotton Bowl, the Crimson Tide were averaging 147.6 yards per game, their lowest full successful 15 seasons nether Saban.

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