Roll tide! Wild celebrations in Alabama as they roll to second straight BCS National Championship with blowout win over Notre Dame
ALABAMA 42, NOTRE DAME 14
Buttoned down in a gray suit, white shirt and Crimson bow tie, AJ McCarron, the quarterback with “Bama Boy” tattooed on his chest and Miss Alabama on his arm, arrived at Sun Life Stadium Monday a reformed riverboat gambler.
He walked out Monday night the picture of piercing efficiency, having thrown four touchdown passes and collecting his second consecutive crystal ball.
Led by McCarron, Alabama leveled Notre Dame, 42-14, and elevated itself to dynastic status with its third national championship in four years under coach Nick Saban.
Afterward, atop a dais on the field, Saban lifted his ban on use of the word “repeat.” “Whether I look it or not, I’m happy as hell,” Saban said. McCarron’s offense undressed Notre Dame over the opening 30 minutes.
Tailback Eddie Lacy ducked, dipped and danced into the second level of defenders, devastating them with an uncommon balance of patience and punishing hits. Then came the long balls, leather spirals lofted by McCarron that dropped over defensive backs’ heads and into the sure hands of Amari Cooper and Kevin Norwood.
By halftime, Lacy had logged 96 rushing yards, with McCarron tallying 156 yards to go with two touchdowns passes. It was 28-0 then, and Notre Dame’s condition never improved.
“We couldn’t get off the field,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said.
Billed as “Catholics vs. Baptists” and “Rudy vs. Forrest Gump,” the matchup resembled a varsity team tutoring it jayvee counterparts. Ranked No. 1 in the nation according to the BCS calculations, the Irish entered as double-digit underdogs despite a 12-0 record. Vegas had drawn the line between Alabama’s relentless talent and Notre Dame’s close calls in wins over Pittsburgh and Stanford. No. 2 Alabama, meanwhile, entered at 12-1, tested by the powerful SEC.
The Irish insisted they belonged, but fell fast and hard. Once the waves of Alabama’s attack came crashing down, Notre Dame proved unable to stem the Tide.
“For one of the first times all year, we were able to play a complete game,” Lacy said.
Kelly downplayed the pressure on redshirt freshman quarterback Everett Golson leading into the game, and Golson at times broke Alabama’s containment for explosive plays. He completed 21 of 36 passes, and threw an interception to go with a touchdown pass.
Nothing sprung the Irish for scores, though. Notre Dame tailback Theo Riddick, the team’s leading rusher, was limited to 39 yards. Golson finally reached the end zone on a 2-yard run with 4:08 left in the third quarter. It represented Notre Dame’s first points.
“I think he’s going to be one of the outstanding quarterbacks in the country,” Saban said.
Lacy outlasted all comers, Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te’o included. Te’o missed tackles he typically finished in a celebrated regular season, and safety Zeke Motta was left to clean up time and time again. Blown off the ball by Alabama’s offensive linemen, Notre Dame, boasting what was a fearless front seven in the undefeated regular season, failed to figure a way to combat the Crimson Tide physically.
“The best thing about this experience is it creates fire, it creates fuel,” Te’o said.
Kelly readily admitted that his program had arrived at the sport’s pinnacle a year ahead of schedule. He allowed that there would be new experiences for the players to absorb as the storied program played in its first title game since 1988.
“I don’t want to feel this again,” Golson said.
McCarron knew that well. He enjoyed his first swim in the championship waters the previous January with a win over LSU and came to title week prepared. He hauled 30 pairs of shoes with him from Tuscaloosa, never wanting to be seen twice in the same footwear.
Forever being teased by teammates for his fashion sense and stylish spiked hair, he made an exception for one repeat accessory: The crystal ball he took in tow.
CONGRATS CRIMSON TIDE!
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