| 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 7th College Football Playoff National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 11, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Offensive: #6WRDeVonta Smith, Sr. Alabama[1] Defensive: #58DTChristian Barmore, So. Alabama[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Alabama by 9.5[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Prerecorded due to COVID concerns[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Brandon Cruse (Big 12)[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Virtual performance from the Intercollegiate Marching Band[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 14,926[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Fowler (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) Maria Taylor andAllison Williams (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 10.31 (18.71 million viewers)[7] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Deportes ESPN Brasil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ESPN Deportes:Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega ESPN Brasil: Ari Aguiar (play-by-play) and Paulo Mancha (analyst) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2021 College Football Playoff National Championship was acollege footballbowl game played on January 11, 2021, atHard Rock Stadium inMiami Gardens, Florida. The seventhCollege Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined thenational champion in theNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the2020 season. The game started at 8:15 p.m.EST and was televised byESPN. It was the final game of the2020–21 College Football Playoff and, aside from the all-star games scheduled to follow, was the culminating game of the2020–21 bowl season. Sponsored by telecommunications companyAT&T, the game was officially known as the2021 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T.
The championship featured the winner of theRose Bowl, the top-seededAlabama Crimson Tide from theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) defeating the winners of theSugar Bowl, the third-seededOhio State Buckeyes from theBig Ten Conference, 52–24. The win gave Alabama head coachNick Saban his seventhnational championship, breakingBear Bryant's[a] record for the most by a Division I college football coach.[8]
This was the second of four consecutiveCollege Football Playoff National Championship games matching theNo. 3 seed and the No. 1 seed, with No. 1LSU defeating the No. 3Clemson Tigers 42–25 in the2020 edition.[9]
In August 2018,Hard Rock Stadium inMiami Gardens, Florida, was announced as the host site for the seventh College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship.[10] TheRose Bowl andSugar Bowl were designated as semifinal games; both semifinals were scheduled for January 1, 2021.[11]
On August 5, 2020, CFP organizers announced that they would move the release of the final rankings and semifinal matchups (sometimes referred to as "Selection Weekend") from December 6 to 20, in order to accommodate conferences that had delayed their championship games to mid-December.[12] On December 20, the semifinal pairings were announced, with No. 1Alabama matched with No. 4Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, and No. 2Clemson matched with No. 3Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.[13]
The Rose Bowl game, normally played inPasadena, California, was moved toArlington, Texas, prompted by theCOVID-19 pandemic in California.[14][15] As the 2020 FBS season was impacted by theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, CFP organizers had identified a contingency date of January 18 for the championship game,[16] which did not need to be used. Attendance at Hard Rock Stadium was limited to 23% of normal capacity,[17] with the official attendance listed as 14,926.[6]
The playoff games were played on January 1. In theRose Bowl for the first semifinal,Alabama defeatedNotre Dame 31–14.[18] In theSugar Bowl for the second semifinal,Ohio State defeatedClemson 49–28, to get their first win over them, after four previous attempts.[19]
| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| January 1 –Rose BowlAT&T Stadium,Arlington[b] | ||||||||
| 1 | Alabama | 31 | ||||||
| 4 | Notre Dame | 14 | January 11 –National ChampionshipHard Rock Stadium,Miami Gardens | |||||
| 1 | Alabama | 52 | ||||||
| January 1 –Sugar BowlMercedes-Benz Superdome,New Orleans | 3 | Ohio State | 24 | |||||
| 2 | Clemson | 28 | ||||||
| 3 | Ohio State | 49 | ||||||
The game featured No. 1 Alabama, winner of the Rose Bowl, and No. 3 Ohio State, winner of the Sugar Bowl. The teams had previously met four times, with Alabama holding a 3–1 edge.[20] Their most recent meeting had been in the2015 Sugar Bowl, a CFP semifinal, which was won by Ohio State, 42–35.[20]
Alabama entered the National Championship game with a 12–0 record, having won all 10 of theirSoutheastern Conference (SEC) regular season games, followed by a win overFlorida in theSEC Championship Game, and a win over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal.[21] Alabama had a record of 2–2 in prior CFP National Championship games, having won in2016 and2018 and having lost in2017 and2019.[22]
Ohio State entered the game with a record of 7–0, having won all five of theirBig Ten Conference regular season games, followed by a win overNorthwestern in theBig Ten Championship Game,[23] and a win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl CFP semifinal.[24] Ohio State had appeared in one prior CFP National Championship game, having won the inaugural edition in2015, after defeating Alabama in the semifinal.[25] On January 11, the Buckeyes advised that 13 players would not be available for the game, including two starting defensive linemen (Tommy Togiai and Tyreke Smith) and two kickers (Blake Haubeil and Dominic DiMaccio); specific reasons were not provided, but at least one player's post on social media indicated that it was due to a positive COVID-19 test.[26]
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| Ohio State | Position | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Jameson Williams 1 | WR | †DeVonta Smith 1 | |
| Chris Olave 1 | WR | Slade Bolden | |
| Thayer Munford 7 | LT | †Alex Leatherwood 1 | |
| Matthew Jones | LG | Deonte Brown 6 | |
| Josh Myers 2 | C | Chris Owens | |
| †Wyatt Davis 3 | RG | Emil Ekiyor Jr. | |
| Nicholas Petit-Frere 3 | RT | Evan Neal 1 | |
| Luke Farrell 5 | TE | Miller Forristall | |
| Garrett Wilson 1 | WR | John Metchie III 2 | |
| Justin Fields 1 | QB | †Mac Jones 1 | |
| Trey Sermon 3 | RB | †Najee Harris 1 | |
| Defense | |||
| Jonathon Cooper 7 | DE | Christian Barmore 2 | |
| Jerron Cage | DT | NG | D. J. Dale |
| Haskell Garrett | DT | STAR | Brian Branch 2 |
| Javontae Jean-Baptiste 7 | DE | LB | Christian Harris 3 |
| Tuf Borland | LB | †Dylan Moses | |
| Justin Hilliard | LB | Will Anderson Jr. 1 | |
| Pete Werner 2 | LB | Christopher Allen | |
| Sevyn Banks | CB | †Patrick Surtain II 1 | |
| Marcus Williamson | S | Jordan Battle 3 | |
| Josh Proctor | S | FS | DeMarcco Hellams 7 |
| †Shaun Wade 5 | CB | Josh Jobe | |
| † 2020 All-American | |||
| Selected in an NFL Draft (number corresponds to draft round) | |||
Source:[27]
Alabama won the coin toss and deferred possession to the second half. Ohio State's opening position began on the 25 following atouchback, but quickly fizzled into athree-and-out. Alabama started their opening drive at their own 22-yard-line following the punt and picked up four first downs en route to a 4th-and-goal rushing touchdown byNajee Harris to open the scoring. During the drive, cameras showed Ohio State running backTrey Sermon walking to the locker room with an apparent shoulder injury sustained on the first play of the game. Alabama kickerWill Reichard resumed the game with another touchback, giving the Buckeyes the football on the 25-yard-line again. Ohio State's second drive looked very different from their first:Master Teague scored a touchdown on an eight-yard rush to cap an eight-play drive and tie the game. Filling in for kicker Blake Haubeil, who did not travel with the Ohio State team due to COVID issues, punter Drue Chrisman handled the kickoff, which was taken back to the 25. Alabama drove all the way to the Ohio State five-yard-line, including another 4th down conversion, before the quarter expired with the score tied at seven.[28]
On the second quarter's opening play, Tide quarterbackMac Jones connected withHeisman winnerDeVonta Smith for a five-yard passing touchdown, giving Alabama a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Following the conclusion of the drive, it was announced that Trey Sermon was on the way to the hospital and would not return for the game. Ohio State's ensuing drive began on the 25 after a touchback. The Buckeyes drove the ball to the Alabama 44 before stalling; the ensuing punt was downed by the Tide at their own 12-yard-line. Alabama started their next drive with a 12-yard pass from Jones to Smith, before Ohio State linebackerBaron Browning sacked Jones and forced a fumble, which he recovered. Ohio State took one play to find the end zone – following a pass interference in the end zone, the Buckeyes got the ball on the 4-yard-line and tied the game with a Master Teague rushing touchdown, his second of the contest. The Tide responded quickly; it took them only five plays to score on a Najee Harris 26-yard reception, giving them back a touchdown lead. On the ensuing Ohio State drive, Alabama safetyJordan Battle was disqualified for targeting; the Buckeyes finished the drive with a field goal, cutting the Alabama lead to four. Alabama's next drive began on their own 25, and the Tide's offense had no problem moving the ball down the field again, with Jones finding Smith for the second time to take a two-possession lead. The Buckeyes' offense gained only four yards on their ensuing drive, and they punted for the second time. Smith returned the punt for 19 yards, setting Alabama up at their own 40-yard-line. Alabama scored even quicker on this drive – Smith found the end zone on a 42-yard pass on just the third play of the drive to extend the lead to 18 points. Ohio State ended their final drive of the half with another three-and-out, and their defense held with seconds left on the clock in the half and forced an Alabama punt, their first of the game. Ohio Stateknelt the ball and ended the first half, with Alabama leading 35–17 at halftime.[28]
Alabama started their first drive of the second half with the ball on their own 23-yard-line, and ended the drive with a Will Reichard field goal sixteen plays later, making this drive the game's longest. Ohio State responded with their shortest touchdown drive of the contest, as a 33-yard rush byJustin Fields set up a 20-yard pass from Fields to wide receiverGarrett Wilson, cutting Alabama's lead back to two touchdowns. During Alabama's ensuing drive, DeVonta Smith suffered a hand injury that caused him to retreat to the locker room.[29] The Crimson Tide scored again, asSlade Bolden caught a five-yard Mac Jones pass and increased the lead back to 21. Ohio State's first turnover of the game, a turnover on downs, ended their next drive at their own 43-yard-line, and the third quarter ended shortly thereafter.[28]
Alabama increased their lead to four touchdowns on the fourth play of the game's final quarter, as Najee Harris scored for the second time. Ohio State's next drive saw them take the ball all the way to the Alabama 6-yard-line, but an incomplete pass on 4th & goal ended the Buckeyes' drive with a turnover on downs. Neither offense could capitalize on their next possession, as the teams then traded three-and-outs. Alabama was able to run the remaining clock out and the game and football season concluded with the Crimson Tide as national champions, 52–24.[28] Despite being injured in the third quarter, DeVonta Smith was named the offensivemost valuable player (MVP), andChristian Barmore of Alabama'sdefensive line was named defensive MVP.[1]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Ohio State | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 1 Alabama | 7 | 28 | 10 | 7 | 52 |
atHard Rock Stadium •Miami Gardens, Florida
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | Ohio State | Alabama |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 33 |
| Plays–yards | 62–341 | 83–621 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–147 | 38–157 |
| Passing yards | 194 | 464 |
| Passing:comp–att–int | 17–33–0 | 36–45–0 |
| Time of possession | 22:34 | 37:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | Passing | Justin Fields | 17/33, 194 yards, 1 TD |
| Rushing | Justin Fields | 6 carries, 67 yards | |
| Receiving | Chris Olave | 8 receptions, 69 yards | |
| Alabama | Passing | Mac Jones | 36/45, 464 yards, 5 TD |
| Rushing | Najee Harris | 22 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | DeVonta Smith | 12 receptions, 215 yards, 3 TD |
The game was televised nationally in the United States byESPN for the seventh straight year, along with its sister networks andESPN+ in a "Megacast" made up of several other channels, including game data, radio calls from the Ohio State and Alabama radio networks, stadium audio-only, and other camera angles. The game announcers wereChris Fowler andKirk Herbstreit, withMaria Taylor andAllison Williams serving assideline reporters.[30]
Unprecedented is truly an understatement. That is why the City of Pasadena has agreed to allow the Tournament of Roses to relocate the official Rose Bowl Game in 2021. The Rose Bowl Game will not relocate again from Pasadena, unless it is forced to due to a national emergency.