After surviving 2020, No. 1 Alabama will look to start the new year on the right foot as it takes on No. 4 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl on Friday at 3 p.m. CT inside of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Here are five questions to consider leading up to the matchup.
Will this game be close?
Back-to-back media days have spawned a surplus of questions heading into this week’s Rose Bowl.
Can Notre Dame’s defense figure out a way to slow down DeVonta Smith and Alabama’s historically potent offense?
Will the Tide’s rejuvenated pass rush continue its recent surge against an Irish offensive line up for the Joe Moore Award?
How will Najee Harris fare against Butkus Award winner Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah?
How about this one: Will the game even be close?
Las Vegas doesn’t seem to think so. Alabama is currently a 20-point favorite, according to VegasInsider.com. And if betting lines aren’t your thing, history doesn’t bode well for a close matchup either.
Since the creation of the College Football Playoff in 2014, there have been 12 semifinal games. Eight of them have been decided by 17 points or more while only three have been decided by one score.
Sure, there have been some thrillers. Georgia’s 54-48 double-overtime victory over Oklahoma in 2018 was a classic, while last year’s Fiesta Bowl came down to the wire. However, most of the semifinal matchups have been duds.
“I can't really explain — I think a lot of games in college football, it's not like the NFL where most games or just 70 percent of the games are decided by a touchdown or less,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said when broached on the topic. “It seems in college football the teams that can score points usually fare well in games like this.”
If that’s the case, Alabama should be set. No one scores as much as the Tide, which averages 49.7 points a game — 14.5 points higher than Notre Dame’s average.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly believes his current team is “much better prepared” for a matchup against Alabama than the squad that fell 42-14 to the Tide in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. We’ll see Friday, but history suggests not to hold your breath.
Who wins the battle of the O-lines?
Recognition can be hard to come by for offensive linemen, so it’s easy to understand why this is a big matchup for Alex Leatherwood and the rest of the Tide’s line.
While the SEC Championship Game served as a Heisman showcase between Alabama’s Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith and Florida’s Kyle Trask, the Rose Bowl could help decide a different award. Alabama and Notre Dame are joined by Texas A&M as the three finalists for this year’s Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s top offensive line.
The opportunity is not lost on Leatherwood and the Tide, who hope to make a statement come Friday night.
"We have a head-to-head match up with Notre Dame's O-line to compete for the Joe Moore Award," Leatherwood said. "And I'm excited to compete and showcase what we can do, even with a backup center, you know what I mean? Because I feel like everybody in our offensive line room is just committed to being the best that we can be. I'm excited to see that matchup."
Alabama will be without starting center Landon Dickerson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the SEC Championship Game. The redshirt senior led the Tide and ranked No. 4 in the nation with a 92.8 run-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He will be replaced by fellow redshirt senior Chris Owens, who started four games at center last year and filled in for Evan Neal at right tackle against Arkansas this season.
Even without Dickerson, the Tide boasts an impressive mix of experience and talent, featuring two five-stars and three seniors across its starting line. Alabama’s line has allowed just 16 sacks over 11 games and has helped the Tide rank in the top five in scoring (49.7 points per game), total offense (543.9 yards per game) and passing offense (354.1 ypg).
“You turn on film and you see that front five playing bully ball,” Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa said, “really just dominating the line of scrimmage up front and having their way game in and game out. Coming into this game we understood they definitely have talent all around, but we understand the biggest challenge is going to be up front.”
Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s line has allowed 23 sacks over 11 games while helping its offense average 35.2 points and 455.2 yards per game, including 217.64 yards per game on the ground.
“They're physical. And, I mean, they're physical up front,” Alabama defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis said. “There's nothing too bad I can say about those guys. We just gotta come out and do what we do best and play physical.”
More tight end troubles?
Alabama fans didn’t need a reminder of their team’s struggles in defending the tight end position this season. Although, Florida’s Kyle Pitts provided one anyway. The Mackey Award finalist gave the Tide fits during the SEC Championship Game, hauling in seven receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown.
Pitts is the third opposing tight end to record seven or more receptions against the Tide this season joining Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer (eight receptions for 82 yards) and Ole Miss’ Kenny Yeboah (seven receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns). Those stats have to be mouthwatering for a Notre Dame attack that leans heavily on the position.
The Irish have lined up with as many as four tight ends on the field at times this season, a formation that has proved effective both at the goal line as well as allowing its offense to chew up clock late in games. The latter could be essential in Notre Dame’s ability to keep its defense off the field, something that head coach Brian Kelly has already noted as a necessity in limiting Alabama's star-studded offense.
While none of Notre Dame’s tight ends offer quite the same aerial threat as Pitts, the Irish do have a dangerous pass-catcher in freshman Michael Mayer, who has earned the nickname “Baby Gronk” in reference to five-time NFL Pro Bowler Rob Gronkowski. Mayer, 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, ranks second for Notre Dame with 35 receptions which have netted 388 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Tommy Tremble has also proven capable in the passing game, hauling in 19 receptions for 218 yards.
“They're really versatile,” Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses said. “They can stay in the core and block or be flexed out and play as a receiver and catch the ball.
“So I feel like with that, we really have to be on our Ps and Qs and make sure we're disciplined in our pass drops... But it's going to be very tough. They're a really experienced group. And like I say, we expect the most from them.”
Will new Rydeout Najee Harris continue his pass-catching success?
Najee Harris won’t win the Heisman this season, but the Alabama back managed to pick up another coveted honor earlier this month. After long fancying himself as a member of Alabama’s “Rydeouts” — the nickname the Tide’s receivers have given themselves — the senior back was finally invited into the fraternity following his standout performance against Florida in the SEC Championship Game.
Harris earned MVP honors in the game, accounting for five total touchdowns against the Gators. Three of those scores came through the air as the five-star back hauled in five receptions for 67 yards.
“First day after the practice, after the game, they finally accepted me,” Harris said with a smile. “They said: ‘You're a Rydeout now, Najee.’ So tip my hat to that. They're letting me in their room to be a Rydeout.”
Harris has developed into a dangerous pass-catching threat out of the back field over the past two years. Through 11 games this season, he ranks fourth on the team with 32 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Over 13 games last year he tallied 27 receptions for 304 yards and seven touchdowns, the most scores through the air by an Alabama running back in a single season.
“Najee, he deserves to be a Rydeout,” receiver John Metchie III said. “It might be new publicly that he's a member of the Rydeouts.”
Will Alabama be haunted by a missed recruiting target?
It’s not often that Alabama allows a coveted target to slip away in recruiting. It’s even rarer when that player comes from right in its own backyard. However, that’s exactly what happened with Notre Dame punter Jay Bramblet, who played his high school ball 15 minutes away from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama recruited Bramblett out of Hillcrest High School in the 2019 class but was unable to provide the three-star punter with a scholarship after giving one to Skyler DeLong the year before. That ultimately led the Tuscaloosa native to choose Notre Dame over his hometown team.
Bramblett, who has served as Notre Dame’s punter the past two seasons, is averaging 42.31 yards on 39 punts this year. By comparison, Alabama walk-on Charlie Scott is averaging 38.76 yards on 17 boots.
Here are five questions to consider leading up to the matchup.
Will this game be close?
Back-to-back media days have spawned a surplus of questions heading into this week’s Rose Bowl.
Can Notre Dame’s defense figure out a way to slow down DeVonta Smith and Alabama’s historically potent offense?
Will the Tide’s rejuvenated pass rush continue its recent surge against an Irish offensive line up for the Joe Moore Award?
How will Najee Harris fare against Butkus Award winner Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah?
How about this one: Will the game even be close?
Las Vegas doesn’t seem to think so. Alabama is currently a 20-point favorite, according to VegasInsider.com. And if betting lines aren’t your thing, history doesn’t bode well for a close matchup either.
Since the creation of the College Football Playoff in 2014, there have been 12 semifinal games. Eight of them have been decided by 17 points or more while only three have been decided by one score.
Sure, there have been some thrillers. Georgia’s 54-48 double-overtime victory over Oklahoma in 2018 was a classic, while last year’s Fiesta Bowl came down to the wire. However, most of the semifinal matchups have been duds.
“I can't really explain — I think a lot of games in college football, it's not like the NFL where most games or just 70 percent of the games are decided by a touchdown or less,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said when broached on the topic. “It seems in college football the teams that can score points usually fare well in games like this.”
If that’s the case, Alabama should be set. No one scores as much as the Tide, which averages 49.7 points a game — 14.5 points higher than Notre Dame’s average.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly believes his current team is “much better prepared” for a matchup against Alabama than the squad that fell 42-14 to the Tide in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. We’ll see Friday, but history suggests not to hold your breath.
Who wins the battle of the O-lines?
Recognition can be hard to come by for offensive linemen, so it’s easy to understand why this is a big matchup for Alex Leatherwood and the rest of the Tide’s line.
While the SEC Championship Game served as a Heisman showcase between Alabama’s Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith and Florida’s Kyle Trask, the Rose Bowl could help decide a different award. Alabama and Notre Dame are joined by Texas A&M as the three finalists for this year’s Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s top offensive line.
The opportunity is not lost on Leatherwood and the Tide, who hope to make a statement come Friday night.
"We have a head-to-head match up with Notre Dame's O-line to compete for the Joe Moore Award," Leatherwood said. "And I'm excited to compete and showcase what we can do, even with a backup center, you know what I mean? Because I feel like everybody in our offensive line room is just committed to being the best that we can be. I'm excited to see that matchup."
Alabama will be without starting center Landon Dickerson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the SEC Championship Game. The redshirt senior led the Tide and ranked No. 4 in the nation with a 92.8 run-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He will be replaced by fellow redshirt senior Chris Owens, who started four games at center last year and filled in for Evan Neal at right tackle against Arkansas this season.
Even without Dickerson, the Tide boasts an impressive mix of experience and talent, featuring two five-stars and three seniors across its starting line. Alabama’s line has allowed just 16 sacks over 11 games and has helped the Tide rank in the top five in scoring (49.7 points per game), total offense (543.9 yards per game) and passing offense (354.1 ypg).
“You turn on film and you see that front five playing bully ball,” Notre Dame defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa said, “really just dominating the line of scrimmage up front and having their way game in and game out. Coming into this game we understood they definitely have talent all around, but we understand the biggest challenge is going to be up front.”
Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s line has allowed 23 sacks over 11 games while helping its offense average 35.2 points and 455.2 yards per game, including 217.64 yards per game on the ground.
“They're physical. And, I mean, they're physical up front,” Alabama defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis said. “There's nothing too bad I can say about those guys. We just gotta come out and do what we do best and play physical.”
More tight end troubles?
Alabama fans didn’t need a reminder of their team’s struggles in defending the tight end position this season. Although, Florida’s Kyle Pitts provided one anyway. The Mackey Award finalist gave the Tide fits during the SEC Championship Game, hauling in seven receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown.
Pitts is the third opposing tight end to record seven or more receptions against the Tide this season joining Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer (eight receptions for 82 yards) and Ole Miss’ Kenny Yeboah (seven receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns). Those stats have to be mouthwatering for a Notre Dame attack that leans heavily on the position.
The Irish have lined up with as many as four tight ends on the field at times this season, a formation that has proved effective both at the goal line as well as allowing its offense to chew up clock late in games. The latter could be essential in Notre Dame’s ability to keep its defense off the field, something that head coach Brian Kelly has already noted as a necessity in limiting Alabama's star-studded offense.
While none of Notre Dame’s tight ends offer quite the same aerial threat as Pitts, the Irish do have a dangerous pass-catcher in freshman Michael Mayer, who has earned the nickname “Baby Gronk” in reference to five-time NFL Pro Bowler Rob Gronkowski. Mayer, 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, ranks second for Notre Dame with 35 receptions which have netted 388 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Tommy Tremble has also proven capable in the passing game, hauling in 19 receptions for 218 yards.
“They're really versatile,” Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses said. “They can stay in the core and block or be flexed out and play as a receiver and catch the ball.
“So I feel like with that, we really have to be on our Ps and Qs and make sure we're disciplined in our pass drops... But it's going to be very tough. They're a really experienced group. And like I say, we expect the most from them.”
Will new Rydeout Najee Harris continue his pass-catching success?
Najee Harris won’t win the Heisman this season, but the Alabama back managed to pick up another coveted honor earlier this month. After long fancying himself as a member of Alabama’s “Rydeouts” — the nickname the Tide’s receivers have given themselves — the senior back was finally invited into the fraternity following his standout performance against Florida in the SEC Championship Game.
Harris earned MVP honors in the game, accounting for five total touchdowns against the Gators. Three of those scores came through the air as the five-star back hauled in five receptions for 67 yards.
“First day after the practice, after the game, they finally accepted me,” Harris said with a smile. “They said: ‘You're a Rydeout now, Najee.’ So tip my hat to that. They're letting me in their room to be a Rydeout.”
Harris has developed into a dangerous pass-catching threat out of the back field over the past two years. Through 11 games this season, he ranks fourth on the team with 32 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Over 13 games last year he tallied 27 receptions for 304 yards and seven touchdowns, the most scores through the air by an Alabama running back in a single season.
“Najee, he deserves to be a Rydeout,” receiver John Metchie III said. “It might be new publicly that he's a member of the Rydeouts.”
Will Alabama be haunted by a missed recruiting target?
It’s not often that Alabama allows a coveted target to slip away in recruiting. It’s even rarer when that player comes from right in its own backyard. However, that’s exactly what happened with Notre Dame punter Jay Bramblet, who played his high school ball 15 minutes away from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama recruited Bramblett out of Hillcrest High School in the 2019 class but was unable to provide the three-star punter with a scholarship after giving one to Skyler DeLong the year before. That ultimately led the Tuscaloosa native to choose Notre Dame over his hometown team.
Bramblett, who has served as Notre Dame’s punter the past two seasons, is averaging 42.31 yards on 39 punts this year. By comparison, Alabama walk-on Charlie Scott is averaging 38.76 yards on 17 boots.
