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The 2020-21 college football postseason belongs to Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Less than a week after winning a Heisman Trophy, he put on a dominant performance in the first half, guiding Alabama to a 52-24 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the national title game.
On Monday night, Smith finished with 12 catches for 215 yards with three touchdowns, all of which came in the first half. He was injured in the first drive of the third quarter with an injury to his hand and never returned.
Alabama’s offense was as dominant as it has been all season long. Ohio State had to play a nearly flawless game on offense, and the Buckeyes couldn’t hang with this Crimson Tide group that finished with 621 yards of total offense.
Ohio State successfully stopped the run game for the most part, but it was through the air where the Buckeyes were torched. Mac Jones wasn’t playing at 100%, but he put together a fantastic performance. He completed 36 of 45 passes for 464 yards with five touchdowns.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and this Buckeyes offense didn’t look nearly as good as they did against the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Fields completed 17 of 33 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 67 yards on six attempts.
Buckeyes running back Trey Sermon left the game on the first possession with an injury and never returned to the field. Master Teague III stepped in and scored a pair of touchdowns. He carried the ball 15 times for 65 yards.
Chris Olave had more than 100 receiving yards in five of the six games he played this season with seven touchdown receptions, but he was held out of the end zone and finished with eight receptions for 69 yards.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the point spread ended at -9 in Alabama’s favor, and the Crimson Tide didn’t have too much of an issue covering that spread. In addition, the point total of 75 was surpassed early in the fourth quarter.