Kirby Smart, Alabama to play Clemson for national title
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 31: Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart directs Minkah Fitzpatrick #29 of the Alabama Crimson Tide on the sideline in the fourth quarter while taking on the Michigan State Spartans during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on December 31, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
By Staff reports
Jan 1, 2016
Georgia fans will have to wait a little longer for Kirby Smart to be their full-time head coach. He's still a little busy now at his old job as Alabama's defensive coordinator.
Smart's defense led the Crimson Tide to a 38-0 win over Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl in a College Football Playoff semifinal in Arlington, Texas, Thursday night.
Alabama (13-1) will play Clemson (14-0) for the national championship on Monday, Jan. 11 in Arizona. Smart, who Georgia hired to replace Mark Richt as its head coach, committed to first finishing the season with the Crimson Tide, but he's said he is splitting his time between the two roles for now. But it was all Alabama Thursday night, on the field and for Smart.
He will leave the Crimson Tide after the Clemson game and give the Bulldogs his full attention.
Alabama 38, Michigan State 0: QB Jake Coker played the game of his career, hooking up with Calvin Ridley for two touchdowns, as the second-ranked Crimson Tide aired it out to beat the No. 3 Spartans.
The Tide looked like a team with no weaknesses against overmatched Michigan State (12-2). Coker, the promising Florida State transfer who sat the bench most of last season, was nearly perfect. The senior completed 25 for 30 for 286 yards.
Jonathan Allen and the ferocious Tide defensive front sacked Connor Cook four times and allowed the Spartans only one trip into the red zone — which ended with Cyrus Jones intercepting a pass at the goal line.
Clemson 37, Oklahoma 17: Gainesville native Deshaun Watson turned in another stellar two-way performance, running for one touchdown, passing for another and accounting for 332 yards to lead the top-ranked Tigers in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Clemson dominated the second half and shut down Oklahoma's high-scoring offense, which had averaged 52 points over its last seven contests. The Sooners (11-2) actually came into the game as favorites, but the Tigers showed their perfect record was no fluke.
Watson certainly lived up to the hype of being a Heisman finalist. He got off to a slow start passing, but came back to complete 16-of-31 for 187 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow that gave Clemson some breathing room late in the third quarter. Watson carried the running load in the early going, finishing with 145 yards on 24 carries and scoring the Tigers' first touchdown on a 5-yard run. He was named the offensive MVP.
Jeff Schultz on Alabama
The Crimson Tide, stung by a collapse to Ohio State in the semifinals last season, kick-sixed out of a potential championship season by Auburn the year before, returned Thursday night with a familiar wrecking-ball look to it. (Click here to read more)
Mark Bradley on Clemson
Clemson, the nation’s No. 1 team, entered the Orange Bowl a 3 ½-point underdog to Oklahoma. But the Tigers proved they had the better defense, the better offense, and the better coach. (Click here to read more)
