The Crimson Tide steamrolled the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl thanks to dominant performances from Tua Tagovailoa and Joshua Jacobs.
In case there was any doubt that Alabama was the most talented team in college football this year, the Crimson Tide made sure to silence any of those possible concerns with a dominant performance in the Orange Bowl over Oklahoma.
After taking a 28-0 lead in the first quarter, the Crimson Tide continued to hold off any comeback attempts by the Sooners, eventually coming away with a 45-34 victory. There were plenty of sloppy plays and mental mistakes from Alabama, but Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Jacobs were able to carry the offense in what was an explosive performance for both players.
Despite some concerns about the ankle injury he suffered in the SEC Championship, Tagovailoa came out and looked like his old self immediately. On the first play of the game, the Crimson Tide ran an RPO, with Tua hitting DeVonta Smith in stride for a 50-yard gain. The Heisman finalist finished the game with more touchdowns than incompletions, going 24-of-27 for 318 yards and four touchdowns.
On the ground, Jacobs wowed everyone watching with his combination of strength and elusiveness. He made multiple defenders miss with juke moves in open space, and threw a truck stick on a defender in the first half on his way to a 27-yard touchdown. He ended up with 158 total yards and that receiving touchdown.
Jacobs is another example of Saban’s strategy of saving one of his running backs until the postseason (hey, Bo Scarbrough), and then proceeding to let him take over the games where they need a dominant runner. Jacobs ranked third on the team in rushing attempts heading into the Playoff, but was the clear go-to guy for the offense on Saturday.
Unlike previous seasons, the Crimson Tide now have a truly dominant quarterback as well. Tagovailoa has shown elite mental processing for the position, along with the touch and accuracy that’s already having NFL teams paying attention to him.
That combination was clearly too much for the Sooners to handle, and the Clemson Tigers will also have their hands full in next Monday’s national championship. If Tagovailoa and Jacobs can stay hot, then this Crimson Tide team will likely go down as the most dominant and talented squad that Saban, or anyone, has ever coached in college football.