Alabama kept things comfortable in the 2018 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, finishing with a 45-34 win to advance to the National Championship Game.
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy, but Alabama signal caller Tua Tagovailoa got the last laugh in this year’s Orange Bowl. Continuing their dominance, the Crimson Tide put the Sooners away, despite Oklahoma keeping pace for much of the second quarter on. As expected, Alabama controlled most aspects of the game en route to their fourth straight National Championship appearance.
3: Moving the line
From the very first drive for each team, Alabama tried to make it very clear who was going to control the line of scrimmage. Alabama’s linemen are much bigger, stronger, and more talented than Oklahoma’s, leading to pressure for Murray and plenty of time for Tua Tagovailoa in the pocket. For the first half, the Sooner line was blown off the ball in both directions. The pressure held Murray to just 51 percent through the air.
The Crimson Tide’s defensive front opened gaps for their immensely talented linebacker corps to fill gaps and erase any running room for the Sooners by demanding double teams. Even on the outside, Alabama wide receivers were holding blocks downfield, giving plenty of space for running backs, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs.
2: Tua fast out of the gate
From the very first play of the game, Tua Tagovailoa connected with DeVonta Smith for a 50-yard gain, which turned into a Damien Harris touchdown. The ensuing Oklahoma drive resulted in a three and out, where Kyler Murray was unable to get the ball out of his hands in three passing attempts – he scrambled once and was sacked twice. By the time the first quarter was over, Lincoln Riley was forced to go for it on fourth down on his own 48-yard line and the Sooners were down 21-0.
The Heisman finalist started the game with nine completions, two of which were touchdowns. Tagovailoa made a statement after being beaten out by Kyler Murray for the Heisman trophy and played as phenomenal as ever. He would go on to finish with 318 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Oklahoma dug themselves too big of a hole for Murray to dig out of. Tagovailoa was named the Orange Bowl MVP for his performance.
1: Parity in 2018
Though Oklahoma showed signs of being competitive, the final score showed a rather lopsided affair. Earlier today, Clemson rolled over Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, leading many to call the Playoff Committee out for selecting poor teams. No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 Ohio State are common teams to be considered more qualified than Oklahoma or Notre Dame for the playoff by many. Instead, this shows the huge talent gap between No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson, and everyone else. Though unsurprising to most, this convincing Orange Bowl victory established that Alabama is clearly qualified to have a spot in the National Championship.