🏈 GAME THREAD CFP Playoff: Washington vs Alabama

[TUSKtimes]

Tape don't lie either coach. Nothing you could have done.

 

[EasyTider]

Wow, 17 punts. Washington 9, Alabama 8.

And we were 0/9 fielding them (I think 2 were short/out of bounds). Punt returns should get special attention this week.

Ryan Anderson swatting a fly in his way to QB

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

And THIS right here is why our play calling was so vanilla, @It Takes Eleven ...

Chris Petersen. "I thought we played the game we needed to play on defense, but we really needed them to turn the ball over, at least for field position."

 

[UAgrad93]

And THIS right here is why our play calling was so vanilla, @It Takes Eleven ...

I listened to Petersen last night in his post game presser. He didn't hold anything back. He basically said that their only shot was to force us into turning it over. He said that when we didn't, they were more or less screwed.

 

[TUSKtimes]

How Bama Fans Watched The SemiFinals #RollTide pic.twitter.com/pNYsJcb43j
— FunnyMaine.Com (@FunnyMaine) January 1, 2017

 

[TUSKtimes]

And we were 0/9 fielding them (I think 2 were short/out of bounds). Punt returns should get special attention this week.

Ryan Anderson swatting a fly in his way to QB

Someone brought up the Dareus INT against Texas as a comparison. Did have that flavor to it.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Be careful what you ask for

 

[Alabama17Tide]

Processing the Huskies: Alabama wins the Peach Bowl
Terrin Waack | TideSports.com

Alabama players celebrate after sacking Washington quarterback Jake Browning in the second half of the Peach Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016.
Erin Nelson | The Tuscaloosa News
For the remaining 2016 University of Alabama football season, TideSports intern Terrin Waack will provide select stellar states, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to show how the Crimson Tide uses “The Process” against its opponents.

No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 4 Washington, 24-7, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday in front of a record crowd of 75,995 people for the College Football Playoff semifinal’s Peach Bowl.

Stellar stats

·Alabama became the first team in college football history to have three different 14-win seasons.

·The Crimson Tide’s current senior class has won 51 games in four years, the most by any NCAA team. It broke the previous record of 50 wins, which was set by Alabama (2012-2015), Ohio State (2012-2015) and Boise State (2008-2011).

·Running back Bo Scarbrough bulldozed through Washington’s defense. He earned Peach Bowl Offenseive MVP honors after rushing for a career-high 180 yards. No Alabama player has ever produced that many rushing yards during a bowl game. He also scored two touchdowns, one from 68 yards out to mark another Alabama bowl record and the second-longest in CFP semifinal history.

·Alabama has gained 133 points off turnovers this season, an FBS-best. The Crimson Tide is the only team in the past 20 years to score 15 non-offensive touchdowns. The most any other team has right now is seven.

·Washington posted a season-low 194 total yards. Almost a third of that (64) came from one drive. Alabama had 326.

·Linebacker Ryan Anderson grabbed his first career interception during the second quarter to also score his first career touchdown. The last time Washington gave up a pick-six was in 2014. The only other time there was an interception-turned-touchdown during a CFP game was in 2015, as Ohio State pulled one off en route to defeating Alabama.


Obscure facts

·The Crimson Tide has won 16 straight games against ranked opponents. If it wins its game next week against No. 3 Clemson, that will not only mark UA’s 17th consecutive victory but also its 17th national championship title.

·Since UA head coach Nick Saban took over in 2007, the Crimson Tide has won 10 of its 11 games in the Georgia Dome. The stadium is going to be torn down, as a new one is already in the process of being built right next door. Alabama opens its 2017 season there.

·Alabama is 16-4 in neutral site games under Saban. Its next shot is the national championship at the Raymond James Stadium.

·Placekicker Adam Griffith is second on the Alabama career scoring list, tallying 350 points. He has hit 56 field goals and 182 PATs. Thirty-five more points will tie him for first. He scored six in the Peach Bowl. He’s a senior, so he more than likely will not break Leigh Tiffin’s record.

·Washington was first to put points on the board during the first quarter, but then the Huskies never crossed back over into Alabama territory until there was 1:46 left to play.

·Saturday’s attendance of 75,995 people was the most to ever see a football game in the Georgia Dome, including its games hosting the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.


Quoting Nick Saban

On how this part of the season feels…

“It’s a little bit like running a marathon, which you get at the 20-mile mark and you still feel like you’re only halfway there. But we got more miles to go.”

On what he took away from DB Eddie Jackson’s open letter on The Players' Tribune…

“When you’re in that huddle, there ain’t nobody special. Everybody’s together. Everybody has respect for each other, and everybody appreciates the job that everybody else does. And you can go a long way in doing a lot of thing, and you may never find that. You may never find that. But you find it when you play football and you play together as a team.”


Quoting the Crimson Tide

Running back Damien Harris, on being a part of a team like Alabama…

“It’s games like this that make you appreciate the game. Coach Saban says that being a part of this team is like nothing else. You’re not going to have any sort of prejudice or discrimination. All you have is a great group of guys who are working toward a common goal.”

Linebacker Ryan Anderson, on the scrappiness after the game…

“Some teams you get the best of them. They had a long season. They had high hopes. They lost this game and they didn’t know how to react. We’ve been there before, so I can’t blame them. They’re not trained like us.”


Quoting the opponent

UW head coach Chris Petersen, on the scrum at the end of the game…

“It’s an emotional game. I don’t really know what happened. I just didn’t appreciate how our guys reacted. What are you going to do? It’s not the game. They’re not going to fight.”


Name of the game

UW: Vita Vea

The sophomore is a defensive lineman for the Huskies.


GAME LEADERS

Top 3 rushers

1. UA: Bo Scarbrough, 19 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns

2. UA: Jalen Hurts, 19 carries for 50 yards

3. UW: Myles Gaskin, 10 carries for 34 yards

Top 3 receivers

1. UA: O.J. Howard, four receptions for 44 yards

2. UW: Myles Gaskin, five receptions for 40 yards

3. UW: John Ross, five receptions for 28 yards

Top 3 passers

1. UW: Jake Browning, 20-38-2 for 150 yards and a touchdown (sacked five times)

2. UA: Jalen Hurts, 7-14-0 for 57 yards (sacked three times)

3. None.

Top 3 defenders

1. UA: Reuben Foster, nine total tackles

2. UW: Kevin King, nine total tackles (a tackle for loss)

3. UA: Anthony Averett, eight total tackles (a sack and a forced fumble)


NEXT UP

Alabama (14-0) heads to Tampa, Florida, to face Clemson (13-1) in the 2016 CFP National Championship game, which will air on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.
TideSports.com - Processing the Huskies: Alabama wins the Peach Bowl

 

[Alabama17Tide]

Bo Scarbrough, Alabama Run Past Washington in 24-7 Peach Bowl Victory
Lars Hanson | TheDawgReport.com

Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough records a 68-yard touchdown vs Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
ATLANTA -- Washington approached its matchup with No.1 Alabama knowing there was no room for error. A fumble by John Ross late in the first quarter and a 68-yard pick six with 1:13 remaining in the second quarter was all the Crimson Tide needed to punch their ticket to the 2017 National Championship.

Outside of an 18-yard touchdown completion from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis on the Huskies second drive of the game UW's offense sputtered. Browning completed 11 of his first 13 pass attempts before a suffocating Alabama defense made its mark on the game.

Trailing 17-7 lead and an anemic offense not helping its cause Alabama wore down Washington in the second half, using a 68-yard touchdown by sophomore running back Bo Scarbrough to ice the game away with 11:56 remaining in the game. Alabama delivered the knockout punch and did not allow Washington to regain its footing a final time in route to a 24-7 victory over UW.

Browning struggled after his first and only touchdown of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Huskies' sophomore started the game completing 11 of 13 pass attempts for 72 yards and the Pettis touchdown.

Alabama forced the games first turnover with 2:22 remaining in the first quarter trailing 7-0. UW junior speed receiver John Ross eluded one Tide defender before having the ball ripped out and recovered by Alabama at the Washington 40 yard line.

Led by redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Vita Vea the Huskies stood their ground against Lane Kiffin and the Alabama offense, forcing Adam Griffith into a 41-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead with 14:55 in the second quarter.

Both Alabama and Washington traded punts on three consecutive drives following the field goal. But what Browning couldn't afford to do, he did. Pressured by linebacker Reuben Foster up the middle Browning forced a throw outside to running back Lavon Coleman.

Tide senior linebacker Ryan Anderson brushed aside Coleman, picking off Browning and returning the interception 26 yards for an Alabama touchdown and giving the Tide a 17-7 lead at halftime.

But Washington continued to struggle offensively in the second half with the Huskies totaling 126 total yards on the 13 drives following their first quarter touchdown. Alabama continued to pound the Huskies front seven with Scarbrough, capped off by a 68-yard touchdown with 11:56 remaining in the game.

Despite the loss Washington finishes its 2016 season 12-2 overall with its first Pac-12 Championship in just three years under head coach Chris Petersen. UW could see several underclassmen declare for the 2017 NFL Draft including wide receivers John Ross, cornerback Sidney Jones, safety Budda Baker and several others.

One player expected back is junior linebacker Azeem Victor, whose father confirmed with Rivals this week he will return with a plan already in place to rehab from a leg injury suffered vs Southern Cal.
TheDawgReport.com - Bo Scarbrough, Alabama Run Past Washington in 24-7 Peach Bowl Victory

 

[Alabama17Tide]

Rushing yards per game: 246.7 (11th nationally, 2nd in SEC)
Passing yards per game: 214.2 (81st, 7th)
Total yards per game: 460.9 (31st, 4th)
Points per game: 39.4 (14th, 1st)

Rushing yards allowed per game: 62.0 (1st, 1st)
Passing yards allowed per game: 182.0 (14th, 2nd)
Total yards allowed per game: 244.0 (1st, 1st)
Points allowed per game: 11.4 (1st, 1st)

Turnover margin: +8 (24th, 2nd)

1. The standard scoring update: Alabama is now averaging 39.4 points per game and has scored 551 total points this season, a new school record. The old school record for points scored is 542 in 2014. Fittingly, it was Ryan Anderson's INT returned for a TD that put Alabama over the mark for the record. Alabama scored one D/ST touchdown in all of 2014 when the old record was set, so it wouldn't have the record if not for the 15 defensive and special teams scores this season.

2. Plenty of other records to go around. Bo Scarbrough had 19 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns, the most rushing yards ever by an Alabama player in a bowl game. Sherman Williams had the old record.

3. There are innumerable ways to calculate how dominant the defense was yesterday, but this is my favorite. Here are the 3 longest plays when Washington's offense was on the field:
Minkah Fitzpatrick's 28-yard INT return in the fourth quarter
Ryan Anderson's 26-yard INT return for a TD
Myles Gaskin's 20-yard reception on a screen

Washington entered the game ranked third nationally in scoring offense (44.5 points per game) and Alabama ranked first in scoring defense, yet Alabama somehow improved its season scoring average (from 11.8 to 11.4). It had the best rushing defense in the nation, played a team averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground, and still improved its rushing average. All of that against one of the top 4 teams in the country.

4. The offense didn't have a performance to remember, though. 18 of its 64 offensive plays went for no gain or a loss (not counting the kneel down at the end). Washington had 9 tackles for loss. Jalen Hurts didn't turn the ball over (nearly had a couple of INTs and had one fumble recovered by Jonah Williams) but really only had one big play, a 33-yard run on a drive that was killed by penalties. The offense also got the ball 4 times near midfield and produced just 3 total points off of those possessions.

5. Alabama finished yesterday with 5 sacks and now has 50 on the year. The school record (since sacks became an official stat) is 52, set last year. This puts Alabama in exactly the same place it was last year, when it had 50 entering the national championship game against Clemson and then got 2 in the title game.

6. If you ask me, the key sequence in the game came in the second quarter, when JK Scott had a really strong run and kept Washington pinned back in its own territory. The Alabama offense wasn't doing anything and UW had just scored to make it 10-7, so it was still very competitive. From midway through the 2nd quarter through midway in the 3rd quarter, Washington started drives on its own 9, 20, 4, 25 (after a touchback after the INT return), 20 and 9, and on those 6 possessions they got 3 first downs. The defense was getting off the field, Scott kept the pressure up, and Anderson's interception put Alabama in control in that span. That's where Washington lost all momentum.

One more, non-Alabama division: The Big 10 has been outscored 69-0 in the last two College Football Playoffs.

Ben Jones
TideSports.com Editor

Sunday Stats: School points record, Bo & Bowl games, big defensive plays, more | TideSports.com

 

[JoshB]

6. If you ask me, the key sequence in the game came in the second quarter, when JK Scott had a really strong run and kept Washington pinned back in its own territory. The Alabama offense wasn't doing anything and UW had just scored to make it 10-7, so it was still very competitive. From midway through the 2nd quarter through midway in the 3rd quarter, Washington started drives on its own 9, 20, 4, 25 (after a touchback after the INT return), 20 and 9, and on those 6 possessions they got 3 first downs. The defense was getting off the field, Scott kept the pressure up, and Anderson's interception put Alabama in control in that span. That's where Washington lost all momentum.

One more, non-Alabama division: The Big 10 has been outscored 69-0 in the last two College Football Playoffs.

Ben Jones
TideSports.com Editor

Sunday Stats: School points record, Bo & Bowl games, big defensive plays, more | TideSports.com

Being someone that writes for a living I can have sympathy for mistakes like "JK Scott had a really strong run" but wtf at the rest of that. "The Alabama offense wasn't doing anything and UW had just scored to make it 10-7, so it was still very competitive." Was he watching a different game or watching it in reverse or something? UW scored on the first drive, never even sniffed the end-zone after that.

 

[CrimsonSurfer]

Was he watching a different game or watching it in reverse or something? UW scored on the first drive, never even sniffed the end-zone after that.

UW scored on their second drive. They went 3 and out on their first drive.

 

[Bamabww]

I can have sympathy for mistakes like "JK Scott had a really strong run"

I took that to mean JK Scott had a really strong run of long punts that kept UW pinned deep.

 

[JoshB]

UW scored on their second drive. They went 3 and out on their first drive.

That's right, my bad... but they still didnt "just score to cut the lead to 17-7" at the point he was referencing.