Even in defeat, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield can fuel the angst and ire of his conquerors.
The Heisman Trophy winner caused a bit of a ruckus when he “interacted” with Georgia wide receivers during warmups prior to the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl Monday evening. After the Bulldogs stunned the Sooners in double overtime to advance to the playoff title game, UGA linebacker Davin Bellamy, who didn’t witness the pregame situation but was made aware of it, had a simple message for Mayfield.
“Humble yourself!”
Afterwards, Bellamy confirmed the message was directed at Mayfield and explained why it was sent.
“All I’m saying is humble yourself,” Bellamy told ESPN. “All the flamboyancy … I carry myself the same way, but humble yourself, man.
“Our wide receivers came back and told us that they were running their routes before we went out there and he was on their line. Just humble yourself, man, just humble yourself. You’re not built like that. …
“Humble yourself at all times. If you don’t, God will.”
Mayfield’s response?
“They can say what they want,” the senior quarterback said by way of USA Today. “They won the game. That’s just how it is
The stage is set for the fourth playoff title game, and so are the early wagering odds.
Georgia stunned Oklahoma in come-from-behind, double-overtime fashion in the first College Football Playoff semifinal this New Year’s Day, while Alabama dominated Clemson in the second. This will mark the first CFP championship game pitting two teams from the same conference, and the first since the 2011 BCS title game (LSU-‘Bama) was an all-SEC affair as well
The Bulldogs had come into their Rose Bowl matchup as two-point underdogs while the Crimson Tide was a three-point favorite; entering the first of six days worth of hype prior to next Monday night’s championship game, the Tide is anywhere from a four- to 5.5-point favorites according to various betting establishments.
BookMaker.eu has also established Alabama as an early four-point favorite. The sportsbook also offered up an explanation for its initial line:
The way the semis unfolded certainly factors into the oddsmaking for this matchup, given that Alabama played such a complete game and looked like juggernauts while Georgia simply appeared to be on the right side of a shootout. The thought was to be higher than a field goal to give Alabama the respect it deserves, but not near a touchdown where we’re giving too much value to a quality Georgia club.
Alabama and Georgia, coached by Nick Saban‘s former defensive coordinator Kirby Smart — Saban is 11-0 vs. former assistants — last met in 2015, a 38-10 win by the Tide. In fact, Saban has won the last three games vs. UGA after losing to them his first season at UA in 2007.
Of course, a fourth straight win would tie Saban with the legendary Bear Bryant for most career national championships with six.
Ja’Raymond Hall may have left the Big Ten, but, as it turns out, he’s not leaving the state of Michigan.
Central Michigan announced over the weekend that Hall has transferred into the Chippewas football program. Because of NCAA transfer rules, the Michigan native will be forced to sit out the 2018 season.
The offensive lineman will then have three years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2019 season.
“We got to know Ja’Raymond well when we recruited him as a high school student,” CMU coach John Bonamego said. “When he reached out, we were interested because he will fit in well in our locker room and as a student-athlete on the CMU campus.”
The move from Ann Arbor to Mount Pleasant comes a month or so after, amidst speculation that he was leaving the Wolverines, Hall took to social media to state he hadn’t made a decision on his future.
Hall was a four-star 2017 signee who 247Sports.com rated as the No. 8 player at any position in the state of Michigan. He was an early enrollee who participated in spring practice, but didn’t see the field his true freshman season.
The College Football Playoff was created in large part in response to an all SEC BCS National Championship. Four years into the new system, the CFP has its own all SEC final. No. 3 Georgia outlasted No. 2 Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl earlier Monday, and in the Sugar Bowl No. 4 Alabama avenged its title game loss a year ago by flattening No. 1 Clemson in a 24-6 win that wasn’t as close as the final score.
The win pushes Alabama (12-1) into its sixth national championship game under Nick Saban and its third consecutive title game.
Leading 10-3 at the half, the Tide provided Clemson a window early in the third quarter to climb back in the game and even take the lead. It started when Alabama accepted the ball to open the second half and promptly fumbled the exchange on its first snap, which Clemson recovered at the Tide’s 20-yard line. The Tigers actually went five yards backwards on its possession, but a 42-yard Alex Spence field goal cut the deficit to 10-6.
Clemson (12-2) forced a three-and-out on Alabama’s next touch, then moved to a 2nd-and-2 at the Tide 35 before Alabama defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne single-handedly ended the game. First, he caught a deflected interception and returned the ball 21 yards to the Clemson 42, and a 15-yard horse collar flag staked the ball at the Clemson 27. The Tide moved the ball to the Clemson 1, leading Alabama to put in the jumbo package. Rather than run the ball, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll called a pass, and Jalen Hurts hit Payne for the first touchdown catch of the 6-foot-2, 308-pound defender’s career.
If that wasn’t enough, Clemson’s own first-play disaster put the game out of reach. Another deflected Kelly Bryant pass landed in the arms of Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson, who raced the ball 18 yards to pay dirt to give Alabama a commanding 24-6 lead with 5:27 left in the third quarter.
Clemson could pull no closer, and an 18-play, 75-yard drive ended in a turnover on downs after Kelly Bryant threw incomplete out of the back of the end zone with 1:43 left in the game. Alabama harassed Bryant into the worst game of his career, completing 18-of-36 passes for just 124 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions while taking a season-high five sacks. Clemson managed just 64 yards on 33 carries.
Hurts hit 16-of-24 passes for 120 yards with two touchdowns and no picks while rushing 11 times for 40 yards. Damien Harris led all runners with 19 carries for 77 yards.
Looking ahead to next week, the only issue for Alabama moving forward were injuries to offensive lineman Lester Cotton and linebacker Anfernee Jennings. Both left the game with apparent leg injuries.
Alabama dominated the game from the start. After the teams exchanged three three-and-outs to open the game, the Tide opened the scoring with a 10-play, 47-yard drive capped by a 24-yard Andy Pappanastos field goal. Alabama forced another Clemson three-and-out on the Tigers’ next possession — Clemson’s third of the first quarter — Alabama started at the Clemson 46-yard line and leaned on its running game, with seven plays covering 34 yards, all of them in the hands of Hurts, Harris or Bo Scarborough before Hurts found Calvin Ridley wide open on a scramble for a 12-yard touchdown grab, putting the Tide up 10-0 to close the first quarter.
Sensing a now-or-never moment, Clemson turned to Bryant. After a 7-yard sack to open the drive, Bryant converted with runs of five and 20 yards and accounted for 53 of the Tigers’ 54 yards, setting up a 44-yard Alex Spence field goal to get the defending champions on the board at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter.
Alabama didn’t answer with points, but the Tide did chew more than four minutes off the clock and pin Clemson at its own 10 to start its next possession. It was the fourth time in five chances that Clemson started inside its own 17 (and the fifth began at the 24). Clemson moved out of the shadow of its own goal post but punted the ball back to Alabama, allowing the Tide to start a drive with the ball outside its own 40 for the fourth time in five tries. This drive covered 39 yards in 10 plays at 3:44, but Pappanastos’s 38-yard field goal doinked off the right upright with 17 seconds left in the half.
The first half of Tide-Tigers III hasn’t lived up to the first two installments that saw Alabama and Clemson trade national championship victories with a composite score of 76-75 Alabama. Instead, it’s been a Nick Saban kind of football game, as the Crimson Tide leads 10-3 at the break in the Sugar Bowl.
Alabama completely dominated the first quarter. After the teams exchanged three three-and-outs to open the game, the Tide opened the scoring with a 10-play, 47-yard drive capped by a 24-yard Andy Pappanastos field goal. Alabama forced another Clemson three-and-out on the Tigers’ next possession — Clemson’s third of the first quarter — Alabama started at the Clemson 46-yard line and leaned on its running game, with seven plays covering 34 yards, all of them in the hands of Jalen Hurts, Damien Harris or Bo Scarborough before Hurts found Calvin Ridley wide open on a scramble for a 12-yard touchdown grab, putting the Tide up 10-0 to close the first quarter.
Sensing a now-or-never moment, Clemson turned to Kelly Bryant. After a 7-yard sack to open the drive, Bryant converted with runs of five and 20 yards and accounted for 53 of the Tigers’ 54 yards, setting up a 44-yard Alex Spence field goal to get the defending champions on the board at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter.
Alabama didn’t answer with points, but the Tide did chew more than four minutes off the clock and pin Clemson at its own 10 to start its next possession. It was the fourth time in five chances that Clemson started inside its own 17 (and the fifth began at the 24). Clemson moved out of the shadow of its own goal post but punted the ball back to Alabama, allowing the Tide to start a drive with the ball outside its own 40 for the fourth time in five tries. This drive covered 39 yards in 10 plays at 3:44, but Pappanastos’s 38-yard field goal doinked off the right upright with 17 seconds left.
Alabama out-gained Clemson 182-73 and held an 11-4 edge in first downs, but produced just 10 points in three red zone trips and, thus, leads by just seven. Hurts hit 10-of-13 passes for 87 yards and the game’s only touchdown and rushed five times for 32 yards. Harris carried a game-high 12 times for 55 yards.
Bryant completed 6-of-12 passes for 43 yards and led Clemson with eight carries for 21 yards. Running backs Tavien Foster, Travis Feaster and Adam Choice combined to rush five times for 10 yards.
Alabama will receive to open the second half.
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