Alabama rolls in 2nd half and beats Norfolk State 68-49

Alabama smashed Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl after Clemson took care of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

Clemson University, having its best football season in decades, will face off for the national title against perennial power Alabama later this month after both teams won semifinal games Thursday night.

Coker, who sat on the bench most of last season, was almost ideal.

Michigan State was able to throw a bit, but the running game didn’t go anywhere – the game was over in the third. You deal with it. We didn’t get it done collectively. It wasn’t just the offensive display; it was the defense limiting Michigan State’s run game by allowing them to run for 29 yards. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has pushed numerous right buttons in leading the Tigers to the first 14-0 record in school history but will have to call a ideal game to maintain his team’s team-of-destiny status. “So we knew Jake was going to have to throw it, and he did a fantastic job of making some big plays”.

It was fifth-year quarterback Jacob Coker who was the man of the hour for Bama as he out-staged his far more lauded counterpart, Michigan State’s Connor Cook. And the last thing I want to do is look at the down side and say our last game as Spartans, we lost.

Alabama needs one more win to claim its 16th national championship.

The Alabama team celebrates after the Cotton Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game against Michigan State, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. Between Robinson, Reed and Henry the Heisman victor, Alabama’s backfield was well-stocked with 847 pounds of southern-raised beef.

Alabama’s Jake Coker completed 25 of his 30 passes for a season-high 286 yards and two touchdowns. Henry had 20 rushes for 75 yards to put him over 2,000 for the season and two touchdowns to extend his longest-in-the nation streak to 19 consecutive games with a TD. But Cyrus Jones intercepted Conner Cook’s pass just shy of the goal line and the Tide took a 10-0 lead into the break.

“We’re angry every week because everybody counts us out”, said linebacker Ryan Anderson. “I’ve seen him do unbelievable things as a quarterback”. So I think this was a great team win for us.

As a general rule, 10-point halftime leads don’t seem insurmountable.

The play that ended Michigan State’s run as National Championship contenders started in the second quarter. Alabama limited MSU’s outstanding quarterback, Connor Cook, to 186 passing yards on 17 completions in 33 attempts with an interception and no touchdowns. Saban said that last year it was more of a shock and awe moment of just getting to the playoff, this year he said the team was all business. Michigan State had 65 plays for 239 yards.

They talked about how some players were too concerned about where they would be drafted or partying on Bourbon Street last season.

Jones added a high-stepping 57-yard punt return touchdown for the Tide, which hardly even had to use Heisman Trophy victor Derrick Henry. The Tide trailed Ole Miss 3-0 in what became a 43-37 loss, but were scoreless through 15 minutes against LSU and Mississippi State before winning those games by at least 14 points.