Alabama Crimson Tide Roll Over Michigan State in Cotton Bowl Classic

Alabama’s defense did Clemson’s one-half better, shutting out Michigan State as the Crimson Tide cruised to a 38-0 victory.

You can bet coach Nick Saban did not waste any time thinking about Clemson, the unbeaten, top-ranked team in the country. And the last thing I want to do is look at the downside and say, ‘Our last game as Spartans we lost.’ We want to be positive people.

Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware (10) cheers during the award presentation after his team won the Orange Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game against Oklahoma, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The first semifinal last season, the Rose Bowl with OR and Florida State on New Year’s Day, earned a 15.5. That quickly gave way, however, to an onslaught in which the Buckeyes amassed 537 yards in their 42-35 comeback triumph.

In the past, the Alabama Crimson Tide winning the Cotton Bowl Classic as they improved to 13-1 on the season would have been a huge deal.

“Michigan State’s leading rusher was Damion Terry with 14 yards on just one meaningless fourth-quarter carry”.

Jonathan Allen gets to the quarterback. I think that’s why he was elected captain by his teammates and he’s respected so much because of his toughness and his competitive spirit and how he’s a real team guy. “Tonight he had to make the plays because they were there, and he certainly made them”.

“When that happens, you get behind the chains, you’re forced to throw”, Dantonio continued. And that was the most important thing, and there wasn’t anything else that – it wasn’t a bowl game to go have a good time.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 187 yards, ran for another 145 and totaled three touchdowns.

Alabama took a 10-0 lead into the half, with Coker setting up two scores with passes of 50 to Ridley and 41 yards to tight end O.J. Howard, respectively. Cyrus Jones popped up again in the midst of a 21-point third quarter for Alabama with this electrifying punt return touchdown that broke the dam for Michigan State. “We’ve just got a lot of athletes on the outside”. They count on us to do their job covering and we count on them to get pressure on the quarterback.

Ridley had eight catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns and now has 1,031 yards for the season. Part of the reason is the threat that the Clemson offense poses to Alabama. At least with Alabama, you could spend a lot of the season wondering about a questionable passing game that made Heisman Trophy victor Derrick Henry’s 90 carries in the closing two pre-bowl games, and his 1,986 rushing yards for the season entering Thursday, all the more manly. He is the 19th player in Football Bowl Subdivision history and the first in the Southeastern Conference to surpass 2,000 rushing yards.

With their dominating win, the Crimson Tide have a chance to win their fourth national championship in seven years. “So it was going to take time”, Kiffin said. So I think this was a great team win for us. And there was no circumstance in that game out there today that changed anybody’s feeling about how they wanted to compete and how they wanted to play. “The hard work he put in, the time he spent was a good example for me”.

Coker can now chase a second national championship ring against Clemson on January 11.

The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened with Alabama as a touchdown favorite over Clemson.

“This is no surprise”, Allen said. “We’re not done yet”. The Spartans have become a force in the Big Ten the last six years, but coach Mark Dantonio and his team will confront some challenges in the coming months. Henry was held to a pretty tame night for him, except for the insane stiff arm he threw on a Spartan defender late in the game, while Coker hit several big throws down the stretch and played very poised all night.