Alabama rips Oklahoma, Clemson trounces Notre Dame. It’s Tide vs. Tigers for the title

For the fourth season in a row, either Alabama or Clemson will hoist the national championship trophy in college football.

Alabama, the top seed in the College Football playoffs, led fourth-seeded Oklahoma wire to wire in the 85th Orange Bowl in Miami Saturday night, beating the Sooners in a 45-34 semifinal that didn’t feel nearly that close.

Tua Tagovailoa, the Crimson Tide’s star quarterback who finished second to Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray in the Heisman Trophy race, was 24 of 27 for 318 yards, with four touchdowns (to four different receivers) with no interceptions.

Despite the hype and hope going in, at least on the part of Sooners fans and perhaps the national audience, there would be no shootout on this night. Murray played well, finishing 19 of 37 for 308 yards and two TDs, but it wasn’t enough.

This one was all Bama, and now Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban will play for an incredible seventh national title.

“I’m really proud of our team, it was a great win for us,” Saban said in the postgame TV interview. “Oklahoma was a very good team. ... We played against a good team today and we won, and I am really proud of our players.”

The earlier semifinal was all Clemson.

Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns and the No. 2 Tigers beat third-seeded Notre Dame 30-3 on at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Alabama and Clemson (14-0) will play for the national championship on Jan. 7 in Santa Clara, Calif.

“This is what we came here to do,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “This senior group just won their 54th game and they’re going back to their third national championship in four years.”

Clemson’s overpowering and experienced defensive line, led by ends Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant, smothered Ian Book and the Fighting Irish (12-1), holding them to 248 yards.

“Our guys, they got it done in the trenches,” Swinney said.

On offense, freshmen led the way. Lawrence, making his 10th career start, was 27 for 39 and did not throw an interception against a Notre Dame defense that had been one of the best on the country. Freshman receiver Justyn Ross had six catches for 148 yards and two long touchdowns.

The Irish hung around for a quarter, with the teams exchanging field goals. But early in the second quarter, Notre Dame All-America cornerback Julian Love went out with what coach Brian Kelly said after the game was a head injury and Lawrence started taking apart the Irish secondary.

Lawrence, chosen as Clemson’s quarterback of the future over Kelly Bryant, who transferred to Missouri, hooked up with Ross on a deep throw down the sideline for a 52-yard score early in the second quarter. The Irish looked as if they might be able to keep it close to halftime, but the offense couldn’t keep that ferocious Clemson front, even without suspended star tackle Dexter Lawrence out of the backfield.

The Tigers still haven’t had an opponent stay within 20 points since a close call against Syracuse on Sept. 29. And Notre Dame is now 0-8 in BCS and New Year’s Six games since winning the Cotton Bowl in 1993.

Bryant, a senior, led the Tigers to the playoff last season and a semifinal loss to Alabama. He was pivotal in an early victory this season at Texas A&M. But when Trevor Lawrence took over, the ceiling on Clemson’s potential rose.

In the final 2 minutes Saturday night, Lawrence connected with Ross on a 42-yard score and with Tee Higgins for a one-handed, 19-yard touchdown reception with 2 seconds left in the second quarter. Lawrence was 13 for 15 for 229 yards in the quarter.

In just his 11th start, Lawrence will try to become the first true freshman quarterback to lead his team to a national championship since Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway in 1985.

This story was originally published December 29, 2018 at 8:05 PM.