When the Sugar Bowl matchup between Ohio State and Alabama kicked off, Kirby Smart’s Crimson Tide defense wasn’t ready for Cardale Jones and a “buzz saw” Buckeyes offense.
That much became clear the moment Ohio State took the field. On their first offensive drive of the game, the Buckeyes netted runs of 12, 13 and 54 yards against the vaunted Alabama defense, setting up a red-zone opportunity that eventually led to a field goal.
Urban Meyer’s offense continued to chew up yards against the nation’s top-ranked team, but that wasn’t enough to prevent Alabama from building a 21-6 lead midway through the second quarter. But even with that two-score lead, Smart knew his Alabama defense was in a world of trouble.
In a radio interview with Atlanta’s 680 the Fan on Monday (h/t Tony Gerdeman of The Ozone), Smart reflected on the Tide’s 42-35 season-ending loss to the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff Semifinals.
“I knew early,” Smart said. “We were leading, but we weren’t leading. We had not slowed them down. We had two red area stops, which were six points, could have been 14. We had a turnover, we stripped the ball. We had not slowed them down, and I’m thinking this could be 21 but it’s six.”
It didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to catch up. Jones led a Buckeyes surge to close out the second quarter, orchestrating two touchdown drives of 71 and 77 yards to make it a 21-20 game at the break. Despite a costly pair of turnovers and two drives stalling…
Continue Reading: Ohio State and Cardale Jones’ Lasting Impression on Alabama DC Kirby Smart
