The Crimson Tide won big against the Ohio State Buckeyes last night at the 2021 College Football Championship. After a long season full of injuries and Covid-19 restrictions, the team overcame these challenges to become champions once again, bringing Alabama’s number of national titles to eighteen. Coach Nick Saban took home his seventh national championship title, finally surpassing the great Bear Bryant, who was the winningest college football coach in history.  

Although the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida had a significantly smaller crowd due to safety restrictions, there was still an excited energy buzzing in the arena. Coming into the match, Alabama was undefeated with twelve wins. Ohio was also undefeated, but only held seven wins since the team started later into the season. Notably, Alabama’s star linebacker, Jaylen Waddle, returned to play after weeks of inactivity due to a broken ankle he suffered back in October. For Ohio, their quarterback, Justin Fields, sustained a hip injury against Clemson in the semi-finals and it was clear that it began to act up in the first half.  

The first half of the game was competitive, albeit somewhat slow. Ohio lost one of their key running backs, Trey Sermon, who had to be transported to the hospital with a hurt shoulder in the first quarter. Alabama scored the first touchdown of the night, however, Ohio answered it with a touchdown of their own in their next possession. Running back, Najee Harris, and wide receiver, DeVonta Smith, scored the next two touchdowns for Alabama in the second quarter. Ohio was only able to answer with one touchdown and a field goal, bringing the score to 17-21. Alabama’s offense was on fire for the rest of the game, scoring two more touchdowns before the half ended. Although both teams had explosive plays throughout the half, Alabama capitalized on these opportunities more successfully than Ohio did. 

After halftime, it was largely Alabama’s game. Ohio showed very few signs of life while Alabama continued to get touchdown after touchdown. The final score was 24-52, a disappointing finish for the Buckeyes and a major triumph for the Crimson Tide. When the game clock expired, Alabama players ran onto the field in celebration and center, Landon Dickerson, carried Nick Saban onto the field.

In a post-game interview, Saban repeatedly said that “this is the ultimate team” as he tried to express his pride in his players. Saban himself had to overcome the coronavirus twice during the regular season, while many other players had to quarantine themselves after being exposed. Alabama may have had the best offense, and a strong defense to go with, in college football history as they dominated game after game with high scores. As bizarre and difficult as this college football season was, the Crimson Tide clearly earned their championship title.