Crimson Tide shows Michigan State it’s far more than a one-man show

Alabama crushed Michigan State 38-0 at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday night.

Here’s a breakdown of what transpired during the Crimson Tide’s convincing victory:

5 TAKEAWAYS

• Derrick Henry didn’t have a great day, and it didn’t matter: For anyone that believed Alabama was one-dimensional on offense, this game was for them. It was clear that Michigan State set out to stop Derrick Henry, who rushed for 75 yards and two scores on 20 attempts, but that didn’t do anything to slow down the Crimson Tide offense. Alabama simply took things to the air, where QB Jake Coker and WR Calvin Ridley proved the following bullet points.
• Jake Coker proved he’s a championship-caliber quarterback: We heard about how good of a QB matchup Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield would be in the other national semifinal, but it was the unlikely Alabama QB that shed his “game manager” label under the bright lights. He completed 25 of 30 passes for 287 yards, hit Ridley for two 50-yard completions and two touchdown passes and perhaps most importantly, did not turn the ball over.
• Calvin Ridley isn’t Amari Cooper yet, but he’s getting closer each day: Forgive me for confusing the two, but watching Calvin Ridley run down a pair of deep passes from Jake Coker on Thursday gave me flashbacks to Cooper’s work with the Crimson Tide during the previous few seasons. Ridley, a true freshman, is developing into one of the nation’s premier receivers right before our eyes.
• Alabama’s defensive front is the best in the country: That’s something that SEC fans may have known for much of the season, but the rest of the college football world is finding that out quickly. The Crimson Tide did not allow a point against Michigan State, and that stems from the work done by guys like Jonathan Allen and A’Shawn Robinson up front. Alabama scored more points (38) than it allowed rushing yards (29). Enough said.
• Connor Cook didn’t look like an NFL quarterback: If Cook thought the Crimson Tide defense was tough to handle, it’s hard to imagine how things will get any easier at the next level. It may have just been a bad game, and his protection may have been inadequate, but if I’m an NFL executive I’m thinking long and hard about whether Cook is worth an early-round draft selection following the results of this game.

REPORT CARD

Offense: (A) — Big plays, steady run game and an accurate quarterback that did not turn the ball over. It took a while to get started, but once they did, the were impressive. That’s a recipe for success every single time.

Defense: (A-plus) — The Crimson Tide made the Spartans’ rushing game non-existent (29 yards on 26 carries), which forced Connor Cook into throwing the ball when the Alabama secondary knew it was coming. Perfect execution led to a shutout.

Special Teams: (A-plus) — Cyrus Jones returned a punt 57 yards for a highlight-reel touchdown, JK Scott averaged 46.5 yards per punt and pinned the Spartans inside the 20 four times, and kicker Adam Griffith nailed a 47-yard field goal. Great night.

Coaching: (A-plus) — Nick Saban and his staff assembled another well-crafted game plan that was executed at a near-flawless level of accuracy. Kirby Smart engineered a shutout, and Lane Kiffin found a way to score without relying too heavily on Derrick Henry.

Overall: (A-plus) — The Crimson Tide just defeated the No. 3 team in the country 38-0, whipping them in every facet of the game. Impressive work.

GAME PLAN

Alabama anticipated that Michigan State’s defense may have put most of its pregame focus on finding ways to stop Crimson Tide RB Derrick Henry, so offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin countered by limiting his touches in the early going. It took a while to get things rolling offensively, but the Crimson Tide was able to open things up with the downfield passing game. As for the defense, it was clear that Kirby Smart wanted to make the Spartans one-dimensional. The Crimson Tide defensive line was suffocating against the run, and was good enough to get a pass rush with just a three or four man push, which really opened up the opportunity to be aggressive.

GAME BALLS

• QB Jake Coker: Big-time performance on the big stage. His 25 of 30 passing for 287 yards and two scores stat line was a near-perfect performance.
• WR Calvin Ridley: Two touchdown catches, two 50-yard receptions. He’s quickly becoming a major weapon to supplement Derrick Henry.
• DB Cyrus Jones: Made a huge interception as the Spartans were driving to score at the end of the first half, and also returned a punt for a touchdown.

INJURIES

• Alabama did not appear to fall victim to many injuries on Thursday. Barring some unreported developments, Alabama should report to Arizona for the title game against Clemson as a fairly healthy group.

Nick Cole

Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.