I’ve been staying out of Auckland and was uncertain whether the television arrangement of our hosts would allow me to watch the Alabama – Notre Dame BSC national championship contest.
So on Wednesday afternoon (NZ time) I was fiddling around the television set and was delighted and surprised to find that EPSN were running a delayed telecast of the game.
I came in slightly late in the game, which was about four minutes old, and I was startled and somewhat discouraged to notice that Alabama, the raging favourites to win, had already scored a touch-down.
The next two times they had possession they scored again, with the second touch-down in this sequence being an 80 yard/8 play drive.
The Alabama dominance was obvious, even to someone like myself who loves gridiron but has no pretensions to being an expert.
The Alabama quarterback, A.J.McCarron, had all the time in the world to convert his passing plays as he sliced up the famed Notre Dame defence with the skill, efficiency and daring of a skilled surgeon.
When A.J. (whose girlfriend was, typically, a Miss Alabama) decided to hand the ball off to his running back, Eddie Lacy, the brilliant runner carved up the defensive patterns, exposing tackling weaknesses in even the best of the Notre Dame defenders.
I always watch gridiron with an eye on what can be transferred across to the rugby field. A persistent and successful move by Eddie Lacy is what the commentators called the ‘jump-cut.’
This move involves the running back to make a sort of jump sidewise of a foot or so and then, virtually immediately, slant off in the same direction of the jump, with subsequent jump-cuts where necessary to get on the outside of defenders.
It seems to me that this sort of move could and should be taught to tight forwards in rugby making their pick and drive charges. It could also be used, at a faster tempo undoubtedly, by outside centres and wingers trying to get around a bunched-up, tight defensive line.
At half-time the scoreline was Alabama 28 – Notre Dame 0, with Alabama scoring a touch-down only a minute or so before half-time, with yet another long drive out of a defensive situation.
One of the commentators suggested before the drive that Alabama might wind down the clock to half-time.
This suggestion was a total misread of the quality and intensity of the Alabama side. The highest compliment I can pay them is to say that they played like those greatest of All Blacks sides, utterly ruthless in piling on the points and just as determined to keep their opposition to as few points as possible.
At the half-time mark I wrote down on my pad, “Notre Dame needs the Gipper to inspire them to a legendary victory?” Well, he might have made a sort of visitation as Notre Dame actually drew the second half with Alabama 14 – 14.
But there was no possibility of Notre Dame ‘winning one for the Gipper.’ Alabama scored first in the second half, and it was game over totally, even though in hindsight the 21 – 0 margin in the first quarter was enough to ensure the final outcome.
Again, like those awesome All Blacks sides, Alabama actually won the game, rather than Notre Dame losing it.
Alabama were too big, too fast and too smart for Notre Dame. They seemed to have all the time in the world to run off their own plays.
When Notre Dame tried to run the ball, they found that their plays were anticipated and countered by an Alabama defence that had an answer to virtually everything Notre Dame threw at them.
A couple of gridiron mantras came to my mind was I watched the annihilation of my favourite College gridiron side:
1. ‘You can’t coach quickness.’
2. And this from a Notre Dame coach some decades ago: ‘Prayers work best when players are big.’
So out in New Zealand one member of the Zavos family was disappointed by the result.
But it’s a big world.
The father-in-law of Zolton Zavos, my son and the co-publisher of The Roar, is a fanatical Alabama supporter.
Tonight he is celebrating a third national championship in four years by the Crimson Tide, only the third team to achieve this. But the emphatic way Alabama played suggests that another title is certainly on the cards for the 2013/2014 season.
And coach Nick Saban, who has presided over these three title wins for Alabama, is clearly in line in the next few years to match the record the legendary Bear Bryant with his sixth national championship.
What we had in this championship match was a team (Notre Dame) with a fabled history against a dynasty that may be the best in modern College gridiron. Real time is always more.
ThelmaWrites
Guest
Good of you to write about the Notre Dame v Alabama clash, Spiro. I was filled with misgivings and forebodings when ND elected to defer. It was an outright challenge to Bama to nullify their (ND) defense. When ND had those two penalties in Bama's first drive, I knew ND were getting flustered. As much as Bama's running game tore ND's defense apart, what I found breath-taking was the passing: routes I can't remember seeing before, and pin-point accuracy, as in the touch-down between two ND secondary to a Bama receiver in the end-zone. The lesson for rugby is the balanced formula of the Bama offense, mixing the plays, and keeping the defense guessing.
Syd
Guest
"The Alabama dominance was obvious, even to someone like myself who loves gridiron but has no pretensions to being an expert." The same could be said of you and rugby... never played the game and knows nothing about it and yet you feel that you can comment of the technical aspects of front row play.!!
Bones506
Roar Guru
What a ridiculous comment. Chop below has got it spot on. Williams will get a sign on bonus in the range of US$4 million before he even sets foot on the field.
JCVD
Guest
I remember reading an article about him last year and apparently he is a massive Brisbane Broncos supporter
josh
Guest
I think Tom adds to my point the delegates to the BCS are voted in by experts/opinionated sports journalists. I know they generally take the top ranking teams (often either 0 losses or 1 loss) But yesterday's game was an atrocious spectacle. And as others have noted there may have been far more deserving teams. A true playoffs system would be better.
josh
Guest
I imagine (hope) that the "scholar"ships the kids are recruited on cover their living expenses? The NCAA rules seem pretty strict on student-athlete and payments. Do/Can they work at all outside of sport and university studies?
Amateur Hour
Guest
Not before fighting SBW!!
Kevin
Guest
Concur !
Worlds Biggest
Guest
" It is an absolute shemozzle. Notre Dame’s record should have clearly taken into account the absolutely mediocre opposition they faced, compared to the much tougher schedules schools like Oregon and Texas A & M faced. Either of them would have provided a much sterner test last night " Tom, ND had one of the tougher schedules in the country, there SOS ( strength of schedule ) was tougher than Oregons. Sure they played a few patsies like all teams do but to beat the Pac 12 champs, Oklahoma and USC away were big wins. Michigan & BYU are no slouches either. ND ended up beating 3 ranked teams. In saying that I do agree the Ducks would have put up a better game in the Final.
Will Sinclair
Guest
Paul Kent? Is that you?
Chop
Guest
He will go lower first round of the draft and should be very successful. I've read Indianapolis and Pittsburgh likely places, either one will be a great place for him to end up.
Chop
Guest
He'll make most of an NRL salary cap in his first season, I'd say between that and a college degree he's just smart enough to play NFL and not silly enough to play NRL. I actually support both codes but that is just a ridiculous comment....
Al
Guest
Too soft/fat/unco-ordinated for league was he?
Billy Bob
Guest
Yes Tom. The old boy got a little carried away and lost track of the decade and the century he was born in. More than a little creepy.
King Of Swing
Guest
Saw a few Australian flags in the crowd as well. Was good to see.
Al
Guest
Sorry josh but you don't know what you are on about. Yes the system is complicated and subjective to decide bowl match ups and there are too many bowls but the BCS championship game is far from an exhibition game. As an American friend from ole miss explained to me today each game of the season for a title contender is like a playoff, one slip up and you are gone. Look at Oregon this year, hot favourites to play in the BCS championship game, but one slip up in overtime to Stanford and they were gone. Look at Parra in '09, had their amazing run gone on for one more match would they have been as deserving champs as the Ducks would have been this year? Not on your life
Tom
Guest
It is an absolute shemozzle. Notre Dame's record should have clearly taken into account the absolutely mediocre opposition they faced, compared to the much tougher schedules schools like Oregon and Texas A & M faced. Either of them would have provided a much sterner test last night. I also have a problem with a system when many are making quite significant money out of the bowl games, whilst the players themselves play for free (USC style kickbacks notwithstanding). When you see guys like South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore blow out their knees, jeopardizing a potential NFL career, whilst getting paid nothing, it is a bit hard to take. On another note though, I hope to see Jesse Williams land at my Carolina Panthers, they could use a good DT, and Williams looks like a monster already. Also, was I the only one who found the commentator's drooling over A.J.McCarron's girlfriend particularly creepy?
Worlds Biggest
Guest
wouldn't mind him in wallaby gold !
Will Sinclair
Guest
How long until Danny Weidler links Jesse Williams to the Roosters?
josh
Guest
THE BCS seems to be a bigger hodge podge than the old NRL finals system. THE BCS is no more than a glorified exhibition game in reality.