When Alabama players knew they broke Michigan State's spirit

 

 

Alabama head coach Nick Saban dances to Alabama's defensive theme song to the delight of his players after Alabama's Cotton Bowl college football semifinal playoff football win over Michigan State, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Vasha 

Tim Williams could see it in their eyes.

After the Alabama front-seven got hit after hit on Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, Williams saw the Spartans offensive line's collective frustration. Billed as one of the nation's top offensive lines, Michigan State had no solution for stopping Alabama's pass rush.

Williams and the rest of Alabama's defense knew they were in the heads of Michigan State players. Cook was so rattled he was caught on the sidelines saying "they're f------ everywhere" about the Tide's swarming defense. Cook looked rattled and rushed throws out rather than take more hits. 

"Every time we touched the quarterback or rattled him a little bit, we'd see the linemen clap their hands and shake their heads," Williams said. "They were really down every time we hit Connor.

"They were getting down. We just broke their will. That's what we strive on doing."

Alabama landed blow after blow on Michigan State in a 38-0 Cotton Bowl beatdown. It was the worst loss in more than a decade for the Spartans, with Alabama holding MSU to season lows in total yards, rushing yards and points. The Crimson Tide secured two interceptions and finished with four sacks. Alabama forced Cook, a projected high NFL Draft pick, into his worst game as the MSU starter.

"We made sure every time we hit him, he had to feel us," Williams said. 

Alabama frustrated Michigan State all night but it truly took its toll on the Spartans in the third quarter. Cornerback Cyrus Jones delivered the dagger to the Spartans' hopes of winning.

Clemson, Alabama are last teams standing in college football

We're down to two.

And, boy, they both look impressive.

Top-ranked Clemson and No. 2 Alabama will face off in the desert for the national championship after dominating wins in the College Football Playoff semifinals Thursday. The Tigers romped in the second half for a 37-17 win over No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, followed by an even more dominating performance in which the Crimson Tide thumped Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl.

 

The Jan. 11 title game in Glendale, Arizona, matches a high-scoring Clemson offense led by quarterback Deshaun Watson against Nick Saban's latest dominating defense at Alabama, which limited the Spartans to 239 yards.

There's another story line to the title game. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is an Alabama alumnus who played on the Tide's 1992 national championship team.

Now, he's going against the greatest coach of this generation. Saban has won three national titles in the last six years at Alabama, to go along with a BCS title at LSU.

Clemson and Alabama will be playing for the first time since 2008, when Alabama won 34-10 in a game that signaled the Tide's return to national prominence under Saban

Baylor had to use 5 different QBs in one game ... and still broke bowl records vs. No. 10 UNC

The Bears were without their top two quarterbacks and top two weapons, which makes this one of the most impressive offensive performances in bowl season history.

Remember how Ohio State overcame two quarterback injuries last year? No. 17 Baylor had to deal with about double that along the way to its fourth 10-win season in five years, capping with a 49-38 win over No. 10 North Carolina in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

The Bears broke the bowl's rushing record ... in the first half, with 358. They put up the most rushing yards an Art Briles team ever had ... in the first half. (That's saying something. Despite the popular assumption, Baylor runs all the time. The Bears ranked No. 4 in the country in rushing attempts per game before this one.)

The final total before kneeldowns: 756 yards, 645 of them on the ground, an all-time rushing record for any bowl (524 by Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta). Johnny Jefferson led with 299 rushing yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns, also throwing for 24.

Auburn NFL roundup

Auburn NFL roundup: More history for Cam Newton, but not for Carolina Panthers

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton reached another NFL first on Sunday, but it didn't prevent the Panthers from losing for the first time this season. The Atlanta Falcons' 20-13 victory prevented Carolina from becoming the third team in NFL history to have a 15-0 record.

The Falcons also ended the Panthers' 18-game regular-season winning streak, the third-longest in NFL history, which included a 38-0 win over Atlanta just two weeks ago.

The loss broke Newton's nine-game winning streak in December. Before Sunday, Carolina hadn't lost a game started by Newton in the 12^th month since a 31-13 setback against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 8, 2013.

Newton fumbled when he was sacked on Carolina's final snap of the game, allowing Atlanta to run out the final 62 seconds of their victory.