Nick Saban
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the postgame news conference for the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship game. We are now joined by Nick Saban, head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
We’ll start with an opening statement and then go to questions.
Coach, congratulations. Please give us a brief opening statement.
NICK SABAN: Thank you.
Well, I’m just so proud of our team for what they’ve accomplished all season long, the adversity they had to overcome, the togetherness that they have as a group, the way they’ve supported one another. To go undefeated, win 11 SEC games, win the national championship, beat two fine teams in Notre Dame and Ohio State, tell you how proud I am of that.
A lot of guys played not absolutely 100% because we were pretty beat up, but showed a lot of guts and a lot of grit out there in terms of the way they competed and the way they performed.
I think it was a fantastic offensive performance by Mac and Smitty, the whole group. The offensive line has done a great job all year long. Really just can’t say enough, can’t really put it into words in terms of how proud I am of this group, this team, because they are the ultimate team.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions.
Q. I know you don’t like to compare teams, but both of your undefeated teams, really different offensively, and probably defensively. Could you compare the two, what it’s like to have another undefeated team.
NICK SABAN: Well, I think especially in this year, with all the disruptions, no spring practice, really no summer ball at all of any sort to develop players, no games where you could play other players and develop players on the team. I think this, based on the circumstances, this team has really accomplished a lot, to be able to do what they did.
We have great leadership on this team, really good players, that are the best people on the team. I think it’s always fun to coach when the best players on your team are the best people.
The other undefeated team we had had great people and great players. They were a great team, too. I think ball has changed. It’s a little more wide open, a little more spread. This team has adapted, and we’ve changed with it.
Our coaches did an outstanding job with this team all year long. Just proud of our whole organization and everybody who contributes to it for what we were able to accomplish.
Q. Smitty and Najee, two of your players that set single-season records for receiving and rushing yards. Seemed like their performance this year is largely a product of your shift in offensive scheme in the last few years. Could you explain how much of a difference you think your change in philosophy played in getting those two players to have the games they did and the seasons that they did.
NICK SABAN: Well, I think it had a significant difference. We’ve gradually changed through the years to be more spread oriented but still keep post style, drop-back concepts with our offense, legitimate play-action passes.
This whole sort of blend of all these things, creating balance to be able to run, make explosive plays, with play-action passes that complement the runs, and be able to throw RPOs to people in the box a lot. We threw a lot of RPOs tonight. A lot of those slants and glances. They had eight guys in the box, one more than we could block. Went one-on-one with the corner.
Mac does a great job of executing it. Smitty obviously had a great half. Najee has played well all year long, had some tough yards to get out there tonight. We knew it would be tough running against these guys the way they play. We knew we’d have to throw the ball to win, and we did it effectively.
Q. What kind of job did Sark do finding a way to get play-makers in position to make plays?
NICK SABAN: He does a fabulous job. He’s done a fabulous job all year long. He had got a great plan, does a great job preparing the players. He does a really good job of calling a game. He knows what the other team is doing, knows how to attack it, knows where to put the players to put them in position to be able to make those plays against what the other team is doing.
He has just done a fantastic job this year. I can’t even tell you. Can’t even put into words what a great job he’s done, how much confidence the players have in the plan and the execution. He’s really helped Mac, as well, I think. Mac had a phenomenal year.
Our offense was really the key to the success of this team. We’re an okay defensive team, not a great defensive team. We played well enough, got enough stops. But the offense was dynamic. That’s what made the difference.
Q. You had a couple teams, 2016, 2018, that came close to going undefeated. This team actually did it. What do you think is the legacy of this team finishing the undefeated season?
NICK SABAN: Well, to me, this team accomplished more almost than any team. No disrespect to any other teams that we had or any championship teams. But this team won 11 SEC games. No other team has done that. They won the SEC, went undefeated in the SEC, then they beat two great teams in the Playoffs with no break in between.
This is our fifth game in a row, from LSU to Arkansas to Florida to Notre Dame to here. Played 13 games, went undefeated with all the disruption that we had in this season. I think there’s quite a bit to write about when it comes to the legacy of the team.
Q. What does it mean, one, to have guys like Mac, Jaylen, even Landon at the end, gut through the injuries you were talking about? You were asked about Bear Bryant afterwards. What does it mean to you to continually be compared to a coach with his legacy?
NICK SABAN: Well, I don’t think anybody really compares to Coach Bryant. In the era that he coached, the era that he won, he won a lot of different ways. He won throwing it. He won running a wishbone. He won it running conventional offensive formations.
His legacy lasted over a long, long period of time. We all have to adjust with the times. Obviously things are a little different now. The challenges are a little bit different with the spread offense, the things that make it more difficult I think to play good defense in this day and age.
I think Coach Bryant is sort of in a class of his own in terms of what he was able to accomplish, what his record is, the longevity that he had and the tradition he established. If it wasn’t for Coach Bryant, we would never be able to do what we did. I mean, he’s the one that made Alabama and the tradition at Alabama a place where lots of players wanted to come. We’ve been able to build on that with great support. His family has always supported us in a tremendous way that has helped us have the success that we have.
But that tradition that he established, that’s a big part of that.
Q. How difficult was it to see Devonta go down in the second half after the season he’s had? How is he doing as far as his hand after the game?
NICK SABAN: Well, he really dislocated his finger. I told Smitty after the game, I said, You’re the only player that I know that missed a whole half because of your finger.
It was dislocated and they couldn’t get it back in. If they’d have got it back in, he would have been fine. He actually wanted to play, we just didn’t allow him to.
He’s a great competitor. I heard somebody say he set some kind of record in the first half of the game. Heavens knows what he would have done if he played the whole game.
But you’re talking about the ultimate warrior, ultimate competitor. I’m so happy for him that he was recognized as the best player in college football because I don’t think anybody’s done more for their team than he has for our team.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you for your time tonight. Again, congratulations on the national title.
NICK SABAN: Thank you. Appreciate it.
Jonathon Cooper
Ohio State Buckeyes
Alabama, 52 – Ohio, 24
Q. I saw and you Thayer up there at the end of the Game, kind of the two last guys to leave the field. What was going through your head at the moment and what were you talking about?
JONATHON COOPER: You know, I don’t — not much. Just how bad to hurt to see all that.
But I think I was just telling him, get there next year. You know, keep working hard, keep going. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for him.
That was basically the conversation. Just talking about how much we care and love each other.
Q. Can you just describe what it’s like facing an offense like that and how did you guys feel in practice with your preparation for this game?
JONATHON COOPER: Yeah, well, a lot of credit to Alabama. They’re a great team. We knew that coming in. They’re coached very well and they have good players.
We felt like we did a good job preparing all week. It’s not much I can say honestly. You guys saw the game. They’re a good team. I feel like we didn’t execute and didn’t tackle as well as we should have, as a whole defense.
Just had to be better. Unfortunately, we were not. They took advantage of that.
Q. Just not having Tyreke, Tommy for a game like this, obviously you guys have been doing next-man-up all season. How did that affect you guys?
JONATHON COOPER: Well, Tommy and Tyreke are great players, but I have to give a lot of credit to the guys that stepped in their place. Jerron Cage and Tyler Friday, Javonte, and Zach and Antwuan Jackson and Taron Vincent are all on the on the inside. They definitely stepped up to play.
I’m very proud of them. Even with us missing a guy like Tommy and Tyreke, they stepped up and played really well in my opinion. I’m really excited to see what they all do next year.
Q. When you guys were prepping for this, did you think more, Let’s try to stop the run and maybe make them one dimensional, or with how dynamic they were in the pass game, were you talking more about we got to get pressure and slow down the passing game? I know you want to do both, but offense feels like you said maybe we want to stop one or the other first.
JONATHON COOPER: Right. I feel like the goal of any game is to stop the run, get to the pass. I feel like we were doing a pretty good job of that in the first half, and we just need to slow them down in the passing game and we never really caught on or could do that.
Alabama was being as well coached as they are with good players, they took advantage of that. Like I said earlier, the defense just needed to execute better, figure everything out. I know we’ll definitely look back and figure out what we needed to do better.
But you got to give credit to Alabama.
Q. You had to know obviously that Alabama is so talented with the guys they have. Was it different facing them live and just how good are they?
JONATHON COOPER: Well, I feel like our scout team is really good. They did give us good looks all week, and we go against amazing players every single day in practice with our offense.
Guys like Olave and Garrett and J-Mo and all those wide receivers. I don’t know, like I said, I feel like they’re a great team. I also feel like we were a great team. It’s not like we haven’t seen great athletes before. We practice against them every single day.
We just needed to execute better.
Q. Cooper, I wanted to ask you about the difference between playing seven games and 12 games. Do you feel you had enough time get in the rhythm going into this game, the championship game here versus the 12 games they played? Maybe they were a bit more cohesive. Did you feel that, did you feel that on the field tonight?
JONATHON COOPER: To be honest, no. I feel like we had a good game plan. Like I said before, I just feel like we needed to execute better. I don’t think the difference in 7 or 12 games made too much of a difference.
I just feel like we needed to be better in this game, ask unfortunately we weren’t.
Q. I know you’ve talked a lot good brotherhood of this team and how that got this team here. I know that you won’t be back next year. How do you think the other guys who are going to be back are going to respond to this?
JONATHON COOPER: I feel like they’re going to respond the same way that they felt last year with the Clemson loss, honestly. Yeah, I’m sad that I won’t be a part of this group next year, because, I mean, it’s a bunch of great guys who truly love each other, man.
But I’m excited to watch and see what they do next year. I feel like this is just going to fuel and motivate them to greater heights and achieve more. I feel like they got a taste of it, and now they just need to go finish it.
Q. Obviously you guys are disappointed right now. You wanted to win a national title. When you think about how this season went, what did you accomplish this season and how will you look back on it?
JONATHON COOPER: First off, I just want to say I’m so proud of my guys and my team. I’m so proud of those guys. They’re truly special, and I know we didn’t win this game and all that, but they’re champions in my heart honestly.
I’m so proud of my guys. I couldn’t be prouder. I give all my thanks to them for letting me play with them, have an opportunity to do this stuff with them. You know, I’m just trying to keep my head held high for them. They deserve it for everything that they’ve done.
Mac Jones
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
THE MODERATOR: Mac, thank you for being with us. When you’re ready, why don’t you give us an opening statement, then we’ll take some questions.
MAC JONES: Yeah, I’m just really proud of this team, from everybody, top down, the coaches, players obviously, and the fans for sticking with us all year. We set this as a goal, to potentially be the greatest team to ever play. I think we made a valid statement in winning the national championship tonight.
Who would have thought we would have won every game, all SEC schedule with everything going on. Then to finish off the last couple games the way we did, I’m just so proud of my teammates, the coaches, and everyone that supported us.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions.
Q. Mac, the guy calling a lot of those plays, Sarkisian, what kind of job has he done to put all of you in position to make plays?
MAC JONES: Coach Sark, all year long he’s called great plays. We really just think alike. I know exactly what he’s looking for. We had that communication that every quarterback and offensive coordinator wants. He put our best players in position to make plays. My job was always to get them the ball.
Beyond football, Coach Sark means so much to me. He made me such a better player and person. I love Coach Sark. For him to deal with all the stuff he was dealing with with the Texas stuff, just locked in and gave us the best chance to win.
So that just shows the type of person he is. I know he’s going to do great things in the future, and we just all love Coach Sark.
Q. You played for a legendary coach in high school, obviously now played for Nick Saban. He now has seven national championships. Is he the G.O.A.T.? Is he the greatest college football coach of all time?
MAC JONES: C’mon, man. Of course he is (laughter).
How could he not be? He does it the right way. He recruits well, but more importantly develops great players and young men. I’m just so blessed that he gave me a chance to come here along with all my teammates. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. He’s the greatest to ever do it. He’ll be the greatest for a long time.
Q. You made a statement about what you thought this team did. Would you say you guys made a case to be the greatest college football offense, given all the awards, accolades, points, what you did tonight? Was there an extra sense of motivation, it’s Ohio State, but just the history with these two programs? Was there some extra motivation around the building over the last week or so?
MAC JONES: Yeah, I mean, in the first question, I mean, I think we’re the best team to ever play. There’s no team that will ever play an SEC schedule like that again. At the same time we’re just so happy to have won this game and kind of put the icing on the cake.
There was not a lot of pressure. We just wanted to go out there and play the game we’ve been playing since we were all five years old. We did that really well.
I think you just have to give credit where credit’s due with everybody. So yeah.
Q. What does it say about Jaylen Waddle and Landon Dickerson that they were even able to play in this game? How special a moment was that at the end of the game to see Landon go in there and take that snap?
MAC JONES: It was awesome. Waddle, to go through what he had to, rehabbed his butt off. Fought to just get in there and help the team. Smitty kind of went down, he was in there. It wasn’t like one or two plays, he was in for the drives. I was super happy for him, man.
That shows what type of person he is, to put literally his career and body on the line to help us out and help us to win a game. That means so much to everybody. I’m so proud of Waddle.
With Landon, I don’t know if I can disclose his full injury, but the guy, most people can’t even walk after the time period where he’s at. He’s worked his butt off, too, in the last couple weeks to get back on the field. He kind of joked with me, he’s like, I’m playing. He texts me every morning, 7:00 in the morning, I’m playing, Mac, I’m playing. Just to see him go in there and do that.
After the game, just being with him, us getting a little emotional, means a lot. Landon has been through a lot. Transferred schools, took a risk to come to Alabama. A lot of people said that Landon was going to be done with the injuries that he HAD but he just keeps fighting. And I love Landon Dickerson.
Q. 464 yards, a hell of a way to go out on. Have you thought about this being your last game? What has been your career like, reflect back on that?
MAC JONES: Yeah, there’s a lot of distractions and stuff. My family has kind of handled all that. I’m just really happy to have won this game. Even for us to focus with coaches leaving. We just locked in, gave everything we could to win this game. Obviously there’s decisions to be made. I’m going to make the best decision for me and my family. I put myself, I’m blessed to put myself in a position to do either one, come back or hopefully go to the NFL. We’ll discuss that this week and see what my plan is.
In terms of legacy, I mean, I just think it’s cool. Just the class that we had coming in, the four teams that I played on throughout my career here, I just am so blessed to be on each team. Two national championships, one kind of watching from the sideline, one getting a chance to play. It just goes to show that anything is possible. When you put your mind to something, believe in your teammates and coaches, you can get things done.
Q. Are you okay? You hobbled around a little bit in the fourth quarter. Did you take a shot?
MAC JONES: I had a really bad bone bruise, which I don’t know, they thought maybe something worse had happened. We did the x-rays and stuff and everything is good. I’ll probably be really sore, black and blue, but just happy to be able to finish out the game. I mean, a lot of guys out there were kind of limping around. That just shows we wanted to finish strong for Alabama.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Mac, on the national title. We appreciate you being with us.
MAC JONES: Thank you. Appreciate it.
Justin Fields
Ohio State Buckeyes
Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
Q. Ryan said you were not 100 percent tonight; how do you think your injury affected things overall and how did you feel playing the game?
JUSTIN FIELDS: At the end of the day I’m glad I was able to play, and we didn’t get the job done. But of course I could have been healthier, but I was healthy enough. I was able to be out there.
Q. Just wanted to ask you, in regards to preparation for this game, were you able to practice the last several days somewhat unbridled, or was there a limitation on what you could do this past week leading up to it? And besides that, just perhaps if you could just reflect on what this two years at Ohio State has meant for you.
JUSTIN FIELDS: I wasn’t able to practice towards the beginning of the week last week. I kind of struggled.
But the last few years have been great. I’ve made a lot of friendships and made a lot of brothers. We definitely wanted a different outcome, but I’m definitely going to miss everybody.
Q. It seemed like they ratcheted up the pressure, even in the first half, disrupting you a little bit. What did you feel like they were doing that was most effective and made it difficult for you guys to operate?
JUSTIN FIELDS: I feel like they did a good job executing on defense. Of course they have great players, great athletes and they have a great defensive coordinator, so they did a good job doing that.
Q. How much do you think it impacted you guys and what you wanted to do offensively when Trey went out?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Of course, yeah, of course Trey going out, of course he was hot these last few weeks, but we have the mentality of competitive excellence, and when one man goes down, we have to bring up the next man.
But we would’ve liked to have Trey out there. He’s a baller, he’s a warrior, but he wasn’t able to play with us. But with or without him we’ve still got to execute.
Q. As you were making your way off the field there, it seemed like you were stopping and talking with a lot of people. I’m curious what your message was particularly for some of the young guys that you had a moment with, who have to take this loss and find a way to use it going into next year?
JUSTIN FIELDS: I mean, yeah, I was just telling the young guys that they have a lot more years left, and I was just telling them to remember what this feels like, never let it happen to them again. Of course they were down. They have time left, so I encouraged them to get back to work as quickly as possible and just remember this feeling of walking off the field with a loss. I just told them to remember the feeling.
Q. How did you — I know you touched on it earlier, but how did you feel coming into this game? You talked about how well their defense had been playing, and what did you see overall from their defense as the game progressed on?
JUSTIN FIELDS: How did I feel coming into the game and what did I see overall from their defense?
Q. Yes.
JUSTIN FIELDS: I felt pretty good coming into the game. We had a good game plan planned out, but they executed better than we did. Of course Bama is a great team, you have to give them their respect, and yeah, we’ve just got to be better.
Q. A tough loss for the team today; how will this motivate you in the off-season?
JUSTIN FIELDS: It’s going to motivate me a lot. We didn’t get the turnout that we wanted to, didn’t get the result that we wanted. But that’s just going to make us work harder. This team deals with adversity very well. We’ve been through a lot of adversity this past year. We’re just going to use it to get back and just work our butts off.
Patrick Surtain II
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama – 52, Ohio State – 24
Q. I think you held Justin Fields to about 50 percent passing, under 200 yards. And after the big game that he had against Clemson, what was the plan coming in and how were you able to kind of slow him down a little bit?
PATRICK SURTAIN II: The plan coming in was focus on our keys, communicating out there, and flying around to the ball. We knew what type of offense we was going against and our plan was to manage the game where it would eliminate those explosive plays that they had been consistently getting. So that was our main focus.
Q. This is the 18th National Championship for Alabama. What does it mean to you to be a part of those championships?
PATRICK SURTAIN II: It means a lot. We’re another team in the history books. This team accomplished a lot and it’s no better feeling to end this way. So I’m proud of this whole team.
Q. How rewarding is this season after such a challenging year with everything going with COVID?
PATRICK SURTAIN II: It’s even more special. This team has been through a lot in the off-season, going into the season. But the main thing was we focused on one goal and that was to win the National Championship. We finished it. I’m proud of this team and what we have accomplished knowing what was going on before the season and I just say that we did it.
Q. What does it mean to you to win a National Championship in a stadium that your dad played in professionally?
PATRICK SURTAIN II: It means a lot, just playing a game that you seen your dad playing it for years and just to win it here, the big National Championship, it’s a special moment and it’s just a blessing to be here.
Q. Coach Saban preached discipline, that’s what he’s preached all year and I think especially in this year it’s really important. Talk about how you guys stayed disciplined and stayed true to the goal. This is, you wanted to come back and you had a lots of seniors that wanted to come back to win this National Championship, talk about that what means to you just seeing what you set out in August to do with all the uncertainty right now culminating in this moment?
PATRICK SURTAIN II: Coach Saban always talk about being prepared, being focused and locked in, no matter which part of the season we’re in, we can’t be too complacent. But all those things he said, you know, it means something leading up to this point. And just winning it, especially during this season, finishing a goal, finishing a mission, there’s nothing more things you can say, you know, we did it and like I said before, I’m proud of this team and what we have accomplished and we just, another team in the history books.
III John Metchie
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide 52, Ohio State Buckeyes 24
Q. What was the most exciting moment of the game for you?
JOHN METCHIE III: Most exciting moment of the game, it was definitely the end. Definitely the confetti coming up. Just finally being able to say that we’re National Champs and that we went undefeated. It had been a long road, so I think that was the best moment of the game for me.
Q. Nick Saban said this was the ultimate team. Can you just elaborate on just the season that you had and just how the preparation this week led you to play your best football this week?
JOHN METCHIE III: Yeah, I think all around, this is an amazing team. Just our ability to fight through adversity, personal adversity, team adversity, able to come together, able to get down to the nitty-gritty of football and just persevere, really. I love this team and I really think that this is really a a really great team.
Q. And how do you use the performance that you had tonight going forward in your football career at Alabama?
JOHN METCHIE III: Just continue to work and continue to hold ourselves and continue to hold myself to a high standards. We set really high standards for us, so we have to reach it or exceed it. Going forward, it’s continuing to build up what this program means and what this program does, and just be able to get back to this point. This is what we do it for, for the game like this, and to be able to continue and keep it going.
Q. Can you tell us what it feels like for a Canadian kid to play on a stage like this and such a big game?
JOHN METCHIE III: It feels great. I do it for all my people back home who continue to support me. I remember watching these National Championship games when I was a kid in Canada and dreaming of playing in it. So being able to finally play in one and win one, as a matter of fact, is surreal. It’s something that’s kind of hard to put words to describe.
Q. Nick Saban talks about how Alabama is a next-man-up type of team. When you saw Devonta go down, how did you know that you have to be next man up then?
JOHN METCHIE III: It’s just how the team is. We practice this way and play this way. It’s always been next-man-up mentality. Make sure when the next man steps up that there’s no drop-off; and it’s just part of holding ourselves to that standard and when we set a standard for ourselves, making sure everyone reaches that standard, so that when one person goes down, there’s no dropoff and we’re able to continue playing good football.
Jeremy Ruckert
Ohio State Buckeyes
Alabama – 52, Ohio State – 24
Q. I guess the obvious question to start with is, the tight ends were so involved in the first half against Clemson. You guys went to a couple of throws to you guys early but didn’t continue with that. How much of a talk about using you guys in the passing game was there, and what did you make of the game plan going forward?
JEREMY RUCKERT: I mean, they were a great defense and everything, and we were able to make some plays early. But we were just trying to control what we could control. And we didn’t want to force anything and just try to get into a rhythm here and there. We kept getting a couple guys going down. We tried to get in a rhythm.
And going against a great team and a great defense like that you have to try to take what they give you and not force anything.
So, like I’ve always said, if the ball comes my way I’ll do everything I can to make the play. But if it doesn’t I’ll do whatever I can to help my team. And whatever my assignment is I’ll do it as hard as I can and as long as I can.
Q. Now that you’ve had two years to play with Justin and presumably that time has come to an end, what can you say about him and what you’ve seen from him in the last two years?
JEREMY RUCKERT: I mean, our relationship goes back to high school. We went to a bunch of camps together. And I’ve always seen him around. Other than as a football player, you can tell just how much of a competitor he is and how truly great he is. He always puts us in a great position.
And he’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever been around. One of my toughest teammates I’ve ever seen. He showed that last game and coming back this game, behind the scenes, just 24/7 in our training room, getting his body right and doing everything he can to make sure he’s out here.
And I feel he didn’t even give it away that he was hurt at all. Looked like he was standing in there strong and doing whatever he could to help us win. Great person, unbelievable football player and I’m excited to watch his future.
Q. How much did losing Trey Sermon on that opening drive change and impact some of the stuff you guys wanted to do offensively?
JEREMY RUCKERT: It’s definitely a huge loss, especially how productive he’s been these last couple of weeks. We’ve been relying on him in the run game. But we’re very confident in the guys we have going forward and who we had in the game. Feel like we were moving the ball pretty well. Rushed pretty good in the first half. Losing him was definitely detrimental.
But you can’t put much thought about that into the game while you’re in the moment. You gotta control what you can control, like I said before. And I think we tried to do that on offense. And our defense played as hard as they could. And we respect those guys so much, love all those guys, especially the older guys. Tough to see it end like this, but you just gotta control what you can control.
Q. You obviously are very involved in the blocking game. Alabama’s defensive line maybe a little bit unheralded comparing with some of the past. But clearly got to you guys some. What did they do well in this game?
JEREMY RUCKERT: I mean, they’re just — you play against Alabama you’re going against the best players in the country. And they’re very talented, very fundamentally sound. Obviously they’re going to get after us a couple times. I feel we just try to manage that and be on the attacking end and not try to receive it, be more proactive than reactive.
And they got after us a couple times. And I feel like it might have changed a couple big moments in the game if we could have stayed on the block a little bit longer or gotten him a few extra seconds to scan down the field.
We left it all out there, I could tell, our whole offensive line and defense, and everybody on the team. We just left it all out there. The score may not have shown it, but I’m just so proud of how far we’ve come, especially in this season, how everything that’s happened. Can’t be anything but just so proud of our guys how, far we’ve come throughout this whole year.
Q. What were they doing in the secondary to kind of limit you guys in the passing attack today? Did they do anything to limit you guys in the passing attack today?
JEREMY RUCKERT: I mean, nothing comes to mind. They just played really strong. They’re very sound. They get their plays in early. And they just played really good. And wish it could have turned out different, but I didn’t notice anything.
I just feel like we got off rhythm a little bit and couldn’t get first down. I don’t know how much that had to do with the secondary or anything, but much respect to those guys for coming to play.
Q. You took the big hit in the first half. Just what did you feel after that? You obviously came back in the game but how were you feeling and how are you feeling still?
JEREMY RUCKERT: It hurts, but my dad would have got after me pretty bad if I didn’t get right back up. So just thinking don’t want to end like that. Don’t want the season to end like that get; back in the game and try to help, do anything I can.
Dylan Moses
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama – 52, Ohio State – 24
Q. Dylan, with Christian playing in front of you, how have you seen him progress as the season’s gone on? He was the defensive MVP tonight. How has he gotten better as the year’s gone on?
DYLAN MOSES: He’s progressed a lot. I’m so proud of him, me and him being close and growing up together and knowing him since we was kids. Like I said, it’s a blessing to be in this position and I was, and I’m proud to be able to play beside him and I’m sure he’s feels the same way with me.
Q. Coach Saban now has seven national championships, more than any other coach in history. What has he meant to you, as a player?
DYLAN MOSES: He’s meant everything to me. Like he changed my life. I don’t know if you guys remember, but he offered me a scholarship out of the 8th grade. I’ve been knowing him since I was 14 years old, personally. So the relationship everyone else has with him and the relationship I have with him is completely different.
So for him to be the greatest of all time and to surpass seven titles, to make seven titles and surpass all the other coaches, I congratulate him for that and I’m proud of him. I’m sure he’s proud of his team for accomplishing his great task.
But as far as Coach Saban, man, he will always be the great coach, the greatest coach I’ve ever played for.
Q. How rewarding is this victory after such a challenging season?
DYLAN MOSES: It’s like a weight off our backs after going through all the adversity we went through, not knowing whether or not we would play. And as far as like my personal things that I’ve went through just as far as life and all that, it’s definitely a weight off our shoulders and this was our main goal. This is what we wanted to do. This is what I came back for, and I kept my word and we won the title. So I’m happy.
Q. For someone who’s been through a knee injury, what was it like to watch Landon come in for the final snap there and be able to be on the field for this game?
DYLAN MOSES: It was motivating, it reminded me of what I did last year whenever we played LSU, back in 2019, whenever I dressed full pads and all that. So that gave a lot of motivation to a lot of guys, along with seeing Jalen playing after getting hurt against Tennessee a couple, well, yeah, several weeks ago. So we just wanted to play for our guys, play for our team and that’s how we came out on top.
Nicholas Petit-Frere
Ohio State Buckeyes
Alabama, 52 – Ohio, 24
Q. Obviously tough game. They were able to get pressure on Justin more than most teams have. Was it something they did in terms scheme, or was it just, Hey, that’s a really good team?
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE: So I think there was a lot of pressure. They were always a talented team. We already knew this coming in. They have a bunch of great guys on the defensive line and linebacker corps and everyone they have on defense.
They have a really talented roster there and the coaching staff as well. You know, they’re one of the top teams in the nation. It was two top teams going at it tonight, so just a little mixture of talented players.
They had some schemes here and there, but I think we were doing some things right on the field, you know.
Q. Obviously you guys were fueled so much this year by what happened last year against Clemson. Do you think there will be a similar response to what happened tonight?
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE: Yeah, you know, we try to use everything we can to play with a chip on our shoulder and fuel us for the next season. After that loss against Clemson we really left the field with bitter taste in our mouth saying we left a lot of stuff on the field that could have brought us to the championship game like we did this year.
So when we went out to go play against Clemson, we remember those feelings. We had a lot of those emotions playing that game, but we knew to keep our poise and calm and do the job we needed to do.
Same thing here. This is just another building block on our team to make us stronger, not only as team, as a group we have coming back, but also for future Buckeyes.
Q. Obviously you guys have a lot of guys like yourself who could potentially have a decision to make heading off to the next level. When you look at this Bama team with guys like, Leatherwood, Najee, DeVonta, all those guys that decided to come back after a disappointing end last year, how do you think you and the leaders of this team can come together to find maybe something special to bring more guys back next year?
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE: You know, everyone is going to make their decisions that are best for them in their careers. If you really want to know what it takes to bring guys back, look at what we did this year when we had COVID cancel our season. We had a lot of things happening with a lot of people not being able to play, not knowing if we’re going to play.
And while guys you were, once they heard we were playing ball again, everyone came back like it was nothing.
So just that’s what we are. This is a brotherhood, and we are always going to support our brothers no matter what decision they make.
As you can see this year, we had a lot of guys that came back after our season got canceled and they just wanted Thornberry a part of brotherhood and play their hardest. That’s what we try to do all season long in this game.
What happens is whatever happens.
Q. Everybody knew how explosive this Bama offense was. I don’t know if you guys talk about it as a team or just thought it in your head, but coming in as an offense, how many points did you think you guys had to score to hang with them? You know what you mean? What does that feel like? Did you feel that in the game of every time you go on the field you kind of got to put points on the board because you how explosive they are when they get out there?
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE: Well, I mean, you know, they’re an explosive team, like you said, and they’re a talented team over all, especially on offense.
For us, how many points we thought we needed to score? We thought we needed to score one more than them. We just wanted to win the game. We didn’t really focus on how many points they put up on the board, how many points we put up on the board. We just said, We got to score one more than them. We didn’t do that tonight.
You know, we just came in with the mindset of every time we touch the ball we’re trying to find a way to put it in the end zone or put points on the board. We just had belief in our defense and us as a team about everything we needed to do.
We didn’t really think about their offense. We just focused on us because it’s about us. It’s not about other teams. It’s what we can do as a team.
Q. Did you see Trey go down on that first drive, and how did that change some things for you offensively?
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE: Can you say that question again? I’m sorry.
Q. When you lost Trey Sermon on the opening drive, how did it change what you wanted to do tonight on offense?
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE: You know, it was tough losing Trey. He’s a brother to us. When we heard — when I heard that he was out after that first drive, it was really heart breaking for us, not only as an offensive line, but as an offense and as a team in general.
But we didn’t change anything. Still had the same game plan. We all trained hard through all the players and depth chart, so if someone went down, we knew someone needed to come up. It’s not like we only played with Trey. We made sure everyone was accounted for and everyone was able to play and do their job.
Devonta Smith
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
THE MODERATOR: We have our most outstanding offensive player of the game, Devonta Smith.
When you’re ready, give us an opening statement, then we’ll take some questions.
DEVONTA SMITH: Just blessed to be in this situation.
THE MODERATOR: Let’s go ahead with questions.
Q. Just wondering what happened with the hand injury. How did it happen? What was going on in the locker room when you were trying to get it fixed?
DEVONTA SMITH: Just dislocated my finger. Just tried to put it back in place.
Q. Watching your teammate, Jaylen Waddle get back on that field tonight, talk about his toughness in wanting to be out there with you guys.
DEVONTA SMITH: Just shows the commitment, how much he love his team. Him just wanting to be out there, just doing what he can, give us everything he got. That was just the message, give us what you got, we’ll take anything.
Q. From a year ago to now, what is the biggest difference in Mac Jones that enabled him to have a performance like this on this stage?
DEVONTA SMITH: Just his commitment, his dedication to everything. Him just getting in the film room, getting prepared for moments like this.
I don’t think nobody prepared as hard as him on this team just with everything that he’s done.
Q. Now that the game is over, what is your reaction to Shaun Wade saying he wanted to cover you, how you think that matchup went?
DEVONTA SMITH: Well, I mean, I just practiced hard all week, just worked, came to do my job. It just worked out well for me and the team.
Q. I wanted to ask you about you and your classmates, how you approached going into this season. After the Orange Bowl last year — the Citrus Bowl, sorry, maybe wasn’t quite the end of the season that you wanted. To come back and commit to this season, not knowing it was going to be as crazy as it was during a pandemic, what was that like? What were the conversations like between you and your teammates when you decided to go all in on this season?
DEVONTA SMITH: Well, we had a mission. Everybody wanted to end things the right way. We just all came to work every day and just put in the work. We got the result that we wanted.
Q. To have over 600 yards, you, Jaylen, Landon, what do you think that says about this offense, having that many injured guys play through it and put on the performance that you did?
DEVONTA SMITH: Just the love for the team. Just everybody want to do what they can. Just have young guys there just ready if anything happen, their dedication. Just the love that this team has for each other.
Q. Your last game with Sark. What kind of job did he do? Every defense is trying to focus in on you every game, yet you’re still getting open, getting mismatches. What kind of job did he do helping that happen?
DEVONTA SMITH: He just called the game the way he’s been calling all year. Just putting in the right position to make plays, just trusting in us. That comes with us coming to practice every day, getting in the film room, doing the things we need to do.
Q. If you had to convince anybody to come back this year with the pandemic and everything? Also why was this the ultimate team? Nick Saban called this the ultimate team.
DEVONTA SMITH: No, I didn’t pressure anybody to come back, just let everybody make their own decisions because you don’t know what they’re going through or what their family situations are like. I just kind of let everybody just do what they wanted to do. The guys that did came back, I’m glad they came back. The guys that left, I’m proud of them. I’m happy they made the decision that was best for them.
With everything this team has been through with the pandemic, everybody staying as one, coming closer as a family.
Q. What do you feel is your legacy? You won all the awards this year, a championship as a freshman with the winning touchdown, a championship this year, came back for your senior season, set all the records at Alabama receiving-wise. What do you think your legacy would be?
DEVONTA SMITH: I wouldn’t be able to do none of this without my teammates or without God. Just come here, I just put in the work every day no matter what the situation was, just believing in my coaches and them putting me in the right situations just to make plays.
Q. What makes Christian Barmore special? What is that switch he flips on? He plays with such an edge to him.
DEVONTA SMITH: He’s just got a high motor, a guy that’s going to give it 100% every time. He puts the work in. He just love the game. He just loves being out there. He’s just an unbelievable player.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much for being with us. Congratulations again.
DEVONTA SMITH: Thank you.
Shaun Wade
Ohio State Buckeyes
Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
Q. The way Alabama was able to consistently get the ball out in space and break things off in the first half against especially DeVonta Smith, looking back on it, why do you think that was so open for them just continuously through the first half?
SHAUN WADE: Really they just gave him the ball in open space and he made plays. He’s a great player and they had a great scheme. They just made plays. I heard Justin say the same thing. They just came and outplayed us today.
Q. When you look back now at all the challenges and your decision to come back, you didn’t get what you most wanted which was this National Championship. Was it still worth it for you? Look back on this last year for us.
SHAUN WADE: Oh, yeah, definitely it was worth it. I see myself growing as a man and as a team, and all the young guys growing as men, all the things that we went through, the adversity. I’m happy I came back, and I’m just glad we got here. I’m upset we didn’t get the win but I’m definitely happy I came back and accomplished some big things with this team. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of everybody.
Q. Would you give your recruiting pitch to all those listening? And then about the time difference, you guys played your seven games versus their 12 games. Do you feel there was a difference in either team being up to peak performance tonight?
SHAUN WADE: You could say that, but at the end of the day we both were in the same predicament, both at the National Championship, so we both have got to play our best games. Yeah, they played more games, they had more experience, a little bit more chemistry, you could say that, but at the end of the day we both made the National Championship, so that’s not an excuse. That’s nothing. At the end of the day they just outplayed us today.
And you said a recruiting pitch?
Q. Yeah, recruiting pitch for those listening.
SHAUN WADE: Yeah, we’ve got a great program here. The brotherhood is very, very strong. We went through a lot of adversity with the season getting canceled to the season coming back, to games getting canceled and not playing enough games and everything. We went through a lot of adversity, and it just shows how much we fight. Even today just not giving up, everyone just kept on playing, kept on playing and kept on fighting.
At the end of the day for all the people that’s looking at Ohio State, just really look clearly, and it’s a great program.
Q. You touched on it a minute ago. Obviously this is a very interesting season. What do you and the team want to — what do you personally and what do you want the team to be remembered for in this 2020 season?
SHAUN WADE: Just all the adversity and how much we fought at the end of the day. The season was canceled, so everybody was down and we went through a whole September where we just didn’t know, and ended up having season, then we had camp during school and no one has ever done it where you have camp during school, and it’s just crazy how much we just kept staying focused and just kept on fighting every day.
After that we had Big Tens and we didn’t have enough games and everybody was doubting us. We just kept on fighting. I’m very, very proud of this team. I’m happy we got the season back and the Big Ten commissioner let us have a season and just very proud. I’m really looking forward to next year with all the guys that’s going to be doing things, Cam Brown, Sevyn Banks, Josh Proctor, whoever is going to play in that secondary. I’m very proud of them and just really looking forward to their season next year.
Q. I know the game just ended a half hour ago, and if you’re not ready to make a declaration or whatever, it seems pretty obvious that you came back for one more year, but is this definitively your last game at Ohio State or do you still want more time to consider it before the deadline a week from now?
SHAUN WADE: I really can’t say. You know, I do want to come back and everything. I’ve got to talk to my parents. It is upsetting that we got here and we just didn’t accomplish the goal, and that’s just been my goal, winning a National Championship and just winning big games like this. I’ll just go back with my parents, go talk to them and just go from there.
Christian Harris
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama – 52, Ohio State – 24
Q. Justin Fields threw for six touchdown passes in the semi-final. What did your defense do to slow him down?
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: I think today we just went out and tried to execute whatever coach’s game plan was. Coach put together a great game plan, like I just said, so I think all we had to do was go out there, just execute. I think that’s all we did.
Q. This was the 18th National Championship for Alabama. What does it mean to you to be a part of that?
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: It’s a blessing, truly a blessing to even be able to have the opportunity to play in this game, especially being that we’ve been through so much this season with corona and injuries and stuff.
But we persevered and we just stayed the course and just truly a blessing to be in this position.
Q. To follow up on that, it’s obviously been a challenging season for you and everybody, but how rewarding is it to finish on top like y’all have?
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: It’s amazing. Like I said, it’s a blessing. From going in the summers to having workouts to not knowing if we’re going to have a season, just trusting the coaches and staying to the course and it’s just truly a blessing. I’m at a loss for words right now. I can’t really believe it. It’s still hitting me right now, so, yeah, it’s just amazing.
Q. What was that game plan as far as trying to stop Justin? I know he had a couple big runs there, but it seemed like generally you were able to contain him both on the ground and through the air.
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: Like you just said, containing him and making sure we were all disciplined in our drops. They got a lot of crazy route concepts out there. They got a lot of great explosive receivers and they had some real good catches out there.
But it was just going in there and just trying to make sure we contained them and make sure that we run the routes. We didn’t play that much man-to-man. I think we played a lot of zone. So it really just helped us out take away a lot of his looks. We just executed and came out with a victory.
Q. Kind of looking back over the season, how do you feel like this performance kind of validated what you were talking about over the past couple weeks, just how the defense has gotten better and kind of shown that some of those early season games were maybe a little bit of a fluke?
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: Well, I personally think there was a lot of question about our defense after that Ole Miss game. They had almost like 700 some yards on us. I think ever since then, we just tried to go in and make sure we stay focused on communication. I think that’s what really played a big part in our success as a defense as a whole, making sure everybody communicates and we’re all on the same page, whether it’s the right call or the wrong call, as long as we’re on the same page we can all go out there and execute. And I think we do a really great job of that whenever we’re communicating.
So I think coming into this game just making sure we over-communicate whenever we have to and just trying to make a statement and I think we did that.
Q. Talk about just the discipline from you guys, and this is a talented schedule you had to play. I mean, you had to play Georgia and you had to play Florida. It’s all SEC. And then you play a team like Notre Dame, who is talented, and obviously tonight. Talk about this unit, the discipline, and just the coaching staff what all this means to you.
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: We started being here, being disciplined is our number one thing definitely. It kind of starts in the fourth quarter whenever we’re going throughout these crazy workouts that we have, just ignoring the fact that, yeah, your body’s hurting or you might be tired or you might be tired of doing the same stuff every single day, but, like you just said, staying disciplined is very important, sticking to the course and trusting what the coaches say, trusting what the coaches say every single day, with the corona and the fact that we had to do the same thing every single day it does get repetitive, but when you stay to the course you see what happens, we won a National Championship, so…
Q. I figured since we’re here, I’ll ask you another one. Coach Saban talked about it’s the next-man-up mentality. Talk about that for this defense. I mean, obviously in a COVID year you have to have that, but in a normal year it’s a next-man-up mentality. Talk about the depth of this team and just what you’ve seen from some of your fellow teammates out there on the field.
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: You know, everybody says when you come to Bama, you might not play as a freshmen, but we have a lot of talented freshmen who came in here and stepped up, guys that were starting and guys that were second string that prepared just as well as the first string did. That way, because you never know when your opportunity will come. You could be one play away from you being a starter and you having to go out there and execute whatever the game plan is and in a National Championship games like this. So, and I think just trying to make everybody understand that you never know when your time could come. You need to prepare for every single game just like you’re a starter. That really helped us out a lot. So, yeah, I think it really played a big part in our success.
Q. Justin had a pretty big game last week against Clemson and came out this game and had a couple big runs, a couple of big plays here and there, but it seems like you guys contained him fairly well. What was the game plan coming in and how were you able to execute it?
CHRISTIAN HARRIS: The main thing was to make sure we were all on the same page and put pressure on the quarterback. He’s a really great quarterback whenever pressure’s not on him and he has time to look down the field and pass to his receivers. This week we tried our hardest to put pressure on him and do what we can and see if we could get off the field on third down.
Tuf Borland
Ohio State Buckeyes
Alabama, 52 – Ohio, 24
Q. There was a play where Devonta Smith got matched up with you one on one and scored a touchdown. From your vantage point, what happened on this play?
TUF BORLAND: Just three deep down. We know one of the issues is protecting the seams, so kind of just happened. He’s a Heisman Trophy winner, so give him credit. He’s a good player.
So, yeah. I’ll work to get it fixed.
Q. How much of an effect do you think it had that you didn’t have Tommy or Tyreke for this game? And related to that, you needed to get pressure on Mac Jones and you guys aren’t able to do that consistently. How big a factor was that in the game. And how disappointing is it you weren’t able to do that?
TUF BORLAND: Yeah, I mean, Tommy and Tyreke are unbelievable players. They showed that ten days ago whenever it was when we played Clemson. Unbelievable players. At a place like Ohio State we always approach next man up, and that’s what the case was. Especially in the COVID environment season, everyone has to be ready.
Yeah, I mean, credit to Alabama. They have great players. They played really hard. They played well.
Q. I know you guys want to win a national title, but how would you explain what you guys did accomplish this year and when you look back on this season what you’ll think of it?
TUF BORLAND: I mean, this season is just so unique. You know, in August we didn’t even have a season, so I think being here is a great accomplishment. Obviously.
We’re all competitors. We all would love to have won a National Championship and that’s why we’re here. We were here to compete for and ultimately win a National Championship.
But no one is hanging their heads. We’re going to learn from this experience, and I think the guys that come back next year will grow from it and be better from it.
Q. I would like to know about the amount of games and the difference — you guys played 7 versus their 12 games. Do you feel 7 was enough time to get in sync, in unison for this big game here versus their 12 games, which may have gave them an advantage and being more in sync tonight?
TUF BORLAND: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know how much that plays a role. Some would say that we would be fresher moving into this game and that would be an advantage.
But, I mean, the nonconference games do give you a chance to kind of get your feet under you, and obviously this year we didn’t have that. We didn’t have that opportunity. We hit the ground running, so we felt that pressure every week to make those six, seven games count.
Yeah.
Q. As you look back on facing this offense, Alabama, do you think it’s almost — this is a trend where offense is heading in college football, or sort of aberration of a great bunch of athletes being on the same team at the same time?
TUF BORLAND: Yeah, I mean, you got to give Alabama a lot of credit. They have great players and great scheme and they execute it really well. They played extremely hard and that’s the result that you see. That’s why the scoreboard was the way that it was.
So, yeah, I mean, I don’t know if there is a trend. Obviously offenses these days are spread them out, throw it all over the place, extremely explosive.
But they’re unique. What makes them unique is the caliber of players that they have.
Q. Hey, Tuf, you being a guy that played a lot of football here, as you reflect on your five years here, where do you feel like you’ll leave this program better than when you came in?
TUF BORLAND: I don’t know. I mean, there is so much to reflect on. Obviously my first like remembrance of it as a freshman was losing in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Coming back here and five years later get a shot to play for the National Championship was an unbelievable experience. I’m so thankful to be a part of this program with the coaches, the players. Everyone is so elite at what they do, whether it be coaching or playing.
But the thing that’s going to stay with me is the caliber of people we have here and the relationships I’ve built. So I’m just so thankful to everyone for this last five years.
Q. Obviously this is a rare collection of talent that Alabama has. People might watch this game and think there is a sizable gap between Alabama and everyone else, including Ohio State. What would you say to that?
TUF BORLAND: I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear the question.
Q. Yeah. People would watch this game and think there is a different level between Alabama and everybody else in terms of talent, including Ohio State. As good as you guys have been, what would you say to that in terms of how big the gap is between Alabama and everyone else?
TUF BORLAND: I mean, Alabama has great players. Give them all the credit. They executed better tonight. But to say that they’re more talented than this Ohio State team, I don’t know. Hard disagree with that. Top to bottom we feel like we have a talented team, guys that can compete with anyone in the country, and, again, just credit to Alabama. They had a great night. They executed well.
So, yeah.
Christian Barmore
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
THE MODERATOR: We’re joined by the most outstanding defensive player of the game, Christian Barmore. We’ll go right to questions.
Q. Christian, Mac talked about it, Nick talked about this team’s place in history, all the adversity you had to overcome. Was there a sense of this team playing for history coming in tonight?
CHRISTIAN BARMORE: They a real good defense, real good defensive team. I had to play a really good game. Mac did a really good job. We all played really well today. Doesn’t really matter about the hurdles, but he played how he wanted to play. I’m glad he did.
The defense was really good from Ohio State. They was a really good team.
Q. What did you love about this team?
CHRISTIAN BARMORE: My team? Well, we all brothers. We all fight together. We practice hard together. Like, we just do everything together. It’s just like nobody have a strong relationship like we have for our whole team.
Like, we just compete every day to become the best player we can be. We strive to be the best. That’s what just happened. We won because we all really good brothers and we worked hard together.
Q. You’ve always had a high motor. This game you were particularly on point. What was the motivation for you to really get after that quarterback?
CHRISTIAN BARMORE: Well, really D-line, the whole team really because we worked hard. This game right here was like the last game of all here.
Me and my brothers, we was all fighting. We told each other like we going to be the best that we can be. Like, I did this for my coaches, my D-line and my whole team.
Q. Mac said he thinks this is the best college football team that ever played. Do you agree? What is your argument for this being the best team, if so?
CHRISTIAN BARMORE: Well, to me, I agree with him. Yes, we really is the best team because we worked hard. We didn’t hear the outside noise. We ignored the COVID stuff. We just worked hard together. We just really grinded out for this camp, scrimmages, everything. Even the first game, we were just grinding.
Yeah, I believe we is the best team, yes, sir.
Q. How much of this do you contribute to Coach Gor back home?
CHRISTIAN BARMORE: That’s really my father. He’s just like a father to me. Every day he always tells me, Let’s keep working, work on stuff, like playing the run better, doing stuff better. Literally he motivates me every day to work hard. I worked the whole time. That guy right there is like a father to me. Like, he’s just my mentor.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Christian. We appreciate you being with us. Thank you.
CHRISTIAN BARMORE: Appreciate it. Thank you.
Chris Olave
Ohio State Buckeyes
Alabama – 52, Ohio State – 24
THE MODERATOR: We’re joined by Chris Olave, wide receiver from Ohio State.
Q. I think this might be the first game that both you and Garrett were under 100 yards receiving. Was the secondary doing anything maybe that you hadn’t seen before to take you guys away? Or how did they make things difficult for you guys?
CHRIS OLAVE: They played a good game. Had some really good defense. Really good team over there, but they just played better ball than us today. And they came out with the win.
Q. Similar question, but the feelings now, obviously, you guys came in with high expectations with the way this year went and everything. To not have the offensive production you wanted, what’s going on in your head right now?
CHRIS OLAVE: It was tough. I mean, we have high standards for ourselves, high standards for each other. We worked so hard in all the season to get to this point.
And we didn’t play our best game today. It’s tough. And it’s a down moment, but just gotta soak it in and bounce back.
Q. To be with Justin for the last two years and to see him fight for you guys to get a season back and everything he did in the offseason, then to come out and play the way he did all year, what can you say about him, just getting to know him the last couple of years and playing with him the last two years?
CHRIS OLAVE: He’s a warrior. I mean, that’s a guy you always want on your team. He’s a leader on and off the field. And people look up to him. And the season he had this year, the growth he had from last year, it’s huge. And I’ve got all love and all respect for him. Can’t wait to see him do big things.
Q. Trey was very important to what you guys wanted to do in the Sugar Bowl, and how it opened up some things for you down the field and Garrett. Losing him on that first drive as a receiver, a vertical threat, how much of a detriment was that to you guys?
CHRIS OLAVE: I mean, you see what he did the last two games. When we needed him the most, he gave us his best. And to see him go down in that first drive, it was tough for us. He’s been going uphill ever since that Big Ten championship, and I wanted to see him do good in this game. And losing him was huge. And I think we felt that.
Q. What was it like, I guess, for the last two years to kind of grow alongside of Justin? I think several times last year we asked you guys about getting some things synced up and particularly the deep ball, but this year it just seemed like whenever you guys were on the field together you were in so sync. How did you kind of foster that over the last year to get to where you are this year?
CHRIS OLAVE: Last year, we were just out there trying to ball. But this year we kind of locked in. And he knew my body language. I know his body language whenever he was going to throw the ball to me. He knows when I’m going to break off a route or all that.
And going into this year I kind of wanted to read coverages and take my game to another level and know where to break my routes off and attack leverages and just try to be the best in the country. And we had a tough year, but we wanted to come out with this win, and it’s tough but we made it and we’re thankful.
Q. Where do you think you made the biggest, I guess, stride this year as — not just as a team but an individual? You said you wanted to read defenses. We talked to you, obviously you wanted to get past the Clemson hurdle. What do you think you did this season than what you did the season before with Justin?
CHRIS OLAVE: Individually, I feel like I’m faster. I put a little muscle on. And last year I was playing at around 180, 175. But this year I played at 185, 186. I felt way better out there, especially strength-wise, getting off press and getting into my routes more efficiently. And I felt like I had a good year and just gotta keep building.
Q. I know you probably didn’t necessarily want to see a bunch of young guys on the field at the end because of the result, but seeing those freshmen receivers get out there and experience this game, what could that mean for them going forward? And what did you see from them when they were in the game there for a little bit?
CHRIS OLAVE: That’s huge. I mean, I’ve got all love for the guys. And our unit is so close. We competed every day in the offseason, trying to make each other better, and to see them out there in their freshman year playing in a National Championship is huge.
And I know they’re not going to forget this feeling. I saw the looks on their faces. And I hope they bounce back and I hope they work harder than ever in this next postseason.
Alex Leatherwood
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide 52, Ohio State Buckeyes 24
Q. There was a lot of talk about what you guys wanted to do. You wanted to come back and you really wanted to make this year about winning. Talk about the discipline it took the entire year and with the distractions, and just what it meant for you to come back and have this opportunity?
ALEX LEATHERWOOD: I mean, just like you said, there were a lot of distractions: COVID, the off-season workouts, the whole nine yards. It was an unprecedented year with a lot of adversity.
But we just stayed the course, you know what I mean. Tried to stay focused and took everything day-by-day and really got everybody bought in and locked into what we wanted to achieve and we came out victorious.
Q. It meant a lot for you to come back and get this done. Reflect on your years at Alabama and what has the coaching staff meant to you and what do you take away from your career here?
ALEX LEATHERWOOD: I mean, looking back on it, it’s some of the best years of my life. I feel like I learned a lot throughout the years about myself as a player and about people and just a lot of things, how to handle adversity, how to work hard, how to do a lot of things, you know what I mean, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I don’t regret coming back, and I love everybody on this team and all of my past teams because you just don’t get the opportunity to have a family like this, you know what I mean. College football is special and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.
